book thoughts by shanda

Review: Silent in the Grave by Deanna Raybourn

2011-06-14T19:19:00.002-04:00

Silent in the Grave by Deanna Raybourn

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Can it get any better than this first line (or two):

To say that I met Nicholas Brisbane over my husband's dead body is not entirely accurate. Edward, it should be noted, was still twitching on the floor.

I absolutely adored this Lady Julia Grey mystery. Newly widowed, Lady Julia is confronted by the dark and mysterious Brisbane with news that her husband's death was a murder. It takes many months for Lady Julia to accept this fact and return to Brisbane for help in finding the murdering scoundrel. What follows is a tangle of passion and deception as the two not only look for the murderer but try to contain the emotions that they feel for each other.

Written in my favorite time period, this novel takes place in upper-class Victorian England. The prose and details are delicious and I love the voice of Lady Julia Grey. Nicholas Brisbane is a Darcy-esque figure, complex and hard to figure out, but he shows his compassion in unexpected ways - like to the impoverished widow Birch. I also like watching lady Julia go from a mousy and sheltered widow to a woman who realizes that being useful is quite wonderful. The ending is a perfect setup for the next installment which I am enjoying immensely right now!

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Review: The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin

2011-06-03T21:45:00.000-04:00

The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I loved this clever little story about a collection of seemingly random people that come together when millionaire Sam Westing leaves them his fortune in his will, provided they find out who murdered him. What follows is a quirky story of many characters who bit by bit get closer to the truth.

I liked these different characters, especially brilliant and precocious 13-year-old Turtle Wexler. I felt the author did an amazing job of fleshing out these characters, and, love them or hate them, they have distinct personalities which clash and meld together in hilarious ways.

I finished this book in record time, really devouring it, I just wanted to find out how the story was going to end! This book is intelligently written, keeping the reader involved until the end, just when I thought I knew what the ending was going to be, there was another little twist, and another.

I don't know much about this author but look forward to searching out her other work.

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Review: In the Garden of Beasts by Erik Larsen

2011-06-02T18:48:00.000-04:00

In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin by Erik Larson

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The title really explains everything you need to know about this book. It is about the experiences that the American Ambassador to Berlin and his family had during the 1930s when Hitler was chancellor and coming to power. The book focuses mostly on Ambassador Dodd and his daughter Martha, quite the player in today's terms. They are quite enchanted with Germany when they first arrive but find themselves more disgusted with the anti-Semitic events as time goes on. And while shocked at the things that are happening, they are quite powerless to do anything to stop it.

The top consular official in Berlin, George S Messersmith, America's consul general for germany since 1930 was convinced of Hitler's deranged government but thought few Americans realized the threat. This is a telling quote by Messersmith,

With few exceptions, the men who are running this Government are of a mentality that you and I cannot understand. Some of them are psychopathic cases and would ordinarily be receiving treatment somewhere.

I don't think much more needs to be said about the depravity of Hitler and the men he surrounded himself with.

I was a little disappointed in the book. Much of it seemed to focus on how Ambassador Dodd really wasn't suited for his position and that he didn't have the wealth to fete the local officials the way he should. There was tension between Dodd and the "pretty good club" back home in America who wanted him out. Another large chunk of the book focused on Dodd's daughter Martha and her many affairs with men, some even high in the Nazi system like Rudolf Diels. She was very sexual as the book kept pointing out and took great delight in sharing that with anyone she chose.

The book didn't seem to follow much of a plot like Larsen's book, The Devil in the White City, but was more just a random collection of situations. It was interesting to read about the Ambassador's meetings with Hitler. While putting great effort into making Germany the most powerful military nation, he would lie straight-faced about how he wanted peace for the whole world. Hitler was a demented maniac and I thought the book would be more about him, but I should have read the title a little closer I guess, not about him, but the American Ambassador family.

It was interesting to read about how the American government and the German people just didn't realize how destructive Hitler was starting to be. Even some Americans were unkind to Jews. It was different to see that perspective when all I have ever known is the horror of the Holocaust and the extreme un-political correctness of anti-Semitism.

I am always in awe of the enormous amount of research goes into writing a non-fiction book and Larsen definitely has my respect fort that. I just thought I would enjoy this book more than I did.

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Review: Russian Winter by Daphne Kalotay

2011-05-19T10:38:00.000-04:00

Russian Winter by Daphne Kalotay

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is the absolutely gorgeous story of Nina Revskaya, once a star of the Bolshoi Ballet who decides to auction her extensive jewelry collection in hopes that it will put to rest memories of the past. Growing up in Stalinist Russia, Nina witnessed heartbreak and persecution as she saw dear friends taken away and makes a devastating mistake that shapes the rest of her life. And then there is Grigori Solodin, a professor of Russian who believes that some of jewels he owns connects him to Nina. Grigori, along with auction house associate Drew Brooks decide to solve this mystery and figure out Grigori's confused past.

The author created a richly textured plot that unfolds slowly and gently like the petals of a flower opening, switching from present day Boston back to Russia in the 1950s. I like how she wrote the novel, but it takes some concentration to keep ahold of where the story line is going. I also really enjoyed her characters and feel that they are quite developed and easy to imagine. Learning about Russia during this time period was something new for me; really opened my eyes to the difficulty of living under Stalin's rule. I can't imagine worrying about every word you say or write, even in jest, because it could get you thrown in jail or worse.

The story also dealt with two of my favorite things - fine jewelry and the ballet. I love how the author begins each new chapter with a description of one of the pieces of jewelry up for auction. A neat way to weave the auction in and out of each part of the plot. Also, I liked reading about ballet and the costumes and the exercises, the toe shoes, the pain of joints and toes and the beauty created.

One of my other favorite things is the tender love story between two of the characters (I'm not going to say who) and how they find something in each other that they didn't think was possible. I read over and over again the passage where they have their first embrace - just a simple hug but it was so filled with emotion.

I am definitely looking forward to reading more of this author's creations.

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Review: City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare

2011-05-18T10:21:00.002-04:00

City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Back in the city with the same old gang where someone is murdering Shadowhunters and leaving the bodies in Downworlder territory to be found. Simon is still working out life as a vampire and finds himself in demand because of his unique characteristic as a Daylighter. Jace and Clary are still in the struggle to settle as a couple. One minute things seem fine, but then Jace seems to be pulling away and Clary is left trying to figure out why.

This one has a pretty slow start, in fact I was frustrated for almost the first 100 pages and thought about putting it down. After that, the plot got going and I enjoyed the book more. Clare again creates a creepy and tangible setting and I like her depictions of warlocks and faeries. So, it is still more of the fun from the first three books, but that is a little bit of the problem, just feels a little recycled. There is a bad person out doing bad things and needs to be caught. I did enjoy the tension between Clary and Jace but it felt a little contrived. However, I did enjoy the ending and look forward to what happens next. And yes, I realize that this review is full of contradictions.

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Review: Leaving Van Gogh by Carol Wallace

2011-05-10T11:43:00.000-04:00

Leaving Van Gogh: A Novel by Carol Wallace

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Based on some historical fact, this is the story of the last days of Van Gogh. He resides in the small village of Auvers and is befriended by Dr. Gachet ( an actual person who Van Gogh once painted). Dr. Gachet struggles unsuccessfully to help Van Gogh through his mental instability and may have been instrumental in his suicide.

Doesn't sound like a meaty plot, does it? That's because it isn't. If I didn't love Van Gogh so much I would have found this one tedious in the extreme. Nothing happens! Van Gogh paints an amazing canvas, no one is going to ever buy it in his lifetime, so he is impoverished and supported by his loving but in the last stages of syphlis brother Theo who also has a family to provide for, Vincent has an episode of hysteria or maybe epilepsy and on and on. This is helped along by LOTS of internal musings by good old Dr. Gachet.

However, did I mention I love Van Gogh? So I enjoyed imagining him and fleshing him out as a human a little more. I had always heard about his difficult life and depression but this gave some more detail. I also thought more about how many great masters of art, literature or music have been "mad" or had physical difficulties like Beethoven's deafness. In modern times, perhaps many of them may have been diagnosed as bi-polar. So, while this didn't have an urgent plot, it did have some great information about my favorite artist and I really liked that.

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Review: Wench by Dolen Perkins-Valdez

2011-05-10T11:31:00.002-04:00

Wench by Dolen Perkins-Valdez

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Told from the perspective of Lizzie, a 23-year-old slave, Wench is a tale of women slaves who are taken to a resort with their Masters each summer as their mistress. The slaveholders' wives are mostly left at home and they explain the presence of their women slaves as a necessity, "can't do without her cooking," etc. Lizzie actually loves her master and has born him two children, he treats her pretty well (just tying her to the front porch so she won't escape vs. beating her bloody in public.)

This is a hard story to stomach. I guess I have never thought much about the plight of women slaves specifically. They were property for work, but also for sexual lusts and no one cared or thought that it wasn't ok (besides the slaves). A line from the book really hit me, Big Mama is warns Lizzie to "prepare for a life of violation." It is heartbreaking that these women were basically raped over and over and over in their lives. Many times bearing children who would be torn away from them and sold. Some women would "fix" themselves so they wouldn't bear any more children that would be mistreated. Lizzie has the fortune of having her children with her and they are treated well and recognized as the Master's children. Lizzie hopes that one day they will be freed, but whether that will happen is questionable.

There is violence, there is somewhat graphic sex, there is heartbreak and souls being lost through repeated mistreatment. This isn't a happy book, but opened my eyes to these difficulties I had never thought about.

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Review: When Everything Changed by Gail Collins

2011-04-27T09:55:00.000-04:00

When Everything Changed: The Amazing Journey of American Women from 1960 to the Present by Gail Collins

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The author has done a tremendous amount of research in this non-fiction account of the history of American women from 1960 to the present. I really enjoyed reading in detail about events in the 60s and 70s that I only knew vaguely. Collins definitely filled in the gaps for me and really illustrated how different life is now for me as an American housewife and was as a teenager growing up in high school and college. So different in fact that I realize how much I have taken for granted. Not being able to apply for a credit card as a woman? Not being able to purchase a house as a single woman? Wearing pants is outrageous? These things are crazy, unthinkable to me in how I look at and live in the world today. I also liked reading about the 80s and 90s especially where I could relate a bit more and remember some of the things that happened.

Now on to my not so favorite things about the book. I felt a little bit like I was on a merry go round that never stopped during many parts in the book. Such a great amount of research I liked, but sometimes felt she was beating a dead horse. Also, most of the accounts of the women were about the negative experiences they had, but there had to be some ladies that were thrilled to be cloistered at home with children and chores and some whose ambition was to be a wife and mother and had no desire to work or be looked at as anything more. So at times, the book became a bit tedious for me.

That said, I did still enjoy this read and would recommend it to anyone interested in the revolution of women since the 60s.

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Review: Moonwalking with Einstein by Joshua Foer

2011-04-19T21:17:00.000-04:00

Moonwalking with Einstein: The Art and Science of Remembering Everything by Joshua Foer

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Moonwalking With Einstein chronicles the journey of Joshua Foer as he goes from observer on assignment to participant in the U.S. Memory Championships. It takes him one year to prepare for the big event and he has much help along the way from memory experts who claim that anyone can master these feats (memorizing several decks of cards, strings of numbers, names and faces, etc) using ancient memory techniques.

I have to admit I was drawn to this book because I feel like I often forget EVERYTHING! I didn't feel like such a dunce after I discovered a chart in the beginning of the book that says the average person forgets information quite quickly, about 50% after an hour and so on until a month later only a fraction of the information seems to be easily accessible. Our current reliance on a multitude of "external memory" devices, i.e. books, pencils and paper, and phones that remember telephone numbers, is the main problem. We just don't have to remember much in our heads anymore.

Foer has done a tremendous amount of research in this book covering some very eccentric characters including Kim Peek, the original Rainman, Daniel Temmet, a probable savant who can do some crazy memory stuff and Ben Pridmore who can memorize 1,528 in order in an hour and the order of a shuffled deck of playing cards in 33 seconds. During his year of training, Foer utilizes such techniques as the "memory palace" - basically a place you can walk through in your mind, placing the things you want to remember in different areas. The key is to imagineitems that you want to remember in unforgettable detail using all the senses you can. I did this on a very simple level and it works!

