Mental Debris Books

The Sixth Gun: Book 1 -Cold Dead Fingers by Cullen Bunn & Brian Hurtt

2011-08-20T07:23:00.000-07:00

Becky becomes the recipient of a legacy that her step father never intended for her when she picks up the Sixth Gun, a gun that allows the owner peeks of the future they are heading towards. Unfortunately there are several other people on the hunt for this gun including it's original owner General Oliander Bedford Hume, recently brought back from the grave by his former compatriots upon his wife's orders and Drake a man who was once part of the General's pack.

I had heard some amazing reviews about this graphic novel so when I was able to get my hands on it, I decided it was a must. It's a great mix of western and paranormal/horror and this volume collects the first six issues. This volume was definitely all about the chase. Drake takes Becky on the run (even though really he is following Becky's visions). I was never sure if Drake's intentions were entirely honorable much like Becky isn't sure either. Right now Drake is making a phenomenal antihero and I think it will be interesting to see if he stays on what looks like a good path or ends up becoming more of a villain.

I love the different creatures that are run into, and the different cultures they come from including the birds and the hanging tree. I found the different abilities that the guns had and the peek we get at their history interesting. I am definitely hoping that there will be a more in depth look at their history in a future volume.

The only negative thing I'll say is that right now Becky kind of feels a little bit damsel in distress. It does seem like she is trying to step up and take responsibility for herself but keeps getting into trouble. She never saves herself and i would like it if just once she could be saved by herself instead of Drake or coincidence. Since this is only the first six issues hopefully she will grow a little more.

Rage by Jackie Morse Kessler

2011-08-14T14:17:00.000-07:00

Missy is a self injurer and whenever things are too much to handle she cuts herself with a razor. One night after a terrible party where she is exposed to the entire school, Missy cuts too deeply. In comes Death offering her the job of War the red horsemen of the Apocalypse. Missy takes the job and finds herself in an internal battle with the spirit of War and with herself.

At times Missy was very difficult to relate to. Understanding the impulse to injure yourself as a way of feeling control is difficult to understand, particularly since as a general rule people fear pain. I think that writing about a cutter is just more difficult. I did think that the author did a good job of showing the kind of alienation and the huge emotions that she was experiencing both before and after everyone knew what Missy was doing.

I absolutely loved the interactions between all of the Horsemen, it was nice to see Famine again although I wish they had let us know earlier that she retired from life b/c I was really confused trying to remember what happened. I thought Pestilence was scary in a very cool way. I am hoping that the next book is about him I really love how Missy's powers are all about passion, not just literal war and arguing; and again seeing how Missy was able to use her powers to help not just harm was pretty cool.

I think that so far this series is doing a great job. While they are obviously issue books they don't feel like issue books because of the fantasy component of the Horsemen. I also think this series works well to bring a series of issues to a group of kids that wouldn't necessarily read "issue" books.

The Girl in the Steel Corset by Kady Cross

2011-08-11T09:20:00.000-07:00

Finley Jayne has a darker half that protects her and frightens her. As time goes on it is becoming more and more difficult for her to control and making it harder for her to keep a job. One night she is forced to run from her employers home and is hit by Griffin King a Duke who sees her as one of his own; people with abilities. He takes her in and soon learns that Finley has an interesting and unexpected connection to him. Finley joins Griff, and his friends Emily, Sam and Jasper on the hunt for The Machinist, a criminal who is managing to make machines turn against people.

I absolutely adored this book for so many reasons. Being the book geek that I am, I always love it when a book finds a way to connect with other books so I was completely amused and intrigued by the connections drawn to Jekyll and Hyde and Journey to the Center of the Earth.

I loved how the two parts of Finley become integrated over the course of the book. I liked watching her become stronger and more finely tied together. However I still loved her split parts as well, particulalry how part of her was attracted to Griff and the other part was attracted to Jack Dandy. (It's the first love triangle in a long time that has annoyed me beyond belief.) I also found Jack Dandy extremely interesting. He was a criminal beyond a doubt but he was an interesting mix of commoner and smart business man. I definitely think he is someone who makes it a point to allow others to underestimate him and I really hope that he is involved in the next book even though they will be leaving England for it. I also enjoyed watching Sam come to terms with himself and the changes that Emily made to save his life. I am hoping that in the next book he will continue to grow and become a little bit smarter. While I don't expect his temper to entirely disappear, I am hoping that he continues to think about things more. My biggest complaint about the book was the lack of information on Jasper so I am very excited to see that the next book in the series is going to focus on him and that was all resolved.

I also really liked how The Machinist tied into Griff's groups' past and I was very intrigued by how he was able to get the robots to work. While for the most part the story was anything but predictable there was one point regarding what the Machinist was planning where I found myself getting frustrated. Someone as smart as Emily is supposed to be should have figured out what was going on a few pages earlier. I did find it a little bit irritating that she had to wait for Griffin to come to the lab and figure out what was going on. I wanted her, Finley and Sam to be a little bit more independent sometimes; but I'm hoping over the course of the series the characters will continue to grow and learn to stand on their own.

The Strange Case of Finley Jayne by Kady Cross

2011-08-08T08:14:00.000-07:00

This is a prequel to the Girl in the Steel Corset, which I have an e-galley of and will be posting a review of tomorrow. I was able to get it free for my kindle from amazon. Prior to reading this I had thought that the whole short story on amazon thing for free was frustrating, because it only gave you a taste. Now I am thinking of it as more as knowing whether the book(s) it's based on is worth spending money on.

This introduces the main character of the Girl in the Steel Corset and lets us know how she is unique and how she got the position she is working at in the beginning of the next book. It was a short story that was definitely interesting and now I can't wait to read the book. It also gave me a really clear concept of the world that Finley lives in, a mix of technology, supernatural and Victorian London. Finley was definitely an interesting character and I'm hoping that Phoebe and her mother also make an appearance in the next book.

Tricked by Alex Robinson

2011-08-05T15:47:00.000-07:00

In this graphic novel we follow the lives of six unconnected characters who will eventually become connected by a horrible act of violence. Before the rockstar, temp, waitress, daughter, crank and autograph forger come together the reader gets to know them a bit and see how relationships begin and how events conspire to put them all in the same place on one fateful night.

I admit a huge part of why I read this book is that is has a fabulous cover, so I had to find the version of the cover I had which is why I ended up pulling this from amazon. I love the fact that it looks like a tape, although I find myself wondering if some people would even recognize a tape at this point. I saw the book as part of a display at the library and immediately felt a need to check it out. The plot description didn't really go with the cover for me until after I read it. Then I kind of saw each character's chapters as different sections of a mix tape and then it kind of all came together for me.

I really enjoyed watching the relationships that developed especially Ray and Lily, Pheobe and her father and Caprice's two relationship debacles. (Also a huge shout out to Caprice's boss Frank I believe it was who told off Caprice's ex in such a phenomenal and kick butt way without ever being an overt dick.) There are definitely times when I wanted to strangle Caprice too. I think she was the character that I liked the most because she made me the most crazy, although both of her bosses neither of which was one of the characters being followed were close seconds.

The graphic novel counts down as a way of building suspense although you kind of know from the description that something big is going to happen. I thought it was a decent way to build suspense and I kind of kick myself b/c I assumed that the obvious was what was going to happen and that certainly wasn't the case. (Was also kind of happy that it was my least favorite character that was involved in the violent incident.)

Sleeping Beauty: Vampire Slayer

2011-08-04T15:40:00.000-07:00

It's been a couple of days since I finished this and I'm still not entirely sure how I feel. I've always loved any kind of a twist on a fairy tale, and the idea of Sleeping Beauty and vampires sounded like it would be entertaining. When I found out it was choose your own adventure I was a little unsure because I read this on the kindle and I wasn't too sure about how that would flow on a kindle, particularly since it was a transfered document rather then a regular e-book.

I liked the twist on the evil fairy being a vampire queen instead. I liked Lucy even though at times she made me nuts. I loved that when you were offered choices of what to do next, Lucy's rationale was explained. She wanted to this because.... or the other due to.....

I hated that regardless of what path you took, the ending was the same. I remember chose your own adventure being about how you could get all of these different outcomes. I also found it kind of silly that they listed all the different combinations at the end. I would have liked to figure it out on my own. I also did have some difficulty manuevering on the kindle. I think in the end this book was kind of half and half for me.

The Abused Werewolf Rescue Group by Catherine Jinks

2011-06-20T08:14:00.000-07:00

The Abused Werewolf Support Group is about a boy named Toby who wakes up in a Dingo pen one morning. As this isn’t typical behavior on his part, his mother takes him for all kinds of tests. Then one day a boy and a priest show up at his door telling Toby and his mother that he is a werewolf. At first Toby doesn’t believe anything they tell him and thinks the whole thing is a crazy practical joke. Then Toby is kidnapped for a werewolf fighting pit and he slowly comes to realize that maybe he is in fact a werewolf.

When I first started reading this I was super excited and quickly became very confused. I thought this was going to be Rueben’s side of the story from The Reformed Vampire Support Group. Then as I read on I kind of realized that that definitely was not the case and had to kind of reorient my expectations.

Once I wrapped my head around the fact that this was Toby’s story and not Rueben’s I was able to enjoy it. Toby is a funny and interesting kid whose creativity and sense of adventure can often get him into way too much trouble. I really liked his character (but maybe that’s cause he reminds me of my fiancé with the crazy experiments). He makes a lot of bad decisions and lets himself get talked into things by Fergus way too easily. I have to say that I loved Toby’s ingenuity. I couldn’t wait to see what he was going to come up with next. Some of the things he was able to build were just incredible and there was a part of me that was tempted to go online and see if some of the science experiments (for lack of a better term) would really work.

The story was definitely interesting and I wanted to know what was going to happen next. I also loved getting to find out what was going on with the crew from the Reformed Vampire Support Group although there was a lack of Dave I found disappointing. I also thought the ending was very creative. I always love stories that are kind of written as a “warning”. For some reason I just find it very entertaining and I like the reassurances Toby gave, that if help was needed they would find you.