However, even after rigorously training for the memory championships, Foer says he still has trouble remembering everyday things and questions the usefulness of knowing how to memorize strings of numbers. But I do like the way he describes what he DID learn from this experiment,

How we perceive the world and how we act in it are products of how and what we remember . . . no lasting joke, invention, insight or work of art was ever produced by an external memory . . . as the role of memory in our culture erodes faster than ever before, we need to cultivate our ability to remember. Our memories are the seat of our values and the source of our character.

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Review: Where She Went by Gayle Forman

2011-04-14T15:40:00.001-04:00

Where She Went by Gayle Forman

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is the sequel to If I stay, this time told from Adam's point of view. Three years ago, Mia came out of her coma, chose to stay and then went to Juilliard and out of Adam's life. Adam is now a bona-fide rock star with the life that goes with it but is still torn apart and confused at Mia's abrupt exit from his life. Mia is poised to become a classical cellist super star and they chance to run into each other in New York City for one night.

Where She Went is so gut-wrenching, I think I felt more emotion in this book than in the first one. Adam has what to some seem the perfect celebrity life, but inside he is still reeling. The author does an amazing job at describing this pain and anger and creating empathy for Adam. I could also see Mia's point of view and enjoyed finding out how the story unraveled.

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Review: Friday's Child by Georgette Heyer

2011-04-14T15:33:00.000-04:00

Friday's Child by Georgette Heyer

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Naive Hero has worshipped Lord Sheringham her whole life and in a bizarre twist of fate, she gets the opportunity to marry him. Though amiable, theirs is a marriage of financial convenience only, both vowing to stay out of each other's way. Sherry is quite surprised at the "scrapes" Hero gets herself into and finds himself playing rescuer more than he expected. What follows is a delightful story of misunderstanding, folly and love.

Another favorite Georgette Heyer for me. I liked the characters in this book quite a bit. Hero is innocent and gullible to a fault and the situations she gets herself into are really funny. She is also sweet and kind to everyone she meets and has a fierce loyalty to Sherry. Sherry has been given things easily his whole life but it hasn't made him unkind. I love the dialogue between the two of them. I also enjoy the friendships that Hero forms with Sherry's best friends and their protection of her.

One more to chalk up to my Georgette Heyer list!

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Review: The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell

2011-04-08T11:26:00.000-04:00

The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Malcolm Gladwell has a unique way of talking about subjects I have never in my life thought about. Gladwell defines The Tipping Point as, "a reaffirmation of the potential for change and the power of intelligent action." He goes on to say that the world seems static and immoveable but with some penetrating observation, and "with the slightest push - in just the right place - it can be tipped." The Tipping Point is the "biography of an idea . . . the simplest way to understand the emergence of fashion trends, the ebb and flow of crime waves . . . Ideas and products and messages and behaviors spread just like viruses do."

Gladwell takes a provacative subject, supports it with vast research and palpable examples and gives this big idea the delight of a storybook. Gladwell takes us from the subways of New York to Sesame Street to Baltimore's drug and STD problem to Micronesia's suicide epidemic and back again to Airwalk and the groundbreaking campaign of Lambesis. And this doesn't even cover it all!

I most enjoyed the discussion of the filthy graffiti covered subway cars in New York in the 1980s and the associated high crime rate. A new subway director took seemingly simple ideas like cleaning up the graffiti and arresting fare-beaters and turned them into the start of a lower crime rate.

I loved this book. Gladwell's very readable non-fiction is fun to read and helps me feel that I am still an intelligent college grad who can understand concepts that stretch beyond motherhood and laundry

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Review: The Monster of Florence by Douglas Preston

2011-03-23T08:14:00.000-04:00

The Monster of Florence by Douglas Preston

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Monster of Florence is a serial killer in Italy who has never been apprehended for 16 gruesome murders committed in the Florentine countryside. A look at the search for the killer and all the bumbles along the way.

I think what was even more horrifying to me than the gruesome murders of 16 people is the extreme miscarriage of justice in this unsolved murder mystery. This passage explains what I am talking about,

The case was the purest distillation of evil I had ever encountered . . . the evil of the depraved killings of a highly disturbed human being. But the case was about other kinds of evil as well. Some of the top investigators, prosecutors and judges in the case, charged with the sacred responsibility of finding the truth appeared to be more interested in using the case to leverage their power to greater personal glory. Having committed themselves to a defective theory, they refused to reconsider their beliefs when faced with overwhelming contradictory evidence. They cared more about saving face than saving lives, more about pushing their careers than putting the Monster behind bars.

Much of the book is about this hubris of prosecutors and police inspectors (two in particular) and the drastic results that follow. I can't believe how many different men have been convicted of this crime and later acquitted but with their lives ruined in the process.

A fascinating read, but less satisfactory to someone who wants a neatly tied up ending.

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Review: How I live Now by Meg Rosoff

2011-03-12T18:22:00.000-05:00

How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Troubled teen Daisy is sent to live with her cousins in the picturesque English countryside. Unfortunately her arrival coincides with the beginning of war and occupation with an Unnamed Enemy. Life becomes tragic and difficult as food, water, electricity and safety become scarce.

What I liked most about this book is the unique way it is written; all from Daisy's point of view. She is clever, witty and maintains a sense of humor even in the midst of tragedy. I also love her cousin, Piper, who is sweet and guileless and has an uncanny knack of communicating with animals. I'm not sure how I am supposed to feel about the cousin-love relationship that becomes such a part of Daisy's life but it seems to matter less when the Real World is falling apart.

Definitely a read that gives you a good think.

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Review: If I Stay by Gayle Forman

2010-12-21T14:17:00.000-05:00

If I Stay by Gayle Forman

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Mia is a girl with a choice. After being seriously injured in a car accident she is in a coma, but she is actually still hanging around outside her body. She feels somehow that she has the choice to die or to come back into her injured body. As she reflects on her decision, she looks back at her life with her family, friends and boyfriend.

I don't know exactly how to feel about this. I give the author high marks for writing about an interesting concept and I liked that I couldn't tell what was going to happen until the last page. I loved Mia's family - I enjoyed their banter and love for each other. It was also neat that the setting is in Portland, OR and I have been to the same places that Mia has! My main issue was with Mia sleeping with her boyfriend and him often spending the night and her parents being totally fine with it. I know this happens in real life but I just don't want to think about it.

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Review: Open by Andre Agassi

2010-12-17T08:34:00.000-05:00

Open: An Autobiography by Andre Agassi

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Wow. I love this book. I can't believe all the physical and emotional pain that Agassi has gone through to get where he is. I was outraged at the insensitivity of his father and his domineering attitude - forcing little 7-year-old Andre to hit over 2000 tennis balls a day - but in a weird way all the heartache he caused Andre has gotten him where he is now - with a beautiful family and resources to do a lot of good.

The book is filled with anecdotes about his father, his friends, his coaches, his trainers and other tennis players. These are fun to read and offer amusing inside information. One of my favorites is when he finds out that Pete Sampras leaves a valet $1 for a tip - this after Sampras has made tens of millions in his career. "Here's a buck kid, bring the car around."

Agassi hasn't held anything back in this autobiography - painting himself with brutal honesty. The bone-crushing despair of losing, his sometimes bad behavior and the elation after winning. I like seeing him evolve as a person - slowly realizing that in helping others, he gains the most satisfaction in life. This leads to the creation and funding of a successful inner city charter school where college is the ultimate goal. I rejoice over the happiness he has found with fellow tennis legend Stefanie Graff and the joy he takes in his two children.

A book that tennis and non-tennis players will enjoy.

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Review: The Other Side of the Island by Allegra Goodman

2010-12-17T08:11:00.000-05:00

The Other Side of the Island by Allegra Goodman

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

An interesting look at a world where weather (and everything else in life) is strictly controlled. The Earth Mother and her Corporation have "enclosed" the sky, protecting inhabitants from all kinds of scary natural weather. They also control the food, the schools, jobs, what people think about anything, etc. Honor is a ten-year-old girl who dares to question the Corporation and what is on the infamous "other side of the island."

I liked this creative and creepy book and the characters that the author created.

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Review: Monsters of Men by Patrick Ness

2010-12-06T21:30:00.002-05:00

Monsters of Men by Patrick Ness

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

WOW! That is a HUMDINGER of an ending! Where does Patrick Ness come up with this stuff? This is a wild and troubled ride with bits of cruelty and bits of beauty and humanity thrown in. There is nothing to say and everything to say. Suffice it to say that you won't be sorry you read this one. It gets a little slow in parts and the lengthy battle at the beginning is a bit of a snoozer, but the book is still amazing. The way that the author weaves this story is so impressive and original. I could spend a bunch of time analyzing this book, making comparisons with world leaders, with religion with the struggle between good and evil if I wanted to. It would be a splendid read for a book club. Loved it, shocked by it and changed by the ideas in it. Extremely impressed by this author, I will be looking forward to what he does next.

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Review: Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly

2010-11-28T22:12:00.000-05:00

Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This book switches back and forth between the story of Andi, a privileged and musically talented teenager who is about to get kicked out of her prestigious Brooklyn high school and Alexandrine, a young girl living in the midst of the French Revolution 200 years ago. Andi is grieving the death of her brother two years earlier, living in a fog of sadness. Her father takes her away to Paris for the Christmas holidays in hopes of resurrecting her school career and upcoming graduation.

I had high hopes for this book and I was let down a bit. I know that it is the norm, but I just didn't enjoy Andi's foul mouth and down-in-the-dumps attitude. I know she was devastated by her brother's death and feels responsibility, but it was a drag to read. I guess I am more in the mood for something happy that takes me away. There was also one part of the book that was just too out there for me, and I had a hard time suspending my disbelief. I did like the voice of the character, Alexandrine, she had beautiful prose in telling her part of the French Revolution. I liked reading about the French Revolution and I was impressed with the extensive bibliography in the back of the book.

All in all, I was underwhelmed but there were enough parts that I did like that I gave it three instead of two stars.

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Review: Courting Trouble by Deeanne Gist

2010-11-22T00:01:00.001-05:00

Courting Trouble by Deeanne Gist

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

So this is really more like a 3.5 star for me. I thought the story was delightful. Reading it was just like settling down with a really yummy bit of candy. I loved the main character, Essie. She has spunk, style, intelligence and kindness to boot. Unfortunately she also likes to ride bikes, fish, hunt and gallivant around unlike a lady in the 1890s is expected to do. Essie's antics have earned her the reputation as the town spinster at the crumbling age of 30 (gasp). She decides to secure herself a husband and makes a list of the pros and cons of the eligible bachelors in town. Things don't go quite as planned and finding a husband turns out to be more difficult than Essie bargained for.

This religious historical fiction had more religion in it than some of the other novels this author has written, but it was still ok for me. The ending was a little different than what I was hoping for, but I can still appreciate where the author was going. This is a great light read with entertaining characters and setting.

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Review: The Persian Pickle Club by Sandra Dallas

2010-11-16T08:53:00.001-05:00

The Persian Pickle Club by Sandra Dallas

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Set in rural Kansas during the 30s, this story is about a group of women who have formed a quilting group, the Persian Pickle Club. Not only for quilting, these women rely on each other for compassion and friendship during the best and worst of times. A new girl moves to town and joins the Pickles. She is a little different from the typical farm wife; bent on becoming an investigative journalist, Rita threatens to overturn a secret that the group has sworn to keep.

At first, I really didn't like this book. I don't care for all the small town idiosyncracies and odd names and fussy old ladies, but as the story unfolded, I enjoyed it more. I could understand the characters for who they are and where they are coming from. I'm probably not going to run out to get another book by this author, but it was a pleasant, simple read.

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Review: Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro

2010-11-13T23:59:00.000-05:00

Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Ruth, Tommy and Kathy were raised in an isolated boarding school in the countryside. Now, several years later, Kathy questions whether or not her childhood was as ideal as it seemed.

Such a heart-breaking novel. I give this four stars not so much because it is my favorite book ever, but out of admiration for the author. Ishiguro has envisioned a world where some people have been created for a certain purpose and nothing more. The way that he wrote this book is deliberately vague, revealing the plot layer by layer, creating an urgency to read and finish. This is a hard review to write without giving too much away, suffice it to say, the writing is excellent, the tone of the novel is quite grey and bland which fits exactly what it should be and the characters are admirable. I look forward to discovering more about this author's other works.

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Revew: Cutting fo Stone by Abraham Verghese

2010-11-13T13:04:00.002-05:00

Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was one of the most moving and beautifully written books I have ever read. The tale of Marion; a twin abandoned by his surgeon father at birth and left motherless when his mother passes away in childbirth. Raised by loving adoptive parents in the heart of Ethiopia on a small mission hospital, Marion and his twin Shiva fall in love with medicine. Marion later makes his way to America and becomes a trauma surgeon. His life comes full-circle when he runs into trouble that only his birth father and estranged twin can solve.

I loved the setting of this novel. I love reading books that teach me about another time or another part of the world. The writing is rich and detailed. I love the descriptions of the sky, the people and the food in Ethiopia. There is also quite a bit of surgical jargon and descriptions of surgeries. These are tactfully written, with enough detail to paint a picture for the reader, but not enough to make a squeamish person vomit.

I fell in love with the characters in this book. They are each quite developed and unique. A treasure to read and savor.

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Review: Romancing Miss Brontë by Juliet Gael

2010-09-19T11:42:00.000-04:00

Romancing Miss Brontë by Juliet Gael

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I absolutely enjoyed this novel; a blend of fact and fiction that relates the life of Charlotte Bronte and most specifically focuses on her personal love story.

This quote from the book is a wonderful description of Charlotte Bronte

I don't think I've ever met a being so deserving of success and human affection What she has endured, and yet overcome - her courage and perseverance through the most dreadful personal difficulties - and weathering all of this in utter loneliness, with her few friends always at a distance . . .

I can't believe what Charlotte suffered, the loss of her sisters, brother, mother and still carried on living, writing and caring for a father who was proud, stern and sometimes harsh. I loved reading especially about her sister Emily who had found "bliss" just in the natural world, in the simpleness of kneading bread with a book of German poetry propped onto the table and composed her stories while completing household tasks. She also savored the natural world - each leaf, blossom and insect was a wonder to behold and reverence.

I love this time period, while the Bronte's material comforts were few, they cherished their love for each other, the sparkling conversation and their writing. It's becoming a lost art - to sit around for hours and have discussions that are entertaining and enlightening and not punctuated with a phone ringing or someone receiving (or sending) a text.

The love story between Charlotte and Arthur is beautiful. Charlotte always dreamed of a deep romantic love that would lead to marriage and part of her felt that she was giving up this dream when she married the simple, yet constant and loyal Arthur Nicholls. After they married she grew to love him deeply and find a happiness she had been yearning for her whole life.

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Review: Beautiful People by Wendy Holden

2010-09-19T11:17:00.000-04:00

Holden has created a trifecta of very different but fun characters. We have Darcy, the serious British theater actress who has just been offered the chance of a lifetime; to play the lead in a Hollywood movie. Belle, an actress whose career has has some serious ups and downs the last year. She is shallow, blond, made of plastic parts and a bit slutty. Then there is Emma, the sweet and capable nanny that has somehow gotten into a situation that really sucks for her.

Kind of trashy, highly entertaining. I really enjoyed it. The story is fairly predictable but fun to read with lovely characters.

Review: Linger by Maggie Steifvater

2010-09-11T09:55:00.002-04:00

Linger by Maggie Stiefvater

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The second installment in the Shiver series definitely didn't disappoint. We have Sam and Grace back with their beautiful relationship. But now there is a new wolf, Cole, mysterious and with an unknown but troubled past. The wolf cure seems to be working for Sam but Grace is starting to show signs of shifting. We also get to know Isabel more in this book.

I really liked the addition of Cole and also getting to know more about Isabel. This book is told from the point of view of Isabel, Grace, Sam and Cole and that adds layers of interest to the story. The plot moves along nicely with enough tension to keep it interesting. After reading the cliffhanger at the end I am ready for the next book right now!

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Review: Beach Music by Pat Conroy

2010-09-09T23:54:00.000-04:00

Beach Music by Pat Conroy

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is a tough review, and I'm not going to even try to summarize the plot. It is so big and sprawling and spans the Holocaust to the Low Country to the Appalachians to Italy and back again. The story is beautiful and heart-breaking at the same time. Some of the characters are well developed and some seem more like cardboard cut-outs. I love how the ending tied up the loose strings though I think some of it was unfair.

The writing is amazing. The author has a gift for description that makes me want to live in Waterford as a young boy and fish and crab and catch shrimp and I definitely want to eat everything that Jack cooked. I also am impressed that the author has so much detail to this story, but on the downside, he probably could have left a couple hundred pages out and still told the story - as this was a whopper of a book at over 700 pages.

One reason that I am not rating this book higher is that is has a TON of swearing and rough language and some difficult scenes. I am not usually too worried about the language but this really had an overabundance that would make it hard for me to recommend and it is not always just swearing, the book is pretty vulgar and crude too.

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Review: Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

2010-09-09T23:41:00.000-04:00

Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

I can't really give this a star rating because I didn't technically finish ALL the pages. I was intrigued by this book but just couldn't finish it. Though I did skip to the end so I could see what was going to happen. I liked the premise and I liked how it ended but some of the writing was so tedious. I just couldn't take any more of Hannah's voice and complaining. I think she could have made her point sooner than she did. A bit of a disappointment for me.

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Review: The Power of One by Bryce Courtenay

2010-08-26T06:47:00.000-04:00

The Power of One by Bryce Courtenay

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Set in South Africa during World War II and on the cusp of apartheid, this is a gorgeous novel of Peekay, an English rooinek who overcomes huge obstacles and learns to rely only on himself. Following his life from the time he is five-years-old to 18-years-old we watch Peekay grow from a humiliated and persecuted schoolboy to an amazing young man who has been shaped and nurtured by really interesting characters and situations along the way.

I love some of these quotes from the book:

"Ahead of me lay the dreaded Mevrou, the Judge and the jury, and the beginning of the power of one - how I learned that in each of us there burns a flame of independence that must never be allowed to go out . That as long as it exists within us we cannot be destroyed."

"The power of one is above all things the power to believe in yourself, often well beyond any latent ability you may have previously demonstrated. . . 'First with the head and then with the heart,' was more than simply mixing rains with guts. It meant thinking well beyond the powers of normal concentration and then daring your courage to follow your thoughts."

I love the characters in this book. While Peekay's father is nonexistent and his mother is a bit of a let-down, his life is filled with people who love him and help him help himself to reach his potential. Granpa Chook, a scraggly chicken, his beloved black nanny, Doc, Hoppie, Morrie, Geel Piet and Rasputin are all so real and well developed.

This book is not for the faint of heart; there is brutality and prejudice and some horrific situations. But the descriptions of South Africa are amazing and the book rolls along at an easy pace. Definitely one of my top favorite books of all time and one I intend to reread and I DON'T reread.

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Review: North of Beautiful by Justina Chen Headley

2010-07-29T08:38:00.002-04:00

North of Beautiful by Justina Chen Headley

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I was touched by this thought-provoking story of Terra, a girl born with a port-wine stain that stretches over most of her cheek. She has spent her life under the thumb of a harsh, critical father who takes every chance to belittle her and the other members of her family. As a senior in high school, she wants nothing more than to escape her little town and her horrible father, a cartographer who has fallen from grace.

Terra has been through every treatment imaginable to remove her port-wine stain, unsuccessful in every attempt, she now resorts to several layers of makeup to mask the stain. She has been ashamed of her face and definitely doesn't feel close to beautiful. Then she meets Jacob, a boy who forces her to look at the world through different eyes and realize that beauty isn't in flawless perfection, but in everything around her, especially the flaws.

I really enjoyed this book. I love this quote:

"real everlasting beauty . . . lives not on our faces, but in our attitude and our actions. It lives in what we do for ourselves and others."

Also this one:

"Let the glossy spreads have their heart-stopping, head-turning kind of beauty. Give me the heart-filling beauty instead . . . Flawed, we're truly interesting, truly memorable, and yes, truly beautiful."

In a world where we are measured by our looks, our bodies, and our material possessions, I found this book fascinating and inspiring. That we can be beautiful by who we are and what we do and the feelings that we leave with people is a fantastic idea and gives me hope that I can become a better person by who I am rather than what I look like.

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Review: The 13th Hour by Richard Doetsch

2010-07-25T11:28:00.005-04:00

The 13th Hour by Richard Doetsch

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Completely broken and devastated, Nick Quinn is stuck in a police interrogation room, accused of murdering his beloved wife. The unthinkable happens when he is given the chance to go back in time, hour by hour, to prevent her murder.

I have mixed feelings about this book. On the one hand, I stayed up late last night and woke up early this morning to finish it because I really wanted to find out what was going to happen. I enjoyed the the creative angle on time travel and I have to say I did like the ending for the most part.

That said, there were several things that were predictable about half-way through and the writing style wasn't anything amazing. Nick and Julia were a little too perfect and had a little too perfect of a life (well besides her murder that was the catalyst for the whole book), I wouldn't have minded a little more meat behind their flawless bodies, jobs, home, cars, and life plan. I did think that Detective Dance is pretty sinister, and easy to despise but it would have been interesting to have some background on why he is so evil and greedy; something horrible that happened to him in childhood or a grain of goodness that in a twisted way fueled his hate or something.

Not chomping at the bit to read more of this author but it was an entertaining few hours I spent with his story.

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Review: An Incomplete Revenge by Jacqueline Winspear

2010-07-25T11:15:00.001-04:00

An Incomplete Revenge by Jacqueline Winspear

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I really liked this one. The plot was different and unpredictable and kept me guessing until the end. More like a 4.5 for me.

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Review: Birds of a Feather by Jacqueline Winspear

2010-07-12T09:02:00.001-04:00

Birds of a Feather by Jacqueline Winspear

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I'm really loving Maisie Dobbs and her unique techniques for solving mysteries. All ready for the next one!

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Review: The Patron Saint of Liars by Ann Patchett

2010-07-12T09:00:00.000-04:00

The Patron Saint of Liars by Ann Patchett

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Rose, a mysterious young woman comes to St. Elizabeth's, a home for unwed mothers. She is pregnant, but not unwed. As her time comes nearer, she doesn't know if she wants to give up her baby. She ends up staying much longer than she ever planned.

Wow, this book was kind of like driving through a bunch of rolling hills, not much happens, just a lot of introspection. It was ok. I liked how the book was told from three different people's perspectives. The book was sad and I'm not really that excited about anything I read.

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Review: Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear

2010-06-29T07:52:00.001-04:00

Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Jokes on me! After my critical review of Among the Mad, I read this first book in the Maisie Dobbs series and loved it. I liked seeing Maisie as a young adult and see what she went through and why she is the way she is now.

I liked the way that this book switched back between present day when Maisie is setting up her business and the past when she was a young girl first starting to work for Lady Compton, then going to school and being trained by Maurice Blanche.

Definitely excited to read the rest of these novels . . . in order!

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Review: The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley

2010-06-29T07:46:00.000-04:00

The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Set in a crumbling old estate in the 1950s, this book about a precocious young girl who solves a murder mystery that come to her home is best summarized by this quote from the book:

"I wish I could say I was afraid, but I wasn't. Quite the contrary. This was by far the most interesting thing that had ever happened to me in my entire life."

I completely enjoyed Flavia de Luce. She is a brilliant chemist, she is the slightly neglected third daughter of a slightly distant and quirky family, she is sassy and witty and I laughed out loud several times while reading this book.

I also really liked the setting of the book. I loved that Flavia had a whole well-outfitted chemistry lab from a previous relative. Life was simple during these times and young girls could go all over town on their bike digging up information and getting out of scrapes with a quick and sometimes sharp tongue.

The plot moves a little slow at times and is quite tangled but I had fun on the journey as Flavia and her excellent mind sorted it out.

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2010-06-16T19:03:00.001-04:00

Among the Mad by Jacqueline Winspear

My rating: 3 of 5 stars I really think the description on the dust jacket of this book was the best part of it. Maisie is so persnickety in this one! And I have a problem with her giving advice about life to people in her life about their children when she hasn't had children of her own yet. So, she is a bit of a know-it-all and sometimes it grated on my nerves. The plot of this one was a bit dull and depressing; too much talk of the downtrodden former soldiers who are barely scraping by with no dignity or hope yet. That said, I read the whole thing and have also realized that this is a series that is probably best read in order, not just randomly as I have been doing. So maybe I am the know-it-all who is reviewing this book without having all the backstory to make an informed critique! View all my reviews >>

Review: Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr

2010-06-03T09:25:00.000-04:00

Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr

My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Aislinn, along with her mother and grandmother has always been able to see the faeries that inhabit the mortal world and invisible to most. She has been warned not to let them know she sees them and to avoid them at all costs. Aislinn has also witnessed the faeries' cruelty and deception on several occasions so when Keenen, the Summer King of faeries, starts to vie for her attention, she does everything in her power to avoid him. Especially when he claims that she is his next Summer Queen and must join him for eternity.