My only other complaint about this book was that there was too much tell rather then show. Toby is telling the story in retrospect and because of that he would constantly tell you how he would never behave this way now and the different kinds of decisions that he would make now. I wish the author had let us see a little more clearly the life Toby was living after his adventures, so that we could see for ourselves how he was different and not have to be told that Toby no longer takes crazy risks.

After the Golden Age by Carrie Vaughn

2011-06-09T13:08:00.001-07:00

Celia West is the daughter of Captain Olympiad and Spark, Commerce City's two greatest superheroes. Unfortunately she has no powers and is totally normal, unless you count her ability to remain calm in the face of constant kidnapping. Now her parents greatest foe The Destructor is on trial and she is the forensic accountant assigned to find his assets. Her relationship with her parents has always been strained AT BEST, the events that follow can bring them together or take them apart.

As soon as I saw the cover of this book I knew it was for me. I recently discovered a love for Carrie Vaughn and I've always adored old school comics. This dealt with the realities of being related to a super hero and how it can hurt the family dynamic. Celia's pain was often palpable and it was impressive how she pulled herself out of her own drama and grew into a strong woman.

I do admit that the mystery was easy to solve. I knew who was committing the crimes, but the impetus behind it and how it related to the trial and to the past was very unexpected (I'm hoping this is vague enough not to give anything away.) I was so excited at how everything tied together at the end.

***Spoiler***
There was one thing that kind of bugged me. Sometimes it seemed like Celia was developing powers and other times it seemed like she was picking up Dr. Mentis' powers. I think you're supposed to infer that her power is more of a mental one but I'm just not sure and it was driving me insane. I want it confirmed!
***End Spoiler***

I loved who Celia ended up with. I did see it coming but not in a "of course that's going to happen kind of way" more in the "I hope that happens kind of way." They were prefect for each other.

Red Glove (Curse Workers, #2) by Holly Black

2011-06-05T10:09:00.000-07:00

The new year starts and Cassel is still trying to be relatively good but his family just keeps getting him into more and more trouble. Especially when Phil gets murdered and the feds try and draft Cassel into a special program for worker teens. Lila is still cursed to love him and they were trying to stay away from each other but she's at school with Cassel, which is just more complications.

I really liked this and I'm not entirely sure how to say why. Cassel tries to do the right thing but thinks that he is a bad person, and I think a lot of times as a teenager I kind of felt that way. It's not that you are intentionally trying to hurt anyone or do bad things, it's that you feel like life leaves you between to impossible choices and neither one is a great option.

The mystery is definitely not as easy to solve as I thought it would be. Early into the book I totally thought I had figured out who had killed Phil. I didn't think there was any other choice and was mildly annoyed that it was so easy to figure out. I was wrong and it was a character I hadn't even really thought about because the were not as heavily featured in this book as the previous one (although if I hadn't been so wrapped up in who I thought it was I might have thought about it.)

I still love the world that Cassel lives in. The curseworkers rights movement harkens back to the civil rights movement of the sixties and I think that Holly Black handles it well. The mobsters remind of me of those old fifties movies or Dick Tracey even though it could be related to something newer. Maybe my frame of reference is just screwy.

A lot of things felt like they wrapped up nicely here. It doesn't really need anymore, but I'm still hoping that there will be a third book because I really really enjoyed it.

Beautiful City of the Dead by Leander Watts

2011-06-04T12:05:00.000-07:00

I picked this book up off the shelf over a month ago at this point. When I finally started it I couldn't entirely remember why I picked it up , but I know that I am happy that I did. When Zee starts her new school she can't find anyone who looks interesting until she meets Relly. Relly has his own band and needs a bassist and he thinks Zee is the perfect fit. The four play ghost metal a sound so big you can hear the silence in it. Then Zee finds out that there is more to Relly, herself and their band than meets the eye.

The prose of this book was extremely lyrical and poetic. It just sounded gorgeous and I loved the different places that Zee went to come up with lyrics for the band. I just felt like the whole book had a gorgeous sound to it, which is always appropriate for a book about music.

I loved the twist in the book. I know it was unexpected but I thought that that was what made it work. This is one of the first paranormal books where a lot of explanation about what is going on why people have certain abilities was left out, but to be honest it didn't feel necessary. I didn't miss it the way I normally do. The book felt full all on it's own.

The music was enough for me. I really enjoyed it and honestly I am not entirely sure I can explain why.

Steel by Carrie Vaughn

2011-06-02T07:50:00.000-07:00

Jill loses a major fencing tournament by half a second, and it completely throws her. She goes on vacation to the Bahamas with her family and spends a lot of time trying to figure out if she wants to continue fencing, whether she can handle not winning and if it's worth it. Then she finds a broken piece of a sword, which transports her back in time to Captain Cooper's ship and becomes a member of her pirate crew who is currently embroiled in a feud over the very sword Jill found.

This book was much slower then I thought it would be. I expected that since this was a fantasy/pirate adventure it would mile a minute action, however that wasn't how it was at all, and honestly it worked. There were definitely pockets of adventure but a lot of time was spent on everyday maintenance of the ship and being in Jill's head while she tried to figure out what to do. I would say that this was a historical fiction book with a light touch of magic/fantasy.

I am a sucker for historical detail so I was very interested to learn about Jill's adjustment to being on ship. The kinds of chores that she had to do and how pirate law worked and how pirate raids could actually be kind of nothing sometimes were all really interesting to me. I was glad to find out in the afterward that she did a ton of research.

There was a light romance here as well and I was super excited that a.) it was not a triangle and b.) it wasn't the focus of the story. It was never all about the guy and the romance aspect I think it was more about showing that Jill was more a part of the crew then she thought she was. It's been a while since I've read any YA novel in any genre where the romantic aspects didn't feel like they were taking over the story.

The curse and the supernatural elements of the story were definitely interesting and the story regarding the swords creation and how it seemed to end were also aspects of the story that I really enjoyed. The story of the swords original forging was creepy. The idea of what some people are willing to do for power and to get ahead is generally terrifying to me though so I don't know how much of the credit goes to the story and how much goes to my own mind.

May in Review

2011-06-01T18:38:00.000-07:00

So I haven't had a chance to read as much as I've wanted to this month and I still lose the thread of posting but I figure it could be worse. Challenge-wise I am pretty much where I was last month but I've been reading a ton on my kindle so I kind of wish I had signed up for the e-books challenge.

Here's this month's books and where they came from, everything is linked to goodreads so you can add it to your to be read list. All reviews are forthcoming:

1. Excaliber The Legend of King Arthur by Tony Lee & Sam Hart (Illustrator) (library book)

2. The Abused Werewolf Rescue Group by Catherine Jinx (e book from netgalley)

3. Sleeping Beauty: Vampire Slayer by Maureen McGowan (e book from netgalley)

4. The Strange Case of Finley Jayne by Kady Cross (ebook from amazon)

5. Tricked by Alex Robinson (library book)

6. The Girl in the Steel Corset by Kady Cross (ebook from netgalley)

What did you read in May?

Demonglass (Hex Hall, #2) by Rachel Hawkins

2011-06-01T18:34:00.000-07:00

Sophie, Jenna and Cal go to England to stay with Sophie's father so that she can learn how to control her powers and make an informed decision about going through the removal. The Eye is still after Sophie and they still seem to be using Archer to do it. Or are they?

I still really like Sophie. She is still sarcastic and fun and watching her learn about her father and what he's like is definitely interesting. He doesn't come across as someone who would keep such a huge secret from Sophie as what she was and I do wish we had gotten some insigth into the decision.

I will say that I am extremely sick of the whole love triangle thing in YA. Archer and Sophie are star-crossed lovers. Does Cal really need to be in love with Sophie? Was it really necessary? I just felt like the whole star corssed lovers thing was enough especially when you include the developing relationship with her dad and the politics of the council. I'm also just kind of over Archer as a whole. He didn't feel as developed in this book as he did in the last and I was honestly just getting sick of him.

The Committee itself came across as interesting and dangerous. There seemed to be an extreme lack of checks and balances in the structure and I could feel both Sophie and her father's frustations with it.

The book ends on a cliffhanger and in a way that almost makes me wonder if it's a complete book or a just a bridge to a third volume. Enough happens that it definitely works as a full book, but I feel like too much happens too. It doesn't feel like it has it's own independent story because none of the plot threads feels entirely resolved (even though one kind of is.) For some reason this whole thing just felt unfinished to me and as of right now I just can't shake that feeling.

Stolen: A letter to my captor by Lucy Christopher

2011-05-30T11:46:00.002-07:00

It took me a long time to read this book but that had a lot more to do with the other stuff I had going on then the actual content of the book. Gemma was abducted from the Bangkok airport by Ty. Ty loves her and thinks that he is helping her; taking her away from people who aren't looking out for her best interests and a place that is strangling her. This book is a letter to Ty where she recounts their days together and tries to figure out how she feels about him.

The writing style is just gorgeous. Everything sounds just write and kind of beautiful, even the horrible things. The descriptions have almost a poetic quality to them. The landscape is terrible and it's what keeps Gemma in her prison but you can still feel the beauty and stillness of it. How there are hidden gems within the angry desert.

Ty is an interesting character. You know he's wrong but you can't help feeling bad for him. He means well but it's obvious that no he's never really had people with him or taking care of him, so he doesn't realize he's going about everything entirely the wrong way.

It's interesting to see how Gemma's feelings change for Ty over time. She starts out hating him and wanting nothing but to leave. While she never really stops wanting to leave, truthfully I think that she sees him for who he is. Someone that wanted to help her and just went about it the wrong way.

Abduction! by Peg Kehret

2011-05-17T20:35:00.001-07:00

So this is definitely not a book I would normally have read. I read it for work and it's the last of the must reads for work for a little while. I had to read this as part of my job as a teen librarian but I definitely think it skews younger.