I have been reluctant to read any of the multitude of faery novels that seem to be cropping up but I tried this one and liked the plot line quite a bit. The author did a good job of creating a dark, bleak and sinister setting for the book where the faeries are definitely not the little winged things flitting about with glitter that you sometimes think of when you think of a faery.

There were elements of the book that were annoying to me. The constant mention of "tats" and tat shops. The teen sex and drug use bugged me, though I know it happens. I just didn't get an uplifting feeling from this book and didn't feel really happy when reading it. I know that all reading isn't going to be "really happy" but if I feel like I at least learned something or felt inspired, it's ok and I just didn't get that from this book. It was too dark and cruel for me.

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Review: The Secret History of the PInk Carnation by Lauren Willig

2010-06-03T09:15:00.000-04:00

The Secret History of the Pink Carnation by Lauren Willig

My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Eloise is a grad student researching an elusive spy known as the Pink Carnation, in league with such others as the Scarlet Pimpernel and the Purple Gentian. She finds a gold-mine of information in a relative of the Pink Carnation and finds out whether the Pink Carnation lives up to her expectations or exceeds them.

I had high hopes for this novel and they fell a little short. The book switches back and forth between present-day with Eloise and the past with the Pink Carnation. The characters in the Pink Carnation's time were fairly well developed and interesting and I liked reading their stories. However, I thought I would find out much more about Eloise's life and I didn't. The book jacket gave more information about Eloise than I felt I learned in the whole book.

Also, the heroines in this book were terribly whiny and that got old. The plot also moved pretty slow at parts and there were some love scenes I could have done without. All in all, it was entertaining but didn't live up to the expectations I had for the book.

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Review: House Rules by Jodi Picoult

2010-05-23T08:24:00.001-04:00

House Rules by Jodi Picoult

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Jacob is eighteen-years-old, diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome and on trial for murder. His extreme obsession with forensic science may have gone too far this time when he is somehow entangled with the murder of his social skills tutor, Jess.

Typical Picoult. The trial; the family struggling just to make ends meet who has to figure out how to pay for a lawyer; the neglected sibling who has problems of his own that no one seems to notice, etc. As usual, the author has done excellent research and I enjoyed learning more about Asperger's Syndrome. She also had the story told from different points of view of the characters and I really like seeing the story like that. However, my major problem with this one is that I had the ending figured out about 1/3 of the way through. Usually in her novels you think that you have the ending figured out but she comes up with a really neat twist at the end. She didn't in this one and it was a real disappointment for me.

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Review: Lady of Quality by Georgette Heyer

2010-05-23T08:15:00.000-04:00

Lady of Quality by Georgette Heyer

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Another fun Georgette Heyer read. Annis Wychwood is an independent, wealthy nearly spinster of twenty-eight years old. She is on her way to Bath when she meets a young orphan and heiress who is running away from home and an arranged marriage to her best friend. Annis takes Lucilla under her wing and helps her learn how to navigate society before her real coming out in London. Along the way, Annis meets Lucilla's uncle, Mr. Carleton, who is the rudest man in London. But somehow she still remains intrigued by him.

I don't have a whole lot to say about this one. I liked the plot, I liked the characters and I love reading stories in this time period. The funny thing was, the language in this book was totally different than the language in one of her other books, Cotillion. This book was a bit predictable, but I still loved reading how the story unfolded. I'll definitely keep making my way through the multitude of novels that Heyer has written.

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Review: Cotillion by Georgette Heyer

2010-05-16T21:04:00.000-04:00

Cotillion by Georgette Heyer

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

To borrow a phrase from the book, this read is "all the crack" for me. Really reading this was like learning a new language and I loved every page of it. I think we should bring back phrases like "excessively handsome of you," or "behaving shabby" or "it's just not the thing."

Kitty Charing is an orphan whose guardian declares that he will bestow his fortune on whoever takes her hand in marriage, provided it is one of his several grand-nephews. Kitty enters into a sham engagement with her cousin Freddy to facilitate a lengthy visit to London and escape from her odious Uncle's house. Her month-long trip stretches to longer as she makes new friends and learns the ways of the ton.

A bit predictable, but it's ok because you really want what you think is going to happen to come to pass. With fantastic characters, hilarious dialogue, plenty of rakes, heroes and scandals, this is a really lovely read. I'll look forward to reading more of Heyer's work. Luckily she wrote more than 50 novels!
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Review: Bel Canto by Ann Patchett

2010-05-12T09:02:00.000-04:00

Bel Canto by Ann Patchett

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

A group of dignitaries and VIPS from around the world come together at a party where renown opera singer, Roxane Coss, will be performing. In the midst of the party the lights go out and the house is taken over by terrorists. The hostage situation drags for several months and the line between hostages and terrorists become blurred as they form bonds and come to know each other as fellow human beings.

Ann Patchett has created a really remarkable situation and complex characters. The terrorist group includes several soldiers who are still basically children and I like how the author shows their vulnerability. She describes their worn boots held together with tape and how they are still so young but holding guns and knives. One of my favorite characters is Gen, a translator for a Japanese CEO. Because the hostages are from all over the world, Gen becomes an integral part of communications in the group. It is interesting to see how humanity stretches over different languages, races and social classes as you get to know the stories behind the faces.

I appreciate how the author has created this story where individual relationships are created, talents are discovered and things happen that would never happen outside of this situation. This said, the book was a bit slow for me and the plot seemed to drag a bit at times.

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Review: Everyone is Beautiful by Katherine Center

2010-05-06T23:15:00.000-04:00

Everyone Is Beautiful: A Novel by Katherine Center

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I enjoyed this sweet book about a mother of three who has been following her husband around as he chases his dreams and somewhere in the shuffle lost sight of who she is. With three boys under three years old, Lanie and her family move from Houston to Massachusetts so husband Peter can get one step closer to becoming a professional musician. The book opens on the day that Lanie decides to change her life.

Along Lanie's path to rediscovery are several characters that I enjoyed. The childless, "mean witch" who lives in the apartment downstairs and turns out not to be such a witch and becomes a great friend. The gorgeous ex-cheerleader who is just as thin as when Lanie knew her in high school who turns out to have her own problems that aren't apparent from her outward appearance. I also liked Peter, the slightly rumpled, shy-guy cute husband who has an endearing innocence and kindness about him.

Honestly the only characters I didn't really like are the children. They were just annoying to me. Even the parts where they were supposed to be sweet were annoying to me. And I did feel that the author hit every cliche available when it comes to anecdotes about kids and messes, pooping, walking in during sex, etc. Maybe this is because I have three children of my own and don't really want to read about them in my escape from reality time.

The message of this book is predictably that everyone is indeed beautiful, that the flaws we all have are markers on the trail of life. I like it when Lanie decides that she is happy being mom-sized, not teenage girl size, not even pre-baby size, because she is not that person anymore. The book inspired me to be more gentle with myself and others and realize that our imperfections are what make us interesting and real.

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Review: Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

2010-05-04T16:05:00.000-04:00

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer

Well I gave this the old 50 page rule (actually I made it to 72) and I am going to put it down. The book is incredibly creative, funny and clever. But I just can't follow, my head is spinning as I try to figure out if Oskar is writing a real letter, or he is reading one, or if he is talking, or someone else is talking. I feel sheepish because this has gotten such high ratings but I guess my brain is just too tired for this one. Just need some more fluff.

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Review: The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell

2010-05-03T11:09:00.001-04:00

The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

In 2019, humanity finally finds proof of extraterrestrial life when a listening post in Puerto Rico picks up exquisite singing from a planet which will come to be known as Rakhat. While United Nations diplomats endlessly debate a possible first contact mission, the Society of Jesus quietly organizes an eight-person scientific expedition of its own. What the Jesuits find is a world so beyond comprehension that it will lead them to question the meaning of being "human." When the lone survivor of the expedition, Emilio Sandoz, returns to Earth in 2059, he will try to explain what went wrong.

This book takes a very interesting perspecitve on extraterrestrial life and exploration. It's all connected to God and how these aliens are proof that God exists. It give you a lot to think about. About God, relationships with God, how we deal with horrific events and why those events happen. The book doesn't really answer these questions, just gives you a whole lot to chew on.

The writing is fantastic. The author has created some really complex characters and story lines and she switches between the present where Emilio is trying to recover spiritually and physically, and the past when he was on Rakhat with friends and also before that when they were still in Arecibo planning the mission. The story unfolds in a very unique way and gives a stark contrast between the Emilio before and during the trip and the broken Emilio who returns. She also has great little bits of foreshadowing that keep the story moving.

I give the author big points for the two species she has created for the book. These aren't the standard big-headed and big-eyed aliens we usually expect. The Runa are large, affectionate, slightly "slow on the uptake" herbivores who are bred for work. The Jana 'ata are smaller carnivores with sinister claws and teeth. They are very intelligent, calculating and can be cruel. A Jana 'ata of high status makes the music that originally drives the earthlings to Rakhat.

Parts of the book aren't easy to read, but there isn't as much graphic detail as I was expecting from what I heard about the book before reading it. This book gets four stars not so much because it is one of my favorites but for the creative and thought-provoking plot and the good writing. View all my reviews >>

Review: Beastly by Alex Flinn

2010-04-25T23:45:00.002-04:00

Beastly by Alex Flinn

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I thoroughly enjoyed this retelling of the classic story Beauty and the Beast. This version was told from the Beast's point of view and the story takes place in present day New York City.

I liked this author's take on why the prince was turned into the Beast in the first place. It will appeal to anyone who is frustrated when a teacher adjusts grades for the all-star football player or allows a little more leeway in a school's honor code just to make sure the team wins the state championship. The author does a good job of showing the Beast's metamorphosis from spoiled, cruel brat to someone who can see that the value of others actually lies on the inside not the surface.

It will be fun to explore some of the other books this author has written. This is great for an easy, romantic read that and I loved it from beginning to end.

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Review: The Sugar Queen by Sarah Addison Allen

2010-04-23T06:55:00.000-04:00

The Sugar Queen by Sarah Addison Allen

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Another sweet, snugly book by Sarah Addison Allen. Privileged Josey Cirrini has never really lived life. At twenty-seven years old she is still stuck at home serving her unhappy, demanding mother, trying to make up for wrongs Josey committed in childhood. Her only happiness comes when she is in her secret closet consuming sweets. When Della Lee, a rough but beautiful local waitress shows up to live in her closet, Josey's life is forever changed.

I love the quirky settings that this author creates. This is another small town where unusual things can happen and the people all seem to know each other or think they know each other. Josey has been viewed a certain way all her life as the daughter of Marco Cirrini a "great man" who revitalized the city of Bald Slope. In this book she gets the courage to find out who she really is, get out from under her mother's thumb and maybe even find love.

Again, this isn't earth-shaking literature but just a comfortable book with great characters and a nice ending. An escape book that I loved every minute of.

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Review: War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells

2010-04-19T22:51:00.001-04:00

The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells

I just can't do it anymore. I've slogged through 120 of the 160 pages of this book and just can't get through the tedium. I give great credit to H.G Wells for the futuristic plot that was groundbreaking at the time of original publication. It was interesting to see how slowly the news of the Martian landing filtered through to all the people. Nowadays this kind of information would be instantaneous. I also think I would have been able to relate a little more to the story if I was more familiar with the London area, Wells makes numerous references to the different areas and villages and I just couldn't relate. A DNF for me, though I am glad I at least tried it to see what it was like.

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2010-04-14T10:44:00.000-04:00

The Girl Who Chased the Moon by Sarah Addison Allen

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I just can't help it, I have to give this book five stars because I loved it so much! There is not a whole lot to discuss and it is a bit more of a "fluff" book, but reading it was such a joy.

The story takes place in the quaint little barbecue town of Mullaby, North Carolina. There are two main characters and stories - Julia, a woman who grew up in Mullaby and left it as a teen, has recently moved back to take over her father's restaurant and come to terms with her past-life as a troubled teen who never quite fit in. Then there is Emily, a teen who has come to Mullaby for the first time to live with a grandfather she has never known. Her mother has recently died and Emily has to get comfortable with a place her mother never talked about and reconcile the altruistic mother she knew with the town's view of her mother as a cruel, spoiled girl who caused a tragedy. These two stories intertwine as the characters help each other overcome their difficulties.