Matt lives with his mom and his sister Bonnie. Bonnie meets him everyday right after school and they take the bus home together. Until one day Matt isn't there. The tale that follows is sad and scary but packed with a lot of important information.

None of the charaters is very deep in this book. Everyone is there to tell their part of the story. The story is an important one. It's important to see how Matt was tricked and how many people saw something and didn't really realize what was going on. There is also a good description of the Amber Alert process and what goes into looking for a missing child.

This book is most definitely a cautionary tale for younger kids. There is a lot of good information here and I think that it's a good reminder to adults that children can't always take care of themselves and that even the strongest precautions sometimes aren't enough. It's also a good reminder to children to always be aware of what's going on, to ask for help and to never go with strangers

Sleeping Freshmen Never Lie by David Lubar

2011-05-15T20:18:00.000-07:00

At the start of Scott's first year of high school he is nervous but calm because he has his three best friends with him. Then he finds out his mother is pregnant, his older brother moves back home, his group of friends desintigrates and he finds himself hanging out with totally different people then whom he would have thought of as friends. Over the course of the year he ends up on student council, writing sports reviews for the paper and working on the stage crew for the school musical all trying to get the attention of one girl. All of this is wrapped around the book he is keeping (it's not a diary) with tips and lists for his future siblings high school days.

I really loved this book. It's another one that I had to read for work but I'm super excited about this one (we'll see how we feel after reading multiple times but for now it was pretty damn awesome.) Scott is a funny, smart and entertaining protagonist. He changes a lot both physically and mentally over the course of the year. He becomes stronger and observant. The things he says to both Mouth after what happens (being vague, no spoilers) and his brother are heartfelt, and wise and the kind of things that everyone needs to hear sometimes.

In the beginning of the story he considers himself someone who is always on the sidelines, but over the course of the book you see him stand up for Mouth, Lee and get Wesley's back. But Scott never goes too far, once the fight is over, he assumes it's done. He doesn't run around trying to get revenge or pick on the little guy.

I loved his english clash and vaguely remember having a similar experience once year. His spanish class on the other hand was the stuff of nightmares and had me constantly laughing. The lists and letters he writes his future sibling are great. Mostly they are funny and goofy and just a way to cope with both high school and his mother's pregnancy. But sometimes they also become deeper and the stuff of real meaning you. Although sometimes I did wonder at what point in his life his sibling would get this book and would the name calling be an issue.

All in all it was an enjoyable read and I'm sorry I never got to it sooner.

The Red Blazer Girls: The Ring of Rocamadour by Michael D. Beil

2011-05-12T07:35:00.000-07:00

This was another read for work which is why the review is so light. I know I need to read this again so I wasn't willing to go too in depth in case I honestly get sick of it.

Sophie see's a woman in a window at school and drags two of her friends. The women needs help solving a twenty year old mystery that may reunite her with her estranged daughter. In addition to the mystery there are boy problems, a Great Expectations skit and an evil deacon.

This was a cute little mystery. There wasn't anything super exciting about it. If you think about it enough a couple chapters in and you can figure out who dunnit. The girls are sweet and likable as are many of the other characters (except the bad guy of course.)

My one complaint is that there was math. The girls need to solve a series of puzzles and the whole thing leads to some plane geometry. Oh there were vicious vicious flashbacks. I was not happy.

There is also a slightly religious aspect to the entire thing, however it's mostly from a historical perspective and no one's being beat over the head with anything. All of the parts discussed end up being relevent to the story.

March & April in Review

2011-05-02T21:37:00.000-07:00

So I've been really really really bad about posting these last two months and at the end of March I didn't even have time to do a review post, so I'm catching up on that now and hopefully I'll be back to posting more then once a week soon.

I knew derby was going to kill me and it definitely did. The league I belong to isn't bouting over July and August because the place where we play gets dangerously hot, so we stacked them a little bit now and in the fall. This means that we've had tons of meetings, trainings and more bouts then usual.

Challenge-wise I haven't done so great either. I had put a bunch of library books on reserve a looooong time ago and didn't realize that they were all being released at more or less the same time so they all came at once and I was just killing myself trying to read them and get them returned sort of, almost, not really even close to on time. (I still have two left to be quite honest.) There were a few things I read just cause the teens kept asking me if I had read them so I kind of figured I better get my butt in gear and read them. Hence my off the shelf challenge and my printz honor/award challenge are a little bit behind right now. My YA historical fiction challenge on the other hand is almost done so YAY.

I also want to mention that for the first time ever I won a book from another blogger. I'm so excited, cause I used to feel that I was the kind of person who never won anything but I've been really lucky lately. I won a copy of Lost and Found: Three by Sean Tan from Presenting Lenore. Hopefully I can review it soon.

Here's this month's books and where they came from, everything is linked to goodreads so you can add it to your to be read list. Some reviews are forthcoming:

March

1. Jane Goes Batty by Thomas Michael Ford (library book)

2. Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson (off the shelf, signed Christmas present from my boss, Printz award)

3. The Firefly Letters by Margarita Engle (library book, Pura Belpre award winner)

4. Strings Attached by Judy Blundell (brought it back from ALA Midwinter conference for me)

5. A Discover of Witches by Deborah Harkness (borrowed from a friend who insisted I read it and I'm glad I did)

6. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins (library book)

7. Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins (library book)

8. Dash & Lily's Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn & David Levithan (library book)

9. Al Capone Shines my Shoes by Gennifer Choldenko (library book, read for work)

10. I am Number Four by Pittacus Lore (library book)

11. The Peach Keeper by Sarah Addison Allen (library book)

12. Gregor the Overlander by Suzanne Collins (library book, read for work)

April

1. The Red Blazer Girls: The Ring of Rocamadour by Michael D. Bell (library book, read for work)

2. Sleeping Freshman Never Lie by David Lubar (library book, read for work)

3. Abduction! by Peg Kehret (library book, read for work)

4. Stolen: A Letter to my Captor by Lucy Christopher (library book, Printz honor book)

5. Demonglass by Rachel Hawkins (library book)

6. Steel by Carrie Vaughn (library book)

7. Beautiful City of the Dead by Leander Watts (library book)

8. Red Glove by Holly Black (library book)

9. After the Golden Age by Carrie Vaughn (library book)

Hopefully I'll do better this month. What did you read in March & April?

Gregor the Overlander by Suzanne Collins

2011-05-01T12:31:00.000-07:00

This is a great gross out read for tween and young teen boys. Gregor is babysitting his 2 year old sister Boots when they get sucked into Underland, a place below New York City that is settled by humans and some incredible speaking animals including but not limited too giant rats, cockraoches, spiders and bats. At first all Gregor can think of is getting home, but then he realizes his dad is a prisoner of the rats and that he may be able to free him by fulfilling an old prophecy.

This book was a great quick paced adventure. There is tons of cool, guy appealing gross out here (did I mention the talking GIANT cockroaches). There are quick escapes, massive battles and last minute saves. There is also a lot of death, betrayal and sadness here as well. There are also politics and intriuge here as well.

This is one of the first of several books I had to read for work that I know I will be reading inside and out and over and over this summer. Hence the short review, I am trying to avoid burning myself out. As I read it again I may add more to the review. Once the summer's over (and I know it wont confuse me) I think I want to read the rest of the series.

The Peach Keeper by Sarah Addison Allen

2011-04-23T11:40:00.000-07:00

The Peach Keeper follows two girsl, Willa and Paxton living in a small town of Walls of Water, North Carolina. Both girls grew up in town, Willa was the class joker (although she hid it until the very end) and Paxton was miss popularity. Willa's family was once part of the town's elite, however in her grandmother's day they moved out and she was working as a maid in her friends homes. Paxton is living in her parents house doing the social butterfly stuff her mom always wanted and restoring the Blue Ridge Madam, the Jackson family home. Willa owns a small store in town and is trying to fit her life into the box that she thinks her family would find appropriate. Neither woman is happy, then a body is unearthed at the Blue Ridge Madam and both girls find a way to break out of the shell's they are in and about their families pasts.

Just like other books by Sarah Addison Allen you get two watch two wonderful characters fall in love an come into their own. Actually three this time because Paxton's brother Colin also figures himself out.

I really liked getting to see Paxton and Waverly develop a friendship. I also liked hearing Paxton's grandmother tell them the story of her and Georgie's past. She did a good job with it. Sometimes when people tell and don't show in books it can get boring but I found the story just as captivating. (Although I did appreciate getting to be shown it too.)

There was less magic in this book then in previous books. There was also just something about the ambiance of this book that was a little different. The magic floating around was less helpful and a little bit more malicious.

I am something of a geek and I was super excited to see Claire Waverly from Garden Spells make an appearance. Just like every other book by Sarah Addison Allen, I thoroughly enjoyed it and found myself charmed by the characters and locale.

I am Number Four by Pittacus Lore

2011-04-13T08:21:00.000-07:00

John has been living on Earth with his Cepan Henri since he was 5 years old. Him and Henri have lived moved all over the United States in an effort to stay hidden. His home planet Lorien was destroyed by the Mogadorians and Alex and eight other children are hidden all across the planet Earth until the powers they are supposed to be developing at puberty make an appearance and they can go after the Mogadorians. The Mogadorians are also on Earth, hunting the nine in number order to get around a protective charm that was placed on the children and to gauge whether or not they can take over the Earth as well. At the opening of the book John has just had to move again and now knows that the first three are dead. They move to a little town called Paradise, Ohio where for the first time John starts making friends.

The best thing this book has going for it is that is action packed. The pace is quick and never stays in one place for long. It's all developing powers, fighting and giant battles. It definitely keeps you entertained.

The background on Lorien and the kind of planet it was and what society was like was interesting. The flashbacks of both the planets destruction and the scraps of John's life were really interesting. I also like learning about how the history of Lorien and the history of Earth have intersected. However I couldn't help but think that some of the things about the planet sounded familiar as if they had been pulled from other stories, books, televisions shows, movies etc.