Mullaby is a strange town where lights flit around in the forest at night, scents of cake are actually visible and there is even a gentle giant. The story is somewhat predictable but the characters are well-developed and enjoyable to read about.

Definitely looking forward to reading the author's other books.

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Review: Little Bee by Chris Cleave

2010-04-04T10:40:00.000-04:00

Little Bee by Chris Cleave

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I don't know how to summarize this book other than just repeating some of the cover synopsis -

We don't want to tell you what happens in this book. It is a truly special story and we don't want to spoil it ... we will just say this: This is the story of two women whose lives collide one fateful day, and one of them has to make a terrible choice ... two years later they meet again-the story starts there.

I don't know exactly how to feel about this book. Was it thought provoking? Yes. Tearjerker? Yes. Make me so grateful for what I have and ashamed of anything I have ever complained about? Absolutely. I loved the character of Little Bee. She is sensible and wise beyond her years, but she has also lived through horrors that no one should ever have to. Her life has gone through the wringer through no fault of her own.

Sarah, the other woman has lived a safe, secure life and takes it all for granted. Though I suppose that is the point of the book; to see the contrast. I didn't think she was very developed and the dialogue with other people seems so stilted and disjointed. I just didn't like her.

I am giving the book 4 stars because it made me think hard about life and the things I should be more grateful for and also to think about other people who live in these terrible situations and what I can do for them. But the writing is a little hard to follow. He switches narrators often and he goes back in time and sometimes it takes a minute to figure out what is going on.

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Review: Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks

2010-03-31T13:41:00.002-04:00

Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Anna Frith, a housemaid in a village stricken with the plague in 1666, emerges as an unlikely heroine with the ability to adapt and continue to move forward despite unthinkable calamities and death. Her village decides to try to quarantine the plague to the village boundaries and what follows is a year of great sadness, death and misery, but also a change and strengthening in Anna.

I am really impressed with Anna. She is a humble housemaid, her husband and two children die; she grew up with an abusive and horrible father and lives to see many horrors. Where she is at the beginning of the book and where she ends up by the end is quite fantastic. This quote from the book really describes her spirit; "You Anna, have recalled to me what my duties are. . . for you grieve and yet you live, and are useful and bring life to others."

This book is GRAPHIC - not in a sexual way so much, but just in the description of human suffering and death and decay and oozing sores and other yucky bodily fluids. The baseness of illness and bodily functions are described quite vividly here. There are scenes that discuss the plague sores bursting that unfortunately I will always remember. But to me, this makes a great book - being able to describe things so that you can really believe them. And make you thankful for the modern cleanliness and hand sanitzer.

An interesting read based on true events in the village of Eyam, England during the plague. This is really more like 4.5 stars for me.

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Review: The Year of Fog by Michelle Richmond

2010-03-24T22:03:00.001-04:00

The Year of Fog by Michelle Richmond

My rating: 3 of 5 stars
This is the story of Abby, who looks away for a moment and loses her fiancé's daughter. To the sea? To a kidnapper? The rest of the book unfolds as Abby tries to make sense of the loss and struggles forward with an intense drive to find Emma if at all possible.

I don't know exactly how I feel about this book. On the one hand, I felt it was agonizingly sloooow, when I just wanted to know what the heck happened to Emma. On the other hand, maybe this is true to life, because if I lost one of my children, I imagine it would be difficult every day to live with the unknown, the guilt and the remorse and days would go by maddeningly slow as I tried to keep moving forward.

As much as it seemed slow in some spots, the book still held my attention and I wanted to finish and find out what was going to happen. I had to restrain myself from looking at the back few pages to see what was going to happen.

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Review: The Book of Fires by Jane Borodale

2010-03-20T16:16:00.002-04:00

The Book of Fires by Jane Borodale

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed this book about Agnes Trussel, a girl living in Sussex in the 1700s. She lives with her family on a farm where hard work and sometimes going hungry is the norm. After a man forces himself upon her and she realizes that she is pregnant, she steals some coins from a neighbor and runs away to London. Miserable and alone, she stumbles upon Blacklocks Pyrotechny where she is taken in and becomes an apprentice to the fireworks master, Mr. Blacklock. As Agnes grows bigger and fears that her pregnancy will be her undoing, she has to figure out what her next steps will be to keep her position in a field she finds she has an apptitude for.

I really enjoyed this book. The language is so beautiful and descriptive; I don't think I will ever forget the details of slaughtering a pig on the farm and collecting the blood to make sausage. The smells and sounds are vivid throughout. I liked Agnes and felt for her predicament in a time where the rape of a woman was probably her fault anyway and no one has mercy for a girl with an illegitimate child. Life was rough then. If you didn't have money, or a job, you really didn't have many options. I also liked Mr. Blacklock and I liked how he took mercy on Agnes.

The ending was different than I was hoping for, but still great. I will look forward to reading more of Jane Borodale's works in the future.

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Review: The Uptairs Room by Johanna Reiss

2010-03-12T07:22:00.003-05:00

The Upstairs Room by Johanna Reiss
Read for the 2010 Challenge

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A thoughtful look back at her experiences during World War II, Johanna Reiss tells the story of Sini and Annie, Jewish sisters in Holland who spend nearly three years in hiding to avoid capture by the Nazis.

This is a sweet, if you can call something about this subject sweet, innocent story told through ten-year-old Annie's eyes. At first she doesn't understand the war and why people start to treat her differently just because she is Jewish. She talks about the stars that they have to start wearing on their clothes and the tree where notices are posted that "tells them they can't work anymore" and other demands that grow in seriousness.

When they are first taken in to hiding, Annie doesn't really understand it and hates the boredom and stiffness of a life lived in an upstairs room, but she bears it with patience and optimism. She finally gets the chance to read the "real newspapers, not just the ones that tell lies" and reads of the concentration camps and what is really happening and then in this realization she promises to never complain about having to stay away from the windows and hide again.

I was touched by the kindness of the family who takes in the sisters and others that help them even though they could be executed for it. It speaks to the human spirit that I find to be generally good and has the courage to act. This is a special read that shows the terror of the war in a meaningful way. I really liked the story told through Annie's eyes.

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Review: Last Kiss by Jon Ripslinger

2010-03-09T23:57:00.002-05:00

Last Kiss by Jon Ripslinger

My rating: 3 of 5 stars
A classic Romeo and Juliet type tale where the unsuitable farm boy is in love with the higher class beautiful rich girl whose father doesn't approve. Then when Lisa is found dead, the finger is pointed at Billy who was the last one with her.

This book was pretty good. The plot was fairly predictable but has some unexpected twists at the end that keeps it somewhat new.

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Revew: Scarlett Fever by Maureen Johnson

2010-03-03T14:31:00.000-05:00

Scarlett Fever by Maureen Johnson

My rating: 2 of 5 stars
This sequel to Suite Scarlett really disappointed me. The stuff that I liked in the first book - the quirky brother, the bratty little sister, the novelty of living in a hotel just got annoying in this one. It felt like so much filler to try to get to the end of the book and then I was left with a major cliffhanger that ticked me off. That said, I will read the next book to see what the heck is going to happen, but this wasn't my favorite.

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Thaw by Fiona Robyn

2010-03-01T09:33:00.003-05:00

Ruth's diary is the new novel by Fiona Robyn, called Thaw. She has decided to blog the novel in its entirety over the next few months, so you can read it for free.

Ruth's first entry is below, and you can continue reading tomorrow here.

These hands are ninety-three years old. They belong to Charlotte Marie Bradley Miller. She was so frail that her grand-daughter had to carry her onto the set to take this photo. It's a close-up. Her emaciated arms emerge from the top corners of the photo and the background is black, maybe velvet, as if we're being protected from seeing the strings. One wrist rests on the other, and her fingers hang loose, close together, a pair of folded wings. And you can see her insides.

The bones of her knuckles bulge out of the skin, which sags like plastic that has melted in the sun and is dripping off her, wrinkling and folding. Her veins look as though they're stuck to the outside of her hands. They're a colour that's difficult to describe: blue, but also silver, green; her blood runs through them, close to the surface. The book says she died shortly after they took this picture. Did she even get to see it? Maybe it was the last beautiful thing she left in the world.

I'm trying to decide whether or not I want to carry on living. I'm giving myself three months of this journal to decide. You might think that sounds melodramatic, but I don't think I'm alone in wondering whether it's all worth it. I've seen the look in people's eyes. Stiff suits travelling to work, morning after morning, on the cramped and humid tube. Tarted-up girls and gangs of boys reeking of aftershave, reeling on the pavements on a Friday night, trying to mop up the dreariness of their week with one desperate, fake-happy night. I've heard the weary grief in my dad's voice.

So where do I start with all this? What do you want to know about me? I'm Ruth White, thirty-two years old, going on a hundred. I live alone with no boyfriend and no cat in a tiny flat in central London. In fact, I had a non-relationship with a man at work, Dan, for seven years. I'm sitting in my bedroom-cum-living room right now, looking up every so often at the thin rain slanting across a flat grey sky. I work in a city hospital lab as a microbiologist. My dad is an accountant and lives with his sensible second wife Julie, in a sensible second home. Mother finished dying when I was fourteen, three years after her first diagnosis. What else? What else is there?

Charlotte Marie Bradley Miller. I looked at her hands for twelve minutes. It was odd describing what I was seeing in words. Usually the picture just sits inside my head and I swish it around like tasting wine. I have huge books all over my flat; books you have to take in both hands to lift. I've had the photo habit for years. Mother bought me my first book, black and white landscapes by Ansel Adams. When she got really ill, I used to take it to bed with me and look at it for hours, concentrating on the huge trees, the still water, the never-ending skies. I suppose it helped me think about something other than what was happening. I learned to focus on one photo at a time rather than flicking from scene to scene in search of something to hold me. If I concentrate, then everything stands still. Although I use them to escape the world, I also think they bring me closer to it. I've still got that book. When I take it out, I handle the pages as though they might flake into dust.

Mother used to write a journal. When I was small, I sat by her bed in the early mornings on a hard chair and looked at her face as her pen spat out sentences in short bursts. I imagined what she might have been writing about; princesses dressed in star-patterned silk, talking horses, adventures with pirates. More likely she was writing about what she was going to cook for dinner and how irritating Dad's snoring was.

I've always wanted to write my own journal, and this is my chance. Maybe my last chance. The idea is that every night for three months, I'll take one of these heavy sheets of pure white paper, rough under my fingertips, and fill it up on both sides. If my suicide note is nearly a hundred pages long, then no-one can accuse me of not thinking it through. No-one can say; 'It makes no sense; she was a polite, cheerful girl, had everything to live for', before adding that I did keep myself to myself. It'll all be here. I'm using a silver fountain pen with purple ink. A bit flamboyant for me, I know. I need these idiosyncratic rituals; they hold things in place. Like the way I make tea, squeezing the tea-bag three times, the exact amount of milk, seven stirs. My writing is small and neat; I'm striping the paper. I'm near the bottom of the page now. Only ninety-one more days to go before I'm allowed to make my decision. That's it for today. It's begun.

Continue reading tomorrow here...

Review: To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis

2010-02-27T15:21:00.000-05:00

To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis

My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

Ned Henry is a time traveler saddled with the task of finding the bishop's bird stump in time for the consecration of the reconstruction of Coventry Cathedral. He is sent to Victorian England for a much needed rest which turns into another task and not so much the needed relaxation. During his quest and bumblings along the way he may even meet his true love.

This was a really different book from any that I have read. Not for the lover of spoon-fed reads, this book requires work. At first I didn't want to like it because I had to work hard. But later I could appreciate it for what it is - a quirky time-travel book full of hilarious characters and events. My favorite part of the book is all the laugh out loud moments where Ned is ridiculing the Victorian era. He took every cliche from this time period and exploited the heck out of it. Routinely ladies give little "screamlets" with their mouth in a perfect "O." Every word that Ned has only seen in print is uttered out loud - "pshaw, stuff and nonsense, drat" and other such words. I liked a scene where Baine the butler has literally been given 50 commands in 10 seconds, and Ned wonders why the butler "hasn't turned to pet drowning" because of the stress of the job.

I also enjoyed Ned, a slightly fumbling character with the best intentions. My favorite part with him was when he caught the first glimpse of himself in a window in the Victorian era and stopped cold saying, "Wow, I do look great!"

I can't give this book a wholehearted 4 stars because the plot was sometimes extremely tedious to wade through. Also it took a crazy amount of time - think 100 pages - to figure out what the heck was going on. It is more like a 3.5 for me for the unique plot, laughable situations and characters.

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Review: The Cinderella Pact by Sarah Strohmeyer

2010-02-20T13:48:00.003-05:00

The Cinderella Pact by Sarah Strohmeyer

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Nola Devlin, editor at Sass! magazine, is passed over for a promotion because she is overweight. She creates a super-sexy, chic, British alter ego named Belinda Apple who becomes famous and well-read. At the same time Nola enters into the "Cinderella Pact" with her two overweight friends - the pact is that they will once and for all lose the weight for good. Along the way Nola meets someone who may be her Prince Charming, or maybe not.

Definitely fluffy and predictable, but really sweet and a great escape. Not going to win a Pulitzer but will definitely take you away into fantasy land for a few hours.

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Review: The Lace Reader by Brunonia Barry

2010-02-18T11:24:00.004-05:00

The Lace Reader by Brunonia Barry

Read for the 2010 Challenge

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This book was really odd for me. It's hard for me to describe the plot because much of the time I was trying to figure out what the plot is. I did end up liking it quite a bit but it was a journey to get there.

Towner/Sophya has been running from her past in Salem, MA for years and when a family emergency calls her back, she has to confront her old ghosts and decide how to go forward.

The book is filled with strong women characters that I liked. The present-day Salem Witch stuff is interesting - basically the present day witches are able to make a living on the myths of the witches in the 1600s. I enjoyed reading the book and the setting - the coast and islands near Salem, MA. At the beginning of each chapter there is a snippet about lace reading written by Towner's Aunt Eva. Lace reading is essentially another form of fortune-telling; analyzing particular pieces of lace and seeing what images are in them. The art is fairly complicated and I liked reading about it.

As I said before, the book was a bit confusing to read. The main narrator, Towner/Sophya jumps around a lot from time period to time period and sometimes gaps in the stories aren't filled in until much later. But the end of the book redeemed it for me, there is a major twist that made me look at the book a whole different way and it was very satisfying. The plot is definitely unique and not predictable. A creepy read.

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Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging

2010-02-10T19:29:00.003-05:00

Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging: Confessions of Georgia Nicolson by Louise Rennison
#5 of 25 for the 2010 YA Challenge

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

A Bridget Jones for the younger set, Georgia records the momentous events of her life--and they are all momentous--in her diary, which serves as a truly hilarious account of what it means to be a modern girl on the cusp of womanhood. No matter that her particular story takes place in England, the account of her experiences rings true across the ocean (and besides, "Georgia's Glossary" swiftly eradicates any language barriers).

Just the title of this book has been making me giggle for months now. The author did a nice job of capturing the essence of being a teenage girl - drama abounds, there are worries over clothes, and boys and makeup. I also enjoyed the British slang and used the glossary a few times to make sure I knew what she meant. A cute read.
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2010-02-05T06:49:00.001-05:00

Just Between You and Me: A Novel of Losing Fear and Finding God by Jenny B. Jones

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Successful cinematographer Maggie Montgomery has to learn to face her fears when she is called back to her dreaded hometown for a family crisis.

I'm still a little torn about Christian fiction and this one was a bit cheesy for me. Prayer and testimony are such personal, sacred things that reading a fictional account of it makes me squirm a little.

Just Between You and Me is a predictable, been-done-before plot that I still enjoyed reading.

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2010-02-01T21:15:00.001-05:00

Hate List by Jennifer Brown
#4 of 25 for 2010 YA Challenge

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Valerie Leftman struggles to re-enter school and society after her boyfriend, Nick, opens fire at school, injuring and killing several students and teachers. Nick is just trying to blow away people that are on the Hate List that he and Valerie created. Problem is, Valerie didn't realize that Nick ever meant to truly do anything about it, just thought it was a list used to vent frustation. Now she has to figure out how to interact with people who believe that she was just as guilty as Nick though she never fired a shot. Along the way, she finds that she has allies she never realized as she makes her way back to normalcy and figuring out who she really is.

This plot has been done before and even reminded me of Speak and Just Listen with the main character who has been through severe trauma that other people don't understand and struggles to find the words to describe what they are feeling and figuring out how to live again. But I still liked it. I liked the characters. I liked Val's relationship with her little brother who likes to gel his hair too much and enjoys the ladies. Dr. Heiler is someone I would want in my circle if I needed help and Bea is eccentric and filled with wisdom and love that carries Val through the tough times.

I like how the author dealt with the hypocrisy of Garvin High. The cheerleaders and jocks who would punch Nick when nobody was looking or push him or humiliate him are supposedly the "'perfect kids' who nobody would believe were just as bad as the 'bad kids.'" Then after the shooting, newspaper reporter, Angela Dash writes of the charity and kindness present at Garvin after the shooting but when Val arrives at the new school year, things are just as ugly as they ever were. The book feels so real - this is what high school is.

I liked seeing Valerie's journey back to life. It was believable and the ending was different from what I would have expected but seemed just right. Really this is more like 4.5 stars for me.

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2010-01-29T16:56:00.002-05:00

The Ask and the Answer by Patrick Ness

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

#3 of 25 for the 2010 YA Reading Challenge

Immediately separated from Viola and imprisoned, Todd is forced to learn the ways of the Mayor's new order. But what secrets are hiding just outside of town? And where is Viola? Is she even still alive? And who are the mysterious Answer? And then, one day, the bombs begin to explode..."The Ask and the Answer" is a tense, shocking and deeply moving novel of resistance under the most extreme pressure. (from the description on Goodreads)

Wow, this is some bizarre stuff. You really get the feel of ground-level, do anything to survive base existence. I admired the unbreakable connection between Viola and Todd - neither of them really have anyone else and that has forged a bond that they will die to protect.

It's hard to figure out how to review this book - it truly is chaos walking all the time and jumps from one disaster to another to more torture, to more evil, to more humanity in the face of death that it is hard to pin down any concrete thoughts. I felt rage, I felt frustration, I felt anger, I felt desperation, I felt pure degradation, I felt shock and a whole lot of others while reading this novel.

I feel that it moved more slowly than the first, it is really long, over 500 pages, and it seems like it could have been about 200 pages shorter. However, this gets a four and nearly five because of the crazy genius of Patrick Ness who can toy with emotions like no other. I don't know exactly how I feel about the ending, a little like, "after all that, seriously?" but suffice it to say, #3 will be worth waiting for.

If you want to read a truly brilliant review of TAATA, check out this one on Bart's Bookshelf

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One Lovely Blog Award

2010-01-28T11:06:00.002-05:00

Nothing short of a miracle! I received an award for my straggling little blog. Thank you SOOO much to Gerbera Daisy Mom for making me feel so special!

2010 YA Challenge List (so far anyway, will probably be added to daily)

2010-01-20T21:28:00.013-05:00

The Island at the End of the World by Sam Taylor
Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging by Louise Rennison
Last Kiss
Genesis
The Ask and The Answer
Keeping the Moon
Paper Towns
The Leviathan by Scott Westerfield
Hate List by Jennifer Brown
Lost by Jacqueline Davies
If I Stay by Gayle Forman
The Declaration by Gemma Malley
Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr

Keeping Track of the 2010 Challenge

2010-01-20T07:24:00.011-05:00

This post is purely for me to keep track of how I am doing on the 2010 challenge, here is what I have done so far:

Young Adult

Any book classified as young adult or featuring a teenage protagonist counts for this category.

Paper Towns by John Green

Keeping the Moon by Sarah Dessen

T.B.R. **

Intended to help reduce the old T.B.R. pile. Books for this category must be already residents of your bookshelves as of 1/11/09.

The Upstairs Room by Johanna Reiss

Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks

Shiny & New

Bought a book NEW during 2010 from a bookstore, online, or a supermarket? Then it counts for this category. Second-hand books do not count for this one, but, for those on book-buying bans, books bought for you as gifts or won in a giveaway also count!

Bad Blogger’s ***

Books in this category, should be ones you’ve picked up purely on the recommendation of another blogger count for this category (any reviews you post should also link to the post that convinced you give the book ago).

A Lady Like Sarah by Maragaret Brownley (recommended by My Friend Amy)

Charity

Support your local charity shops with this category, by picking up books from one of their shops. Again, for those on book-buying bans, books bought for you as gifts also count, as long as they were bought from a charity shop.

New in 2010

This category is for those books newly published in 2010 (whether it be the first time it is has been released, or you had to wait for it to be published in your country, it counts for this one!)

Older Than You

Read two books that were published before you were born, whether that be the day before or 100 years prior!

Big Rock Candy Mountain by Wallace Stegner

The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells

Win! Win!

Have a couple of books you need to read for another challenge? Then this is the category to use, as long that is, you don’t break the rules of the other challenge by doing so!

Who Are You Again?

This one isn’t just for authors you’ve never read before, this is for those authors you have never even heard of before!

The Lace Reader by Brunonia Barry

Up to You!

The requirements for this category are up to you! Want to challenge yourself to read some graphic novels? A genre outside your comfort zone? Something completely wild and wacky? Then this is the category to you. The only requirement is that you state it in your sign-up post.

The Curse of the Spider King by Wayne Thomas Batson and Christopher Hopper

Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman

2010-01-20T07:21:00.000-05:00

Crossing to Safety by Wallace Stegner

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

An absolutely gorgeous novel about two couples who meet in college and lives are intertwined from that day forth. The book stretches over nearly 50 years of friendship, loyalty, honesty and generosity. The prose in this novel is amazing.

I haven't read a book for so long that has phrases like, " are at once drawn together, braided and plaited into a friendship . . . held together by neither law nor property nor blood, there is no glue in it but mutual liking. It is therefore, rare." At the beginning of the friendship, Larry talks about how we delight in being chosen - meaning that we love people who seem to love us first, who praise and adore us.

Much of the novel takes place in the woods of Vermont on Battell Pond. At one time they take a week-long walking tour and camp every night. I'm not a huge camping person but after reading that part of the book, I want to be, as long as it is with the Morgans and Langs, eating the food they eat, reading what they read and singing what they sing.

This was a simpler time, from the 30s to 70s and it seems so blissful to read all that they read and then talked about what they read. The music and singing played a large part in their entertainment and the writing that the two husbands do is important. It seems like our lives are so different now, full of constant interfacing with media - computers, ipods, TV. We don't take much time to just sit still and ponder life like they did in this book and it is beautfiul.

This is definitely not a page-turner in the usual sense of the word, but I found I couldn't get enough of the thoughtful, beautiful scenes and thoughts on life and friendship.

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2010-01-04T19:51:00.001-05:00

Paper Towns by John Green
Book 1 for 2010 YA Challenge

Book for 2010 Challenge

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

When Margo Roth Spiegelman beckons Quentin Jacobsen in the middle of the night—dressed like a ninja and plotting an ingenious campaign of revenge—he follows her. Margo’s always planned extravagantly, and, until now, she’s always planned solo. After a lifetime of loving Margo from afar, things are finally looking up for Q . . . until day breaks and she has vanished. Always an enigma, Margo has now become a mystery. But there are clues. And they’re for Q. (from the book description)

Even though I am so irritated at the ending I still have to give this book four stars for the clever writing, fun characters and laugh-out-loud wit. I really liked the three main characters who share a friendship filled with loyalty, acceptance and harmless insults.

I did feel that some of the middle dragged a bit and after all that dragging was not pleased with the ending as I already mentioned. And I could have done without the vulgar boy talk and some swearing, but all in all an inventive plot that is definitely not predictable.

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2010-01-01T09:44:00.001-05:00

Keeping the Moon by Sarah Dessen

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Fifteen-year-old Colie is spending the summer with her eccentric Aunt Mira while her mother travels. Formerly chubby and still insecure, Colie has built a shell around herself. But her summer with her aunt, her aunt's tenant Norman, and her friends at the Last Chance Diner&150 teaches her some important lessons about friendship and learning to love yourself.

A cute, fairly predictable read. Sarah Dessen's work definitely improves with the years as this was one of her early novels. Some of the teen language "like" and such was a bit annoying at times. However, enjoyed seeing the growth of Colie and how she changes and gains courage to be proud of who she is.