My other source of contention was the relationship between Sarah and John. It was a sweet relationship, it really was, however we never get to know Sarah. All we know is she's a nice girl and she was on a bad path but straightened herself out via family and photography. Since we don't really get to know her well, it's hard to figure out exactly what it is that John see's in her.

Al Capone Shines My Shoes by Gennifer Choldenko

2011-04-07T09:19:00.000-07:00

I'll admit that my review for this is not as thorough as it could be. Mainly because I read this for work and I know I will most likely have to read it at least two more times before the summer ends.

Al Capone Shines My Shoes is the sequel to Al Capone Does My Shirts, a 2005 Newbery Honor book. Moose is still living on Alcatraz with his family but now his sister Natalie is finally attending a school that will help her. Moose feels the family's group dynamic changing and life feels just a little bit freer now. Unfortunately Moose gets drawn back into trouble again by Piper, the warden's daughter and by the favor he called in from prisoner #85 Al Capone to get Natalie into school. Will Moose go too far in effort to keep everyone happy?

This sequel was a lot of fun, as it was full of action and all the characters I loved from the previous book. Piper is just as much of a pain as ever using what little power she has to get everyone in trouble so she can get her way. This book we get a little more insight into Piper, we find out what makes her tick and why she feels like she needs to have so much power.

We also find out more about what makes Moose tick. Moose spends a lot of the book analyzing the kind of person he is and the what makes his friends tick. He thinks that there is a lot more gray area where the cons are concerned then there actually is. I was on the edge of my seat watching him and his friends deal with the outcomes caused by those feelings.

I did have to laugh a little bit at the appearance of a love triangle in this book. It seems like authors just can't help themselves anymore. I don't want to give any details because I don't want to spoil it for anyone but I definitely know what couple I want to end up together if Moose's adventures on Alcatraz continue.

Dash & Lily's Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn & David Levithan

2011-04-01T11:18:00.000-07:00

I read this right after I finished Mockingjay and I thought it was such a good pick to read after reading such a heavy serious series. It's light and sweet and just what I needed after reading a trilogy that in a lot of ways just scared the crap out of me. Lily's brother thinks she needs a boyfriend, so he sets up a red moleskin with some challenges at the Strand bookstore in NYC (if you haven't been there you should it's awesome.) Dash finds the notebook and takes the challenge. What ensues is a game of dares al over NYC, involving friends and family and an awesome puppet named Snarly. I really really loved Dash, and was kind of disgruntled with Lily which made this book kind of a mixed bag for me. However I loved Lily's family and how they interacted with each other so that balanced out my unhappiness with her character. Dash is a mellow relatable guy. His parents dragged him through an ugly divorce as a kid so he's looking forward to a nice quiet holiday alone. At the beginning of the book Lily just felt like a stereo type and a goody two shoes. She has no real friends at school but is the captain of the soccer team which keeps her from joining the loser pit. Her family is extremely close and she is not taking her parents being in Fiji over Christmas well. There are a ton of very fun and well developed minor characters including Boomer and Sofia on Dash's side and Lily's aunt, brother and cousins. The best parts of the book are watching how all of the characters affect Lily, how they make her become a fuller more developed person. The dares are funny and interesting and I think that are an interesting way to introduce lots of different characters and parts of the city but the best part is still watching Lily grow.

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

2011-03-30T07:28:00.000-07:00

In this book Katniss has struck a deal with District 13 to become the Mockingjay, the symbol for the rebels. Most of her job consists of doing propos, advertisements for the rebels to play on television throughout Panem. Katniss is reunited with Prim, her mother and Gale but many from her district are dead. Peeta is stuck in the capital and being held by President Snow in an attempt to break Katniss.

This is a very exciting book. I understand why other people like it, but truthfully it just wasn't for me. The last quarter of the book just felt like horrible violent death after horrible violent death. One of the death's particularly bothered me because it almost made me feel like the whole series was for nothing. Katniss had one goal from the very beginning and it felt like too much that she shouldn't achieve it.

I think part of my problem with this book is that it scares me. It reminds me that there are people out there that value life so little that this kind of violence is not impossible.

I did like the ending though because Katniss returns to being the person she always was. She doesn't go on to rule Panem or do anything else crazy. She settles back into obscurity and it's implied that she leads a good life.

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

2011-03-24T08:42:00.000-07:00

So apparently it has been almost exactly a year since I read the first book in The Hunger Games Trilogy. I really didn't like the first book so I wasn't planning on reading the rest of the trilogy. However my kids at the library kept asking me if I'd read them and what did I think along with other people I know so I finally caved and decided to read the next one. I'm glad I did because I did enjoy it considerably more. In Catching Fire Katniss and Peeta have returned home however their problems are far from over. Katniss' actions have made her a symbol for many people who are unhappy with their lives in Panem. Her actions are the catalyst for an uprising. As punishment her and Peeta along with other previous Games winners are sent back into the ring.

I think the reason I was able to enjoy this book more was because this time at the very least the deaths kind of seemed to serve a greater purpose in the end, which made them a little bit easier to bear. Additionally many of the more brutal deaths in the arena happened out of range of Katniss and her allies and we were spared many of the kinds of details that the last book seemed to thrive on. This made it easier for me to pay more attention to other factors of the book that I weren't enough to carry me through the last book.

Katniss is a strong female character with a deep moral streak which I find gratifying considering the threats and harsh living conditions she has survived through. While I don't always agree with every decision she makes and at times she is a little slow to get to what I consider the important point she is a character that I most definitely respect.

President Snow is definitely a horrifying villain. Seeing the lengths he is willing to go to is the stuff of nightmares; giving people the power to kill or maim for miniscule infractions and punishing as many people as possible in extreme forms. The cat and mouse game he plays with Katniss is the utmost cruelty, especially since uncertainty makes it difficult for her to function in many ways.

The book ends on a cliff hanger however the upside to waiting so long to read it is that I immediately get to start the next book.

A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness

2011-03-22T07:25:00.000-07:00

Diana Bishop is a witch, but when she was a child her parents were killed and Diana associated it with being a witch so she has tried her best to cut witch craft and magic out of her life. Unfortunately Diana is a powerful witch so magic is not willing to leave her alone. As a historian working on a paper in Oxford, she one day calls up a Ashmole 782, an alchemical text hidden with spells for centuries that may hold the key to any number of things depending on what witch, vampire or daemon you talk to. It's drawing her all kinds of attention from the witches, daemons and vampires she has been trying to avoid; including one Matthew Clairmont, a powerful vampire that she finds herself developing a relationship with.

I really loved this book so much. It was recommended by a friend and even though it took me almost a week to read, I was thrilled with the outcome. The book is sooo rich in detail. Historical details and figures have been intricately woven into an amazing world populated with paranormal creatures. There are references to famous playwrights, musicians, monarchs and popes. It was kind of wonderful to see find out who was human and who wasn't and how the creatures traits were woven into the existing historical figures behaviors.

I also really loved the interplay of genetics in this book. Science can be kind of a turn off because it's not my strong suit and sometimes it just confuses me enough that I can no longer follow the story. However all of the science here makes sense and the explanations are basic enough that I don't feel like I'm lost in it. The science part of the plot was enough to even make my fiance interested in the story. (Not a big paranormal fiction reader). I especially like the idea of science and magic being tied together in such a strong way. I've always thought that the best kinds of magic were probably science that hasn't been explained yet and this book subscribes to that theory in a strong way.

I loved getting to know the characters in this book as well, from Diana and Matthew to Ysabeau and Sophie. While not everyone is obviously likable initially they are all interesting. Reading about them opening up to each other and their origins or even just the long lives they have had the opportunities to lead was one of the things that really kept me going.

Matthew and Diana's relationship at the moment does leave something to be desired, mainly because Matthew is kind of stuck with many of the sensibilities he developed during his life and because of his predatory instinct. Right now Diana is walking a very thin line, trying not to become subservient but being more flexible then she would normally be to accommodate for him. One of the things I love about Diana is how strong and independent she is and I don't want to see her lose that. I also like Matthew chivalrous nature but these habits of his to dominate make me wonder if I am going to continue to like him. I can't wait to read the next book in the trilogy and see what happens and learn more about the world the author has created. (Of course with my luck that wont be for forever.

Strings Attached by Judy Blundell

2011-03-17T09:01:00.000-07:00

Again I waited way too long to review a book. Gotta stop doing that. Kit Corrigan has left her family in Rhode Island and moved to New York to try and make it as a Broadway star. The show she's in is a flop and her money's running out fast when Nate Benedict, her ex boyfriend's father and a mob lawyer makes her a deal. Keep an eye on Billy (the ex) and do a couple of favors and she's got a new job and a new place. Billy joined the military along with Kit's brother, the night it all ended because of Billy's temper; but there is still a lot unresolved between Kit and Billy.

Kit is a great characters and I really loved looking at the world through her eyes. She's trying to figure out what to do and is unhappy with herself for taking the easy way out. She is a very strong girl but she doesn't see it yet. I was happy to watch her start to find her strength again at the end of the book.

The book goes back and forth between Kit's early childhood, when her and her brother and sister (they are triplets) were part of the Corrigan three; growing up with her aunt and her father and dance lessons; and the beginning of her relationship with Billy. Along the way we get Billy's history and her aunt and father's history as well.

The plot here is strong and interesting, the characters are extremely well developed, even the minor ones and I thoroughly enjoyed the book but there was one question it raised for me. At what point does a specific time period get relegated to historical fiction. The work takes place in the fifties (not the sock hop Leave it To Beaver, happy suburbia fifties but lives that are grittier and certainly feel more realistic), and while I wasn't alive yet some of my coworkers were. I've wondered about this a lot and have asked around. I find that the answer I tend to get depends on when the person I am talking to was born.