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2009-12-31T13:06:00.002-05:00

YA-Dystopian Reading Challenge Finished! I loved this one and will do it again if it is offered. Here is my pile:

1. The Giver by Lois Lowry

2. Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry

3. The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness

4. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

2009-12-31T13:02:00.001-05:00

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is the dark and depressing tale of a freshman in high school who is shunned by her so-called friends and everyone else in school for calling the cops during a party in the summer. She retreats into her mind and stops talking but the memories of that horrible night won't leave her alone and eventually she has to let it all out.

I really felt the pain of high school in this book. I remember how things like the cafeteria and who you are going to sit with are HUGE deals when you are in it. It's a place I never want to be again. I enjoyed seeing the progress of Melinda as she begins to crack open and the words start to come out. She finds ways to gain her strength and confidence again.

There are definite parallels to Sarah Dessen's Just Listen, but the plots are developed differently. It is probably one reason I liked reading Speak so much, I really loved Just Listen.

I read this book in a few hours without stopping, for this reason and the well-developed character and prose it is more like a 4.75 for me.

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2009-12-29T14:45:00.001-05:00

Handle with Care by Jodi Picoult

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Six-year-old Willow O'keefe was born with osteogenesis imperfecta or brittle bone disease. Her mother decides to launch a wrongful birth lawsuit against her ob-gyn, who also happens to be her best friend.

I enjoyed learning about OI and how difficult life is with that disease. Other than that, I liked the book but it wasn't anything new from her other books; controversial topic: wrongful birth, lawsuit that tears the family apart, lots of drama during, before and after the trial, a sibling who is neglected because of the special-needs, sibling, etc. Also, this whopper of a book could definitely have been shorter and still gotten the point across.

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2009-12-21T15:19:00.000-05:00

Beneath a Marble Sky

by John Shors

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is the absolutely exquisitely written tale of the love story between the daughter of the Hindustan Emperor and the man who created the Taj Mahal. Jahanara lives in a time where women are routinely raped and beaten by their husbands with no consequences. She defies the popular view of women as objects to be seen and used and not heard. I admired her strength and courage, putting herself in mortal danger in some situations to try to help a loved one.

I loved reading about the design and building of the Taj Mahal - obviously this is a work of fiction but I believe that the author was true to the techniques used in the 17th century. Every word and situation sparkled with a descriptive language that was a joy to read. This was a time where to be rich was luxurious, jewels, food, cashmere carpets, elephants, etc. And a time where to be poor was wretched, filthy and difficult.

This book was written by a male author, but I think he did a fantastic job of writing this novel in a woman's voice. Her worries about her family, her suffering in childbirth and other physical situations were very believable to me.

I was also inspired by how many times Jaha calls on Allah each day and in every situation where she needs help and guidance and would often pray until she received the answer even if it was several hours.

This book was very close to a 5 for me. The text was alive and beautiful and the story was one to inspire.

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2009-12-17T07:21:00.001-05:00

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

Book 4 for the Dystopian Reading Challenge

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Suzanne Collins has created another amazing book that stirs your emotions, captures your imaginations and involves you so much in the character's lives that you feel like they are your best friends. This second book in the Hunger Games series is about what happens to Katniss and her family after she returns a victor. Her family is well-fed and cared for and she is even able to help other less-fortunate families with her new-found wealth.

The struggle between the Capitol and the Districts heats up as people follow what they thought was Katniss' defiance with the berries in the Games. Katniss has to decide how she feels about Peeta and Gale and what to do about it.

There's not much I can add about this book that hasn't already been said better than I can. Suffice it to say, the book is as fantastic as the first, Suzanne Collins has an imagination that astounds and I am EAGERLY awaiting the next installment!

View all my reviews >>

2009-12-03T13:22:00.001-05:00

The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Wow, this is an interesting book. It's hard to say too much about the plot without giving too much away, but basically it is the story of Jenna, an adored only child, who wakes up from an 18-month coma after suffering near-fatal injuries in a car accident. Jenna wakes up with no recollection of her former life and has to re-learn it slowly. In the midst of this, she starts to sense that things aren't exactly the same as they were before.

I really liked Jenna's character and seeing her go through the stages of discovering herself again and realizing the strength and will and courage that she never dared to exercise before for fear of upsetting the pedestal her parents' kept her on. Jenna always did exactly what her parents told her, but the pressure of being perfect started to get to her and I liked watching her break out of that shell.

I also really enjoyed the plot. The idea is unique and I couldn't tell even from page to page what was going to happen next. The plot moves along just right, keeping the reader hanging just enough before answering the next question in the story.

The story takes place in a society not so far into the future where the overuse of antibiotics by people 20 years before has caused serious problems. This seemed to point to us in present day. It was an interesting concept to think about. This world also has BioGel, a product that will preserve organs outside of the body for donation for years. I was intrigued by these things and wondered how realistic they are.

A really great read that kept me guessing until the last page.

View all my reviews >>

2009-11-27T13:54:00.001-05:00

Fifth Business by Robertson Davies

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed this first book in the Deptford Trilogy. This story follows the life of Dunstable Ramsay from his life in provincial Deptford to the trenches in WWI to his career as a schoolmaster and most importantly his interest in saints and writings about them and where that leads him. Another key part of the story is when he ducks a snowball and it hits a pregnant woman resulting in a premature birth of her baby. This experience and his resulting guilt and responsibility for Mary Demptster shapes much of his future decisions. The book is written as a letter to his headmaster on his retirement from teaching. Ramsay was offended at the write-up of his life as a dull schoolmaster and seeks to clarify what his life was really like and who he really is.

The book is beautifully written, much of it is introspective but doesn't become boring or whiny as some largely introspective books do. I could read this several more times and get more out of it. The prose is fun to read and I enjoyed his interactions with others, especially the hideous but intriguing Liesl. I was wondering the whole book what in the world Fifth Business is and when I found out, it was well worth the wait and the part Fifth Business played in the end of the book is really great.

Definitely excited to read the next books, it is hard to imagine what else could happen to Dunny, but I will love reading about it.

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The TwentyTen Challenge

2009-11-18T08:31:00.003-05:00

The idea is to read 20 books in 2010 from 10 different categories - 2 in each category. The categories range from YA to Older Than You to books you bought in a charity shop. Have no idea what I am reading, but so excited to participate! Actually, I guess I do have to list my reading choices for the Up to You category in this post. So I choose:

1. The Curse of the Spider King by Wayne Thomas Batson and Christopher Hopper. My first jump into the Christian Science Fiction and Fantasy Genre.

2. Neverwhere: A Novel by Neil Gaiman. I haven't read much of Gaiman but people love him and this looked like a great one to try.

Thanks so much to Bart's Bookshelf for another great challenge!

2009-11-17T08:38:00.002-05:00

June Bug by Chris Fabry

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Nine-year-old June Bug has been traveling around the nation in an RV with her Dad for as long as she can remember. Her world is turned upside-down when she sees her face on a missing children poster at Walmart. June Bug's perspective on her life completely changes as she learns who she really is, where she really came from and whether or not this man she has trusted and loved her whole life is really her father.

When I first read the premise of this book I was intrigued. I think my expectations were way too high because I didn't love it as much as I thought I would. June Bug sees the missing children poster in the first chapter of the book but it is not until quite a bit later that she actually confronts her father with the information. This really bugged me, I don't know how she could hold this inside for even one second, though on the other hand, her whole world is being rocked and she may not want to know the truth.

I did really like June Bug's father, he was the most complex and interesting character in the book who had been through tough situations in his life and acted in a way he felt best. The rest of the characters were pretty cliche' and the situations were tired and used a million times.

The story is fine, it definitely kept my interest and there is a decent ending, I just don't think I got the bang I was hoping for when I first heard about this book and I kept feeling angry that it wasn't as good as I wanted it to be.

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2009-11-10T07:47:00.002-05:00

Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry

Book 3 for the Dystopian Reading Challenge

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Kira, a girl born with a twisted leg, has only managed to survive in a community that discards imperfect children at birth with the watchful care of her loving mother. When her mother dies from a serious illness, Kira finds that the community has a new position for her using her talent at "threading" or embroidery. In her new role she starts to find out more than she ever knew about her community and her past and the important part she can play to make it better.

A sweet, little story with solid characters that can provoke love or hate. I enjoyed it but just wanted a little more oomph to the plot and ending. I think I might just be a little dystopianed out right now too.

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2009-11-08T09:04:00.002-05:00

The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness

Book 2 for the YA Dystopian Reading Challenge

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

WOW! I'm still trying to catch my breath from reading this book. The last 50 pages passed in a blur. Wow! Patrick Ness has pulled me into his story like no one in a long time. This dystopian novel is the story of Todd Hewitt, a boy born into a world where men and animals can hear each others' thoughts. A constant noise and chaos every second of the day and night. As he comes within a month of his twelfth birthday - the Prentisstown definition of the age of a man - strange things start to happen that leave him questioning his whole life and everything he believes about the world he lives in. What follows in a story of fleeing in the face of constant mortal danger. Terror, desperation, hunger, violence are a part of every day until Todd can reach safety in a new settlement.

The characters in this book are very real to me; Aaron is pure evil and terror, just a hint of his Noise coming is enough to know that something really bad is going to happen. I also really liked Manchee, Todd's dog. His exuberant "Todd! Todd!" and "Ow Todd?" were funny to read. he was loyal through and through.

As Todd goes through the transformation from a boy to a man, he learns that though things are bad, there is still hope. I really liked this quote in the book from Todd's father (for all intents and purposes), Ben.

"There's always hope, you always have to hope. . . you've overcome obstacles and dangers that should've killed you . . . How do you think you could have come this far if you didn't have hope?"

Ness says that our world is so filled with information these days - texts, emails, messaging, etc - and he wanted to see what would happen in a town where you really couldn't get away from the noise. He has done this masterfully. It's "chaos walking" as he says in the novel. I enjoyed thinking about this as I read this book.

With an ending that will startle the reader and leave them desperate for the next book, I give The Knife of Never Letting Go five solid stars. Not a book for those in search of a light and happy story, but one that makes you think about our world today and what all the information is doing to us.

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2009-11-01T07:46:00.001-05:00

Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

For years, Grace has watched the wolves in the woods behind her house. One yellow-eyed wolf—her wolf—is a chilling presence she can't seem to live without. Meanwhile, Sam has lived two lives: In winter, the frozen woods, the protection of the pack, and the silent company of a fearless girl. In summer, a few precious months of being human ... until the cold makes him shift back again.

Now, Grace meets a yellow-eyed boy whose familiarity takes her breath away. It's her wolf. It has to be. But as winter nears, Sam must fight to stay human--or risk losing himself, and Grace, forever.

(from the Goodreads description)

I REALLY liked this book. It's really more like a 4.5 stars for me. The chemistry and sexual tension between Grace and Sam is palpable and I found myself with a knot in my stomach wondering what would happen next. I love the beautiful imagery that the author creates complete with sounds, smells and sights. The romance is this book is fantastic without being too graphic. Though it reminds me a bit of Twilight there were enough differences that it didn't bother me much.

A great chilly read for the fall when you feel like bundling up with a good book and a cup of hot chocolate.

View all my reviews >>

2009-10-28T19:10:00.001-04:00

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Nobody Owens (Bod for short) has lived in the graveyard for as long as he can remember. His adoptive parents are ghosts, his teachers are ghosts and his friends are ghosts. He also has a mysterious guardian who is neither ghost nor alive. If he leaves the graveyard, his life is in danger from the man Jack, a killer on the loose who is also responsible for the murders of Bod's original family and wants to finish the job.

I read this book for my in-person book club and didn't expect to like it as much as I did. The book reminded me of the saying that "it takes a village to raise a child," as Bod has everything he needs from all different kinds of people who are now ghosts. He has grown up with old-fashioned manners and a strong sense of right and wrong. The characters are fun to read about as they are varied in age and time period, the oldest ghost in the graveyard is an ancient Roman and there are young ghost children who died from consumption.

Neil Gaiman definitely has a unique style that I enjoyed. I also liked the illustrations included in the book at the beginning of each chapter. All in all, an interesting read perfect for this time of year.