In the end it was more of a feeling that made me consider this book historical fiction. Everything in this book feels very old fashioned. From the descriptions of the more superficial things such as clothes, food and furniture to the more in depth such as social customs, class and behavior. Also the occasional trips to the forties and thirties to get background information on characters and their situations allowed me to rationalize my decision.

The Firefly Letters by Margarita Engle

2011-03-15T16:27:00.000-07:00

Fredrika Bremer was a Swedish suffragete that traveled the world writing books. She spent three months in Cuba and while she thought the country was beautiful, she felt it's beauty was very marred by slavery. The story's narration alternates between Fredrika, her translator Cecelia who is a slave and Elena the daughter of the Cecelia's owner.

The story is told in free verse and is absolutely beautiful and lyrical sounding. I think that this really brings home stark contrast of a beautiful country and and a horrible practice. The introspection into each characters thoughts give you a wonderful opportunity to see how Elena and Cecelia are changed by Fredrika's presence. Elena's change is particularly drastic, however it is a change for the better. Elena's eventual longing for freedom really made me feel for her. In many ways she is more trapped than Cecelia is, even though she is a free woman.

I also really appreciated the notes that the author included. Frederika Bremer was a real person and she really did have a translator named Cecelia when she was in Cuba. Elena was made up however I could easily someone being so changed by seeing another woman live with such freedom. All of the thoughts and dreams are made up as well however they really feel like they fit and I really enjoyed the book overall.

Part of the reason I read this was because it was one of this years Pura Belpre Honor books and I've been wondering if I should add that to the list of awards I want to make sure I keep up with. Also one of the kids from my Teen Book Reviewers group read it and wrote a really great review of it and was so totally thrilled by the story that I decided I really wanted to give it a shot. It was a great book but I still haven't made a decision about trying to keep up with the award this year, probably because I'm so behind in my reading right now. Does anyone else follow any specific reading lists or awards?

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

2011-03-12T07:03:00.000-08:00

I had always heard a lot about this book and it was always on my list of things to read. Then this Christmas my department head gave me a signed copy as a present. I decided that it was definitely time to read it yesterday when I wasn't feeling well.

Melinda is starting her freshman year of high school as an outcast. Everyone thinks she called the cops at the big party at the end of the last school year. No one bothered to find out why she would have called the cops, not even her best friend Rachel. Her parents aren't around much either. They are both always working and don't really know much about what's going on in Melinda's life. As the year progresses Melinda speaks less and less. She feels as though her throat is closing and her lips and mouth are always dry.

When I first started reading this book I went online and checked out a couple of reviews. People seem to love or hate this book. There is no in the middle and I think that that is usually a sign of a great book. It illicits strong feelings in everyone who reads it.

For most of this book Melinda is trapped in her own head. She can't deal with what happened to her on top of everyone's perceptions of her actions. She ends up hiding from the world and her parents lack of interest and her fellow students unwillingness to look past the obvious. I really liked how her friendship with Ivy and with her lab partner organically bloomed and the way these friendships and her tree project began to make her come out of her shell and deal with what happened.

I also liked the style the book was written in. I liked the mini headings instead of full on chapters. It felt like a good reflection of how Melinda was living her life, one little piece at a time because anything else was too big to handle.

Jane Goes Batty by Michael Thomas Ford

2011-03-09T08:42:00.000-08:00

Jane has a lot going on right now. Her book is being turned into a movie in her very own town. She's got a new editor that hates her. Walter's mother is visiting and it turns out she knows more then meets the eye. Add to this the usual worries about "our gloomy friend," a festival and twins and this makes for a very stressful period for Jane.

I have to give Michael Thomas Ford credit. Jane had so many different problems and such craziness going on that the anxiety just roiled off the page for me. (Then again I am an anxious kind of person and I tend to feel that life is way crazier then it should be, so maybe I can just relate.) The feelings of anxiety and all the craziness going on made this book feel a little bit more serious then the last one. However there were still a lot of laughs, a lot of great literary references and I thoroughly enjoy it.

I am wondering if the last one will be much more serious or kind of keep this mix of slightly more serious but still very funny.

It's Monday What Are You Reading?

2011-03-07T16:37:00.001-08:00

This meme is hosted by Shiela at One Person's Journey Through a World of Books. The point is basically to share what you've reading, what you're reading and what you think you're going to read.

Read This Week:

Jane Goes Batty by Michael Thomas Ford

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

The Firefly Letters by Margarita Engle

Strings Attached by Judy Blundell

Currently Reading:

A Discover of Witches by Deborah Harkness

To Be Read:

Stolen: A Letter to my Captor by Lucy Christopher

The Abused Werewolf Rescue Group by Catherine Jinks

Mad Love by Suzanne Selfors

Dash & Lily's Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn & David Levithan

Sleeping Beauty Vampire Slayer by Maureen McGowan

It's Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini

An Abundance of Katherine's by John Green

I really only started reading regularly again at the beginning of this week, which is why I hadn't done an It's Monday in a month. I'm finally down to about five boxes to unpack (it's actually been about two weeks since I only had about five boxes left; I really need to just buckle down and unpack them.)

I definitely think that doing this meme was helping me stay focused so I definitely want to stay on top of it and keep participating. Unfortunately I just got a list of books that I need to read for work pretty quickly so I don't know how that will affect the rest of my reading. Looking at my to be read list I definitely think that it's at least two weeks worth and that's without including the 7 extra work books. Wish me luck.

The Vespertine by Saundra Mitchell

2011-03-05T11:52:00.000-08:00

Amelia is sent by her brother to Baltimore to catch a husband. In Baltimore she stays with her cousin Zora. While in Baltimore the two girls quickly gain fame when Amelia begins having visions of the future. Amelia has some trepidation about these visions although she is distracted from it all by Nathaniel an artist she meets at a family party that is below the standing, however she can't seem to keep herself from wanting him.

It took me a long time to figure out how I felt about this book. There were a lot of things about it that drove me crazy. Mainly I felt like certain parts of the plot were just glossed over, and there was one point I'm still kind of confused about regarding Nathaniel, particularly the ending. (I'm not going to go into detail because I don't want to spoil anything for anybody.) Those are the gripes, now onto the good stuff.

I absolutely adored the writing style and ambiance. While it was written in a standard prose style there was something very poetic about the writing. Even the simplest of descriptions sounds absolutely gorgeous. The beauty of the language is just absolutely entrancing. My favorite descriptions were of her visions, particularly the happy ones. When Amelia has a vision, she experiences it as though it were happening to her; the happy scenes are lovely and moving. The sad and painful ones are down right gut wrenching and painful, especially when they are for someone Amelia likes or loves.

The language definitely contributed to the ambiance the book has. (Although I feel like I don't have the right kind of language to describe it.) At the opening of the book we actually start at the end, when Amelia has returned home from her adventures in Baltimore. The despair that she feels over the outcomes can be felt in every word. You feel for Amelia and how for her the sun will never shine again. Then we switch to Baltimore and Amelia's initial arrival. You feel her excitement and nervousness and it's a sharp contrast to the despair the novel opens with. Through out the book we go back and forth and I think this serves to heighten the tension in the novel, because you already know it will go wrong and just how bad it will really be.

Vixen by Jillian Larkin

2011-03-03T10:30:00.000-08:00

Vixen follows three girls living in the roaring twenties. Country-cousin Clara is putting on a show of being a goody two shoes while staying with her cousin. She's living in Chicago with her cousin Gloria who is supposed to be planning one of the most important social events of the season, her weading to Sabastian Grey. Lorraine is Gloria's childhood best friend and she is getting very jealous of Gloria. Gloria's fun in the speakeasy, Gloria's upcoming marriange and Gloria's relationship with her cousin Clara.

It took me a while to review this one because I kept getting distracted by other things. I should have reviewed it right away so I could be more specific but cest la vie.

The beginning of this book was just not entertaining to me. It felt like the author was trying to hard. There was too much slang and it didn't all sound right. Some of the descriptions were a little heavy handed too. (The description of her first taste of gin was just a little bit much, I'm not going into specifics cause it was just gross.)

However as it progressed I started to enjoy it more and more. There were lots of little mysteries going on. What was Clara's secret? Who kept spilling Gloria's secrets? I felt like these little mysteries made it more interesting and kept the book going for me.

February in Review

2011-03-02T21:01:00.001-08:00

So I didn't get much reading done this month because I was trying to get our new place unpacked. I think I'm doing pretty good. I've got about 5 boxes left and a couple of bags that need to be sorted through.

Also the roller derby season started up again this month, so I'm going to start getting super busy with that. I am a nonskating official (the easiest way to explain the job is to say that I work with the refs keeping track of points and penalties) with the local women's flat track derby league. I will also occasionally go help the local mens league out. If you haven't got a clue what I'm talking about check this out and hit up Derby News Network and WFTDA. Hopefully those help.

Challenge-wise I think I still did pretty good this month. I read two Printz Award/Honor books and four YA historical fiction books. Four of the books also went towards my off the shelf challenge. Not bad considering I only read eight books total this month.

Here's this month's books and where they came from, everything is linked to goodreads so you can add it to your to be read list. There is one old review I put up this month because I was reading the sequel so that wont appear on the list, and some reviews are forthcoming:

1. Bleeding Violet by Dia Reeves (off my book shelf, bought from Barnes and Nobles with a gift card the week after Christmas)

2. Secret Society by Tom Dolby (off my book shelf, got it at an SCLA meeting last November)

3. Click by Nick Hornby, et al. (from the library, I just thought the concept was so cool I had to read it)

4. A Northern Light by Jennifer Donnelly (from the library, Printz Honor book, so part of my challenge)

5. The Season by Sarah MacLean (off my shelf, brought for me from an SCLA meeting by one of the lovely library ladies I work with)

6. Revolver by Marcus Sedgwick (from the library, one of this years Prints Honor Books)

7. Vixen by Jillian Larkin (off my shelf, an arc given to me last year by one of the lovely library ladies I work with)

8. The Vespertine by Saundra Mitchell (e-book from Netgalley books, for review)

Book Blogger Hop

2011-02-25T09:34:00.000-08:00

I saw this a few months ago and I've been meaning to participate for a while now and today I finally remembered on the right day of the week. The Book Blogger Hop is a way for bloggers to connect with each other. It's hosted by Crazy For Books and every week there is a different question to answer. You can look around and see how other bloggers answered. It's a weekly even but you don't have to participate every week.

This weeks question is:

"Do you ever wish you would have named your blog something different?"

No, definitely not. I played around with a bunch of different names when I first started. Then I remembered this junk shop near a pizza place by my college called Cosmic Debris. Every once in a while I would go in and look around and find the most random collection of awesome, the kind of stuff that you know someone totally forgot they owned and you can't imagine them getting rid of it.

When I first started my blog I kind of felt like my brain was cluttered with junk. I read like crazy and sometimes I would just forget what I had read or remember a piece of a plot but not what book it was from. It would drive me nuts. Then I started the blog and it was a place to collect and organize all the debris which was awesome and helpful.

Revolver by Marcus Sedgwick

2011-02-23T15:37:00.000-08:00

This was another one of this years Printz Honor books, so it's another check off on my list. It also fits into the YA historical fiction challenge that I am participating in on Goodreads.

Sig finds his father frozen to death on the ice. The same day while his sister and step mother go for help a man he's met before as a child that he has no memory of appears in their cabin in Giron. Gunther Wolff claims to have been Einar's business partner and that he and Wolff were cheating prospectors and that Sig and his family ran off with Wolff's half. Sig must figure out what the truth is and whether he should get his father's revolver and try and get out. The story alternates between Sig and Wolff and what really happened ten years ago between Einar and Wolff.

This story felt like it was all about the mood. The tension just built and built as Sig tried to figure out how to escape, what he should do and what could possibly have happened ten years ago. I felt like I was on the edge of my seat wondering what Sig would do. I really liked how the Sig chose to handle the situation in the end. He was true to himself by finding a mid ground between his mother and father and their feelings on the revolver.

I also thought that learning about how Einar and the family survived in Nome in 1900 was interesting. I also liked the quotes between sections; they were interesting and gave both an interesting idea of how the colt revolver has been perceived and a few other interesting elements of the story. I also liked the very ending of the story, which I wont discuss to avoid spoilers. I felt like it gave an interesting sense of realism to the story.

The Season by Sarah MacLean

2011-02-21T12:48:00.000-08:00

Alexandra and her two best friends Ella and Vivi are beginning their first London season. None of the girls are entirely behind this whole meat market arranged marriage type thing. Alexandra is the most uncomfortable with it going so far as to stating she will never be married. Then she starts looking at her brother's friend Gavin,who just became Lord Blackmoor upon his father's untimely death in a whole new light.

This was a cute, light fluffy little read which was really nice during what is becoming a very stressful time in my life. This book really reminds me of some of the Victoria Holt books I used to get from my mother sometimes, which also made it a very nostalgic read for me. Alexandra, her friends and her brother's are all extremely likable. I felt like I could imagine living a big family and having my siblings be wonderful, drive me nuts and then be wonderful again. Some of my favorite parts were Alexandra with her brothers, Blackmoor and other childhood friends. It just felt very comfortable and reminded me of hanging out with my friends.

I think the mystery is what keeps this book from going too light and fluffy. There is a mystery regarding death of the elder Lord Blackmoor and how it intersects with Napolean's attempts at conquering Europe. I had lots of guesses as to who it could be and while I wasn't entirely surprised by the reveal I still really enjoyed the book.

I also want to mention that I was super excited about a reference to novels published by "A Lady". It was an awesome historically accurate reference to Jane Austen that made me smile.

A Northern Light by Jennifer Donnelly

2011-02-19T08:55:00.000-08:00

This is another former Printz book. I'm slowly working my way through them and it's making me super excited. So far this year I have been pretty good at sticking to my goals.

Mattie has big dreams. She wants to go to college and become a writer, but when her mother was dying she made a promise to stay and raise her sisters. Mattie lives a hard life as the daughter of a farmer, and her relationship with her father has become more and more strained. She takes a job at the Glenmore Hotel to help earn money, and a guest Grace Brown dies. Grace gave Mattie her letters to burn and now Mattie again finds herself caught between a promise and what she thinks she should do.

This novel was amazing. It was heartbreaking and moving and lovely. Mattie's voice is very true and I really felt tangled up in her emotions. You can really feel how torn she is between staying and taking care of her family and leaving to go to school. I also thought her infatuation with Royal Loomis was pretty accurate for how teens can get sometimes. It's the kind of relationship you see from the sidelines and in your head your going "noooooo, not him, he's a jerk." He isn't really awful I suppose, more like a product of his circumstance and times but you just know he isn't going to let her be herself.

The details in this book are phenomenal. Everything feels historically accurate and the nothing here is hidden or cleaned up. The horrors of child birth, starvation, people's cruelty and hatred are all shown in minute detail. There is an honesty to the writing that I think everyone should appreciate.

The characters in this book were just phenomenal. I loved Ms. Wilcox, Weaver, and I really liked learning about her father and how his relationship with her mother and his brother were formed. Honestly there is almost too much to talk about with this book. I could really go on and on about all the thinks I liked, but really you should just go read it.

Jane Bites Back by Michael Thomas Ford

2011-02-17T12:25:00.000-08:00

I just got the sequel to this today through inter library loan and I figured since after I read it I will post a review it might be good to look at my previous review and post it as a refresher of the first book.

This is by far one of the silliest, funniest, most enjoyable books I have read in a while. Jane Austen is alive and well living as a vampire in upstate New York. She owns a book store and has finally succeeeded in getting her last book published (all it took was 200 years).

This book is totally over the top in everyway. Many things happen that are just a little too convenient and there is some triteness, but honestly it is just so rediculously funny that it is totally worth it. The reader can expect cameos from Lord Byron and Charlotte Bronte and the biggest and best laughs of the book come from Charlotte's jealousy of Jane's success. This is not for you if you expect any kind of depth of character or a serious plot. It is a quick read that is good for a laugh and is highly enjoyable. I can't wait for the sequel.

Click

2011-02-16T11:37:00.000-08:00

Maggie and Jason's grandfather Gee, a famous photographer passes away. He leaves them each a legacy, a box of sea shells for Maggie and an envelope of signed photos of famous sports stars for Jason. The box and the photos lead Jason and Maggie on adventures and to grow into their own. They also lead to learning more about Gee.

Each of the chapters in this book is written by a different author. At first I was frustrated with it. The jump to the story in the second chapter threw me off, I couldn't figure out where it was going (I think that some of the chapters should have been ordered a little bit differently, it would have made it a little bit smoother). And an age inconsistency between the first and third chapter really annoyed me.

However, all of the stories, inconsistencies and all are beautiful pieces. Each author uses their own style to evoke beauty and emotion. There are stories about when and where the pictures were taken, how the shells were collected and the box made; in addition to stories following Maggie and Jason into adult hood and old age.

Overall I really enjoyed the book but I think that it takes a little while to get into because of all the different styles of writing and the jumpiness felt in the first few stories.

Secret Society by Tom Dolby

2011-02-12T11:39:00.000-08:00

I hate it when you spend all this time working on a review and then the internet decides it hates you and you lose everything. (Although I am going to keep telling myself that this review is better then my original.)

The Society follows four students from Chadwick Prep, Pheobe, Lauren, Nick and Patch. Phoebe, Laren and Nick are all invited to join the Society, a secret society in New York City that only the fifteen elite are invited to each year. At first the Society seems innocent enough but as time passes things become more and more sinister.

The book opens with a death and then moves back to the beginning of the teens initiation in the society. I was dying to know who had died and I have to tell you, it was not at all who I expected. The pace of the book moves quickly as narration jumps back and forth between each of the four teens. Each of the characters has their own distinct voice even when they sometimes share the same feelings as Lauren and Phoebe sometimes seem to.

My only complaint about the book is that we never really find out much about the Society itself. We just get a few generalities but nothing concrete. I wanted to know more about how the Society worked, especially since it was implied that this beginning was supposed to be the easy part where the initiates were supposed to simply be reaping benefits before the real work began. It sounds like there are even more sinister things going on and this beginning part was fairly sinister. There were also some unanswered questions regarding Patch and his family that are bugging me a little bit. I have heard that the author is writing a sequel and I am hoping that these questions will be answered there.

(Since I wrote this I found out that the sequel came out this month and it's called the Trust. In an effort to keep my checking things out of the library under control I am not requesting it until I return the two library books that I have out.)

Outside In by Maria V. Snyder

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

At the start of this volume of the Inside Out series, the rebellion is over and the committee has been reformed to help govern inside. Trella is trying to quietly step into the background and allow the committee to do it's job. Unfortunately, the committee isn't quite working out the way it was planned and there is unrest among everyone which gives Outsiders a foot hold in.

In the first book the revolution comes about quickly and with minimal blood shed. I was really glad that in this book the transfer to a new government wasn't smoothed over. I was afraid that it was going to be a book where after the rebellion everything was going to be perfect until the Outsiders came. I was very happy to that author showed how hard it was to bring everyone together and to find a good way to govern inside.

The pacing of the book is quick with action on almost every page. There is one incident after another and it seems impossible to figure out who is doing what. If I hadn't known about the Outsiders from the goodreads blurb, I don't think I would have figured it out.

Trella's temprement adds to the action because she often doesn't stop and think about things but just continues to do what she deems is necessary. Trella is a character that I have grown to love and I really enjoyed reading about her development. She could see the problems caused by the committee and slowly came to the realization that her involvement was important because she was able to help bridge the gap between Uppers and Lowers, both because of who she was and how she saw things.