View all my reviews >>

2009-10-27T22:40:00.000-04:00

The Hourglass Door by Lisa Mangum

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Abby's senior year is going along just fine; college applications are in, there are good friends and dances and even a cute best-friend turned boyfriend. She is helping direct the school play and hoping to have the chance to "live without limits" at Emery College. Her perfect year is turned upside down when Dante, a mysterious Italian exchange student, walks into her life. Unexplainable things start happening to Abby the more time she spends with Dante, and she becomes entangled in a centuries-old struggle with time.

Romance, tension, mystery, and handsome boys with an accent make this book difficult to put down. The plot isn't real deep; it's the basic romance with a dangerous boy. Is it worth it or deadly? As much as I enjoyed reading this book, I struggled with the obvious parallels to Twilight. A girl who has special abilities in the face of danger, some supernatural elements, an irresistible boy who is different from anyone she has ever known but could lead her into moral danger, all of a sudden the girl is the boy's whole world and he has been waiting for her forever and on and on. But maybe that is why I liked it so much, because I like these kinds of stories even though they are slightly predictable. I've heard that there are only seven different plots that are constantly rewritten with slight changes, and this plot is always fun to read.

A great piece of light and enjoyable fiction with a major cliffhanger at the end to lead to the next book.

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End of Event Meme

2009-10-25T08:53:00.003-04:00

Finally finished! I had so much fun doing this readathon, especially enjoying it with my friend Tricia. I finally gave in to sleep at around 3am and finished 823 pages. I'm a little disappointed that I didn't read more than that, I feel like kind of a wimp. But something more to try for next time!

Thank you so much to all my cheerleaders and to the event event orgaznizers! You put in a great deal of hard work and it was appreciated!

Here are my answers to the end of event meme.

1. Which hour was most daunting for you? Hour 14 and Hour 19

2. Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a Reader engaged for next year?

It's a little hard to list since there are so many different people and interests, but I think anything by Suzanne Collins or Carlos Ruiz Zafon would work. Also, light, quick reads would help also so you could finish more books and feel like you accomplished more.

3. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year?

No, it was really great. This was my first time and I was impressed by all the hard work from the cheerleaders and organizers.

4. What do you think worked really well in this year’s Read-a-thon?

The cheerleaders are awesome and the hourly updates and mini-challenges were a fun distraction.

5. How many books did you read?

3 and almost a third of another one.

6. What were the names of the books you read?

Ella Enchanted, The Giver, Dairy Queen, part of The Hourglass Door

7. Which book did you enjoy most?

Dairy Queen

8. Which did you enjoy least?

I really liked them all quite a bit, but probably the least was the Hourglass Door because I didn't finish and was tired during it.

10. How likely are you to participate in the Read-a-thon again? What role would you be likely to take next time?

Very likely, it was fun to read and to connect with so many readers around the world. I would be a reader again.

Update #4 Hour 18

2009-10-25T02:31:00.002-04:00

2:31 am here and I'm struggling to stay awake but the hour 18 mini-challenge was a fun one and provide some much-needed laughter. On page 100 of my fourth book, The Hourglass Door by Lisa Mangum.

Stats-

Books: 3.2

Hours: 14

Pages: 796

Hour #17 Mini-Challenge

2009-10-25T00:25:00.001-04:00

Lynn's Give Me 5 Mini-challenge

Here we go, my top 5 favorite children's books:

1. The Giving Tree

2. Where the Wild Things Are

3. Sneeches

4. Falling for Rapunzel

5. Meet Wild Boars

Update #3

2009-10-24T23:17:00.002-04:00

It's 11 pm here in North Carolina - hour 16. I have only about 25 pages left of The Giver, which I am enjoying. I'm not a night person at ALL so I am getting pretty tired and the rest of the night is going to be a challenge to stay awake.

Stats:

Books Read: Almost 3!

Hours: 12

Pages: 680

2009-10-24T21:24:00.007-04:00

The Giver by Lois Lowry

Book 1 for the YA Dystopian Challenge

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Jonas lives in a community that is completely structured and regulated, marriages are matched, perfect family units consist of two children, mom and dad; zero percent unemployment; bragging is not allowed and the climate is carefully controlled - no sunshine, rain or snow. The Old or sometimes the infants who are not up to snuff are "released" from the community.

"The life where nothing was ever unexpected. Or inconvenient. Or unusual. The life without color, pain or past."

At year 12, all children are given an "assignment" or job that they will have their entire lives until they enter the Home of the Old. Jonas is selected to become a Receiver, a person who will safeguard all the memories of the community. The memories, of pleasure, pain, color, music, misery, choices, etc. All the memories that are no longer remembered by the community because they would interfere with the new standard of "sameness."

This book made me think about life and how sometimes I just want it to be easy with no tantrums, screaming, whining or difficulties. That is how Jonas' life is - no challenges, but no choices either. I really liked reading about the community Lowry created. It is weird at the beginning when Jonas is eating dinner with his "family unit" and they are all pleasantly talking, almost like they are doing a comedy sketch of the perfect family. It is creepy and would be annoying to live like that. I could spend a great deal of time analyzing and thinking about this book, but since it is the readathon, on to the next!

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Update #2 Hour 11

2009-10-24T18:50:00.001-04:00

Just checked into our hotel. Planning to get some room service and dive into The Giver.

Stats:

Books Read: 2

Pages: 526

Hours: 8.5

2009-10-24T17:40:00.001-04:00

Dairy Queen by Catherine Gilbert Murdock

My rating: 4 of 5 stars DJ Schwenke is stuck working on her family's dairy farm all summer. Her dad hurt his hip and she is pretty much running the farm by herself. The summer takes an unexpected turn when she has the opportunity to train rival football team quarterback. Dj also learns to follow her own dreams instead of just doing what is expected just like one of the dairy cows. I love the first-person narrative in this story. Dj has a fun sense of humor that had me laughing out loud more than once. Definitely looking forward to the other books in this series. View all my reviews >>

Update #1

2009-10-24T17:33:00.000-04:00

Books Read: 2

Pages read: 526

Our plan was to go to the hotel around 3, but we are still stuck on our fannie's at Tricia's house. Loving it so far, even with the lack of snacks. :)

First Book for Readathon Complete

2009-10-24T13:20:00.000-04:00

Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I thoroughly enjoyed this retelling of the classic fairy tale, Cinderella. It had the wonderful parts from the original but included so much more. Ella was received a fairy blessing at birth to be obedient. Sounds great until you realize that she is bound to do ANYTHING anyone commands her. Could be as simple as hopping on one foot for a day or ending a friendship when commanded. A fun, quick read, my first for the Dewey's 24 hour readathon! View all my reviews >>

Working my Way Through Ella Enchanted

2009-10-24T10:53:00.000-04:00

So I started my readathon morning with a book I wasn't really into and decided to switch to Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine. So far so good, almost 1/3 of the way through.

Readathon Weekend!

2009-10-23T15:36:00.000-04:00

Here is my stack for my first ever Readathon tomorrow!

1. Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine

2. Courting Trouble by Deeanne Gist

3. The Other Side of the Island by Allegra Goodman

4. The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness

5. The Giver by Lois Lowry

6. Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry

7. The Messenger by Lois Lowry

8. A Bride Most Begrudging by Deeanne Gist

9. Gregor the Overlander series by Suzanne Collins

I'm really excited! A friend and I are doing this together, even renting a hotel room so keep us away from our kids. The only thing I'm worried about is that I asked her if we should get treats and she said, "Treats?" like she had never heard of that idea before. Guess I'm the only reader who likes to snack at the same time.

2009-10-22T15:05:00.001-04:00

The Angel's Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafón

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Book 2 for RIP Challenge, Peril the Second

Wow! What a book, my head is spinning from all the events that happen in this book and I don't even know where to begin. David Martin, an aspiring writer from a troubled childhood meets a mysterious man who promises him wealth untold in exchange for writing a novel for his publishing company. As David begins work on the novel, strange things begin happening and he starts to wonder if this deal isn't all it's cracked up to be.

I love this author's writing style. I can see the Barcelona of the early 1900s. I can see the squalor some live in and the luxury others enjoy. I can feel the dripping, damp old tower house that David moves into and I can smell the dust and decay of the room in his house that contains a deadly secret.

The plot is interesting and definitely not predictable, and there are so many twists and turns I can hardly keep track of them. I am not usually a re-reader of books but if I were, I'm sure I could get even more out of this book if I read it again.

I loved it, I would recommend it as a great creepy read; not one to read if you are looking for sunshine and happiness, but a fascinating mystery that leaves you thinking.

2009-10-13T12:58:00.001-04:00

U2: At the End of the World by Bill Flanagan

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

From the book cover: When U2 took the stage for their three-year Zoo TV world tour in 1991, Bill Flanagan was there--in the bus, on the plane, in the recording studio and well after hours with the biggest rock band in the world. A tour that began to support the hugely successful Achtung Baby record and ended with a second, even more successful record, Zooropa, took U2 to the far reaches of the world, playing to over a hundred sold-out arenas in over forty cities.

U2 At The End Of The World takes you on the world tour and drops you off at the cultural intersection where rock stars meet politicians; where writers, directors, and models all wind up backstage with U2. And finally, when the band performs their last Zoo TV concert in Tokyo in 1993 and nearly collapses from physical and mental exhaustion, you are there with them waiting for the end of the world.

Wow, I don't really even know how to begin my review for this book. I attended U2's 360 tour last week and that is what prompted my interest in learning more about the band. And I sure learned a bunch! This book is packed with personal insight, quotes and stories from the band members. I feel like I got to know about each of their personalities. It is crazy the situations that rock stars can get themselves into. This book is all about their Zoo TV tour detailing life on the road. It is just unreal, they are taken from place to place, told where to be, stand, what to do and then they do it. Then in their hours off, there is much time for partying and crazy times all night long.

What I was impressed with is that U2 has such a generosity and love with each other. The band members are childhood friends and stick with each other through thick and thin. I also believe that they genuinely try to treat other people with kindness and respect, from trying to inform the world about tragedies in Sarajevo to Bono picking up a crazy fan who was knocked down by a security guard and making sure he is ok.

The thing that I didn't like about this book is how random it seemed. I am on information overload. Anecdote, concert, conversation, places are all jumbled together in an order that doesn't make sense to me. So if you are looking for a simple biography, this is not the one, but if you are looking to laugh out loud and be touched by kindness and craziness, this is the one for you. View all my reviews >>

YA-Dystopian Reading Challenge

2009-10-11T11:13:00.001-04:00

I love these challenges and I have even read several in this genre already this year so I will love reading even more!

Hosted by Bart's Bookshelf, the YA Dystopian Reading Challenge takes place from October 15 to the end of the year.

"Dystopia (from the Greek δυσ- and τόπος, alternatively, cacotopia, kakotopia, cackotopia, or anti-utopia) is the vision of a society in which conditions of life are miserable and characterized by poverty, oppression, war,violence, disease, pollution, nuclear fallout and/or the abridgement of human rights, resulting in widespreadunhappiness, suffering, and other kinds of pain. (Source: Wikipedia)"

The idea is to have fun with this, So your level of participation is up to you, simply pick a target of between 1 & 4 books to read during the two and a half months of the challenge.

Here's my list:

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

The Giver, Gathering Blue, The Messenger by Lois Lowry

The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness

Pretty Monsters by Kelly Link

2009-10-07T11:52:00.000-04:00

The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane by Katherine Howe

This is my first book for the RIP challenge!

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Connie Goodwin, Harvard graduate student in colonial studies, interrupts her dissertation research to rehabilitate her grandmother's crumbling house in Marblehead, MA at the request of her mother. While there she discovers an ancient key in a 17th century bible with the name Deliverance Dane on a bit of paper. Through much research she finds that Deliverance was a "cunning woman" involved in the Salem witch trials. Connie also finds connections to Deliverance Dane that come close to home.

The book flip-flops between the 1600s and the 1990s forming an interesting picture of life in Salem. I enjoyed reading about life in Salem now and in the 1600s. Howe painted interesting pictures in my mind of life at Harvard and life as a woman in 1692. I also liked the characters. There were few of them and they were decently developed. The magical moments were well illustrated and felt realistic.

There are good things about this book, but my high expectations were unmet. I felt like nothing much happened in the first 200 pages, but then it picked up a bit after that. I did look forward to reading it and finding out the ending. It was also a bit predictable; "aha" moments for Connie were a little funny as the reader could figure out what was going to happen several pages before.

This wasn't my favorite book ever but there were good things about it and I would definitely give Katherine Howe another try in a future book. View all my reviews >>