There are two things that I really wished I had gotten to see though. I would have loved to have gotten some more of the history of Inside when Logan found it and I would have liked to have followed Riley a little bit. I'm not going to explain why because I don't want to give away any spoilers but it would have been interesting to see things from his perspective. However these are really minor issues for me and overall I really enjoyed the read.

(The version I read was ebook provided to me by netgalley for review)

It's Monday What Are You Reading?

2011-02-07T08:53:00.000-08:00

This meme is hosted by Shiela at One Person's Journey Through a World of Books. The point is basically to share what you've reading, what you're reading and what you think you're going to read.

Read This Week:
Outside In by Maria V. Snyder
Bleeding Violet by Dia Reeves
Secret Society by Tom Dolby
Click by Nick Hornby
A Northern Light by Jennifer Donnelly

Currently Reading:
The Season by Sarah MacLean

To Be Read:
Revolver by Marcus Sedgwick
Vixen by Jillian Larkin

The big move is on Sunday and most of my books are already packed. I did leave myself a few things out thought. I also got behind posting reviews because of the packing so pretty much every review except one is forth coming. (I was only able to read so much because I haven't been able to sleep at night, but that's a whole other story.)

It's my fiances birthday today and I'm trying to throw him a party. Fortunately we have fabulous friends who have pretty much done all the work for me. He's having a rough week so I wanted to do something nice for him. Unfortunately UPS has informed me his present wont arrive til Wednesday (he's a tech geek so I got him an irregular IQ cube (like a rubix cube but not square) and a Universal Gadget wrist charger) and I packed a lot of my baking things already so no bacon cupcakes like I thought. I can't wait til we are in our new apartment and everything is settled down....

Bleeding Violet by Dia Reeves

2011-02-05T08:09:00.000-08:00

This book was not what I expected at all. I had read a lot of reviews about it on some blogs I followed and it sounded so interesting but I was totally caught off guard, in a good way.

Hanna's father passed away and she has been living with an aunt. After a big blow out with her aunt, Hanna hitchhikes to Portero, Texas where Rosalee, the mother who abandonned her lives. When Hanna arrives in Portero she finds a hostile town riddled with monster where outsiders are unwelcome. Hanna strikes a bargain with Rosalee, if she can fit in, she can stay.

This book is exactly the kind of character driven work I like Hanna is an interesting protagonist to say the least. She's diagnosed as a manic depressive and she does have some bouts of depression in the book, I found myself wondering if her hallucinations were really hallucinations or a manifestation of her relation to Rosalee and the town of Portero. Especially since these hallucinations allowed her to do things many of the locals couldn't even do. I also loved that Hanna was half white, half black and she owned it. It wasn't a major issue but it was acknowledged and refered to when appropriate. She was also dating a hispanic local, and while Hanna was not loved by his family, her race had nothing to do with it.

The town of Portero was a character into and of itself. It was ominous and hostile and sometimes it was just plain weird. A lot of the time it felt like the town was it's own entity.

The whole book is strange and weird. It's also very violent and graphic, so if that kind of thing bothers you it's best to steer clear. Normally this isn't the kind of thing I comment on but with all the other strangeness in the book it just felt like it was worth mentioning.

Out for Blood by Alyxandra Harvey

2011-02-03T13:11:00.000-08:00

The third volume of the Drake Chronicles revolves around Quinn, another Drake brother and Hunter Wild a student at the Helios Ra High School. Because of her friendship with the Kieran Black she is invited to Helena's coronation and so she begins her involvement with the Drakes.

This book made me the happiest by far, because not only do we get to see the start of another relationship, we also get a close look at the inner workings of Helios Ra and got to do a little bit of catch up with Kieran and Solange, and Lucy and Nick; which is what I was missing from the last Drake Chronicles book. (Although we didn't hear as much from Logan and Isabeau, I wonder if that's a trend, each Drake couple gets a book of privacy?)

There was a ton of mystery and twists and turns in this book and the ending definitely implied that there is more to come because not every issue was resolved, so I am hoping that we will get another book soonish, because I can't wait to see what happens to the Drake family next or to learn more about their world.

The Blue Sword by Robin McKinley

2011-02-02T15:44:00.000-08:00

Harry's father dies and she is sent to Daria. Once in Daria she begins to love the country although she does find herself a bit bored. Then she is abducted by the local king and grows to become a strong commander and legend among his people in her own right.

I finished this book last night and it was completely amazing. This is another book that I wasn't sure what to think about because I had heard that a lot of people weren't happy when it was awarded the Newberry and I think that's because it's high fantasy which doesn't appeal to everyone but I still think people should give it a chance.

The world building in this book was just amazing. From the depictions of the dry, windy desert of Damaria, to the stark differences between the Homelanders' very proper and polite society to Corlath's people's more equal and almost Arabian society, and the haunting descriptions of the evil northerners and their demonic mounts I just felt like I could picture everything that was going on, and imagine it as a place I might want to visit someday.

Reading about how Harry grows from someone who considers herself a misfit for being a bright girl who likes to keep busy to a both physically and mentally strong young woman but becomes a leader in her own right. She is willing to risk anything and everything to do what she thinks is right. Many of the minor characters are fully fleshed out as well, with both Harry's horse and a cat that adopts her having very strong personalities even though they aren't anthropomorphized in any way.

January in Review

2011-02-01T10:26:00.000-08:00

January has been kicking my butt so far this year on a personal level, especially these last two weeks, so I'm hoping that February will mellow out a little. I've started packing (moving in two weeks, yay), been sick, had various car issues with multiple cars (it's giving me a complex) and all this snow has me wondering how exactly I'm going to get my furniture out of my apartment.

Reading wise January has been a great month I think. So far this year I think I'm doing a pretty good job sticking to my goals and I'm super excited. I've read 20 books this month and half of them were from my book shelf. (Last year I read 10 books off my bookshelf for the entire year so this is hopefully on it's way to a huge improvement, since it's the end of January and I've already gotten that.)

I've also read one book so far for the YA historical fiction challenge and one book for my self mandated Printz Award challenge.

Here's a list of what I've read this month and where it came from, everything is linked to goodreads so you can add it to your to be read shelf. Some of the reviews are forthcoming and some I wont post because they are from before I decided to get back on track with my blog. I am hoping that this year I wont get overwhelmed by summer reading and stop posting in June, if so it might be time to stop:

1. Birds of Prey Vol. 12: Platinum Flats by Tony Bedard (library book)
2.Changeless (The Parasol Protectorate 2) by Gail Cariger (library book, recommended by my boss)
3. Blameless (The Parasol Protectorate 3) by Gail Cariger (library book, recommended by my boss)
4. Discord's Apple by Carrie Vaughn (library book, Read a review on Steph Su Reads and decided I needed to read it)
5. Heat Wave by Richard Castle (audiobook, library, watch the show so I wanted to see how the book was)
6. The Stolen One by Suzanne Crowley (off my shelf, think I got this from someone at work)
7. Red Spikes by Margo Lanagan (off my shelf, I think I also got this from someone at work)
8. Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan (off my shelf, my director brought this back for me from ALA last year, I should not have waited so long to read it)
9. Dream Life by Lauren Mechling (off my shelf, another mysterious one from work)
10. Please Ignore Vera Dietz by A.S. King (off my shelf, got at an SCLA training in November)
11. Just Ella by Margaret Peterson Haddix (off my shelf, bought at library book sale last year)
12. The Mermaid's Madness (Princess #2) by Jim C. Hines (off my shelf, bought at Barnes and Noble don't want to admit to how long I let this languish on the shelf)
13. Devoured by Amanda Marrone (off my shelf, got at an SCLA training in November)
14. Insatiable by Meg Cabot (library book)
15. Inside Out by Maria V. Snyder (library book)
16. Honest Illusions by Nora Roberts (off the shelf, bought at the Strand last April)
17. Julie and Julia: My Year of Cooking Dangerously by Julie Powell(off the shelf, bought while the movie was still in theaters...)
18. The Blue Sword by Robin McKinley (off the shelf, bought at library book sale)
19. Out for Blood by Alexyndra Harvey (library book)
20. Outside In by Maria V. Snyder (e-book from netgalley books, for review)

Julie & Julia: My Year of Cooking Dangerously by Julie Powell

2011-01-30T12:39:00.000-08:00

I wasn't really sure how I was going to feel about this book. Other reviews I read seemed to be split down the middle, either they loved it or hated it. And the movie probably didn't help any. Julie was portrayed in a less then flattering light in the movie as inconsiderate and annoying. After reading the book I can honestly say that she is actually pretty inconsiderate particularly of her husband and she is also extremely whiney, but somehow I did find it less irritating in print. Although I did wonder if after she saw it in print maybe she started treating Eric a little bit better or at least bought him something nice with her royalties.

However when she talks about the food it's great. Shopping for the food, making the food and eating the food all sound great. She's very descriptive about the whole process and it all sounds great. I just wish there was more of it, and sometimes she will interrupt herself with another story about food or something else and it kind of takes you a minute to get back on track.

Her intermitent vignetes about Julia and Paul were okay. I actually think she may have been better of trying to get excerpts from Julia's biography or someone else's writings because after reading Julia's biography I felt like it didn't ring true.

Honest Illusions by Nora Roberts

2011-01-26T12:39:00.000-08:00

Luke is just a kid when he runs away from a home where he is regularly beaten by his stepfather. At a traveling carnival he meets Max a master magician who takes him in and raises him with her daughter, bringing him into all the family businesses (not only are they master magicians, they are also thieves.) Max's daughter Roxy grows up with Luke and over time they fall in love. Then their past catches up with them and they are separated for years.

I liked watching Luke and Roxy grow up, but this is another one that I had a hard time getting into. Nora Roberts books tend to be on the lighter side and sometimes I just feel like I need to be in the mood for them and right now I guess I'm just not.

You get to see Luke and Roxy from the point of view of so many different characters. I really liked the whole family. It was interesting to see how they related magic and thievery and some of this reminded me of a girly Ocean's 11, 12 and 13. Sometimes I wasn't a big fan of Roxy. I understand that she didn't know there were good explanations for things that Luke did but come on, give a guy a chance.

Inside Out by Maria V. Snyder

2011-01-25T18:12:00.000-08:00

At first I couldn't get into this book, I'm not entirely sure why. I think it might be because in the beginning Trella is not the most endearing character. Trella is a scrub, a lower level worker known as "The Queen of the Pipes". She is standoffish and doesn't have many friends (okay she has one friend) because she prefers solitude which is difficult to get among the thousands of Scrubs she is forced to live with in dorms. But once you see Trella really interact with Cog and she accidentally begins the rebellion, she softens a lot and I really started to like her. I also really loved how everyone came together to help her, so often in a book like this I feel like someone always betrays in a mean spirited way. Yes there was some betrayal but most of it was under duress.

There were also a lot of really great surprises in this book that made it an even better read (I'm going to be as general as possible so I don't give anything away). Particularly how Trella met her mother. I always knew that she would eventually meet one of her parents but I wasn't expecting it to come about the way it did. I also really liked getting more specifics about Inside and how it actually worked.

There was so much I going on in this book that we didn't get to know a lot of characters besides Trella, Cog and sort of getting to know Riley. (Although I loved Sheepy and I thought it was a great way of developing Riley and Trella's relationship.) The book was self contained and doesn't need a sequel but since there is one coming out I am hoping we get to know some of the other characters better like Logan and Anne Jade.

It's Monday What Are You Reading?

2011-01-24T16:42:00.000-08:00

This meme is hosted by Shiela at One Person's Journey Through a World of Books. The point is basically to share what you've reading, what you're reading and what you think you're going to read.

Read This Week:

The Mermaid's Madness by Jim C. Hines

Just Ella by Margaret Peterson Haddix

Devoured by Amanda Marrone

Insatiable by Meg Cabot

Inside Out by Maria V. Snyder (Review Forthcoming)

Currently Reading:

Honest Illusions by Nora Roberts

Jekel Loves Hyde by Beth Fantaskey (on audio book)

To Be Read:

Julie & Julia by Julie Powell

The Blue Sword by Robin McKinley

Out for Blood by Alyxandra Harvey

Outside In by Maria V. Snyder

I'm still trying to read off my book shelf, and I think I did pretty good this week. The first three titles were mine and the second two were library books. Insatiable I had taken out for a friend and when she gave it back she recommended I read it. Inside Out got the e-book copy of the sequel from Netgalley so I wanted to read the first so I wouldn't be confused. What are you reading this week?

Insatiable by Meg Cabot

2011-01-24T12:43:00.000-08:00

Okay so it wasn't until I was like a quarter of the way through the book that I realized that this is JUST LIKE TRUE BLOOD. Mind reader meets vampire and they fall in love. Well Meena can't read minds, just tell you when you're going to die. She works for a soap opera as a dialogue writer and she's having a very bad week. She was passed over for a promotion and the prince of darkness is in love with her and she with him, wreaking all kinds of havok in her life.

Short chapters usually mean that pacing will be quick but honestly this book just felt like it dragged a little bit. I may have liked it better if it had been a little bit pared down. It felt like it took way too long for Meena and Lucien to meet and then it took way too long for them to find out each others secrets.

The characters were mostly all likable (except for Meena's brother Jon he was kind of a pain in the butt and I frequently found myself wanting to strangle him.) There were also some minor characters I would have liked to have gotten to know a little bit better. But it was mostly fun and I laughed a lot because of how over the top things got (Is everyone I know a vampire?) I also really like Lucien and Meena. Meena isn't passive about her powers, she makes it a point to try and help people once she has seen their future, even if (Although sometimes Meena spent a little too much time going on about things...this would have been a good thing to pare down, I'm just sayin'.) Alaric Wulf was sometimes likable and other times I just loathed him. He ran the gamut from complete jerk to kind. I find myself wondering if there is going to be sequel because it was left very open, particularly in the love triangle department.

There was one thing I was a little bit confused about(I'm going to try and be vauge cause I don't want to cause a spoiler). Knowing who Lucien is descended from and due to several brief mentions of a great grandmother named Wilhemina Harker I find myself wondering if all of these characters are supposed to be direct descendents of the characters from their Dracula counterparts or if the writer was just doing an homage.

Devoured by Amanda Marrone

2011-01-23T15:45:00.000-08:00

I couldn't sleep last night so I decided to start reading this book and it's a good thing I couldn't sleep because I didn't want to put it down. This book is actually a modern day continuation of the Snow White tale that takes place many generations after the original. I never would have figured out based on the description although after the fact I do see some hints on the cover.

Megan has had a difficult life, when she was 8 she was in a car accident with her twin sister Remy and her father. Remy died and her father is in a coma and ten years later Megan is still seeing Remy's ghost, and lately she's getting more and more violent and Remy's visits are getting harder and harder to stop/ignore. To add to Megan's issues she also gets a job at The Land of Enchantment, a local fairy tale themed amusement park to keep an eye on her boyfriend Ryan and his best friend (who has professed her undying love to him) Sammy. Megan's first day at the park she meets Luke, who can also see Remy and hopefully help Megan help Remy to move on.

There is a lot going on in this book and the frenetic pace can make it difficult to keep up at times (especially at the end) but it is well worth the read. I kept reading because I wanted to know what happened next. I really liked how the author wove the different elements of Snow White into the story. The description of the book sounds so much like a paranormal romance love triangle type thing, but really it's more of a murder mystery and I think that is what really keeps the plot going. Now I'm kind of torn because I want to go further into why I like the book but I don't want to give anything away.

The Mermaid's Madness (Princess Novels # 2) by Jim C. Hines

2011-01-21T09:22:00.000-08:00

I realized yesterday that somehow I forgot to post this to the blog so I thought I should get it up here quickly since I love this series and am hoping that it doesn't end with just the three books that are out now.
Lirea the undine (mermaid) princess has gone mad. She is attacking everyone, undine and human alike and breaking treaties that have stood for years. At an annual ceremony she attacks Queen Beatrice and traps her soul in a knife. The Princesses (Cinderella, Snow White and Sleeping Beauty) go on a high seas adventure to try and get the knife, save Beatrice and help the undine princess.

This was just as good if not better then the previous Princess book. Through out the book we once again get details regarding the "real stories" of the lives of all of the princesses and get to meet some new, interesting characters.This book is delves more deeply into the feelings and pasts of each of the princesses, especially Snow White's relationship with her mother and Talia's coming to the castle and feelings regarding Snow White.

The Mermaid's story is made darker as well with evil witch being her grandmother who is pursuing a very different agenda reminiscent of a mad scientists experiments reminiscint of Josef Mengala's. The book is fun but maintains an aura of darkness that keeps it from getting to silly. This is a great book about a sisterhood of women who are tough and smart. Hopefully the series maintains its drive.

Also I love the covers for these. The girls look the way they are described and you can figure out who is who which I really appreciate, and you can clearly see their personalities in the way they are drawn which I think is awesome. When I read the first one I had a lot of fun figuring out who was who.

Just Ella by Margaret Peterson Haddix

2011-01-19T08:55:00.000-08:00

Cinderella has left her Stepmothers house to give live in the castle until the wedding and she's having trouble fitting it. She also never gets to speak to the Prince alone so she's having trouble connecting with him. The only people she's getting along with are her tutor Jed and Mary a servant. At the castle women are considered too delicate for everything, and for a girl like Cinderella who took her fate into her hands it's just against her nature.

I really wanted to like this. I love tales that are based on or twist fairy tales and Margaret Peterson Haddix is such a prolific teen author, but alot of the time I just felt frustrated when I read it. To me a lot of the characters felt like one demensional stereotypes, like they were never fully fleshed out. None of the characters ever did anything surprising, I could figure out what was going to happen based on their archetype.

***Spoiler***
I was also a little bothered by the ending. If Jed continues working for the Charmings, how are him and Ella supposed to end up together. I understand that it's important to stop the war; and a big part of the theme of the book was taking responsibility and doing something to change your situation not just being impassive but if felt like the author was setting up an impossible road block for them.
***End Spoiler***

However it wasn't all bad, I did like the way the Charmings chose to handle Cinderella's disapearance. I thought it was funny and I do hope that everyone involved got what they deserve out of the relationship.

Please Ignore Vera Dietz by A.S. King

2011-01-18T11:43:00.000-08:00

Last week the Printz Award winners were announced and Please Ignore Vera Dietz was one of the honor books. Last year I decided that since the Printz award is the teen award as a teen librarian I need to make sure that not only do I know who the award winners are and have read all of the books. Last year I managed to read all of 2010's winners and honor books and three previous award/honor books. (I have read more then that total but I want to read and review all of them so I have them on my goodreads and can call them up when I need to.) So here is my first Printz review of the year.

I love A.S. King, she is becoming one of my favorite authors. Vera's best friend Charlie died and she isn't really dealing. She is just trying to keep going with her life, good grades in school and her full time job delivering pizza. But Charlie knows that she can clear his name so he keeps trying to influence Vera into telling the truth.

The story alternates between Vera in the present, Vera and Charlie's history, Charlie in death, Vera's dad and the Pagoda, a structure built in t...moreI love A.S. King, she is becoming one of my favorite authors. Vera's best friend Charlie died and she isn't really dealing. She is just trying to keep going with her life, good grades in school and her full time job delivering pizza. But Charlie knows that she can clear his name so he keeps trying to influence Vera into telling the truth.

The story alternates between Vera in the present, Vera and Charlie's history, Charlie in death, Vera's dad and the Pagoda, a structure built in town that kind of presides over everything. Charlie and Vera both had difficult home lives for different reasons. I loved getting all the different points of view of the story. I liked being able to find out how Vera's dad felt about what was going on, what happened in the past and his wife Sindy. I also liked learning Charlie's thoughts on what you learn upon your death. The Pagoda also provided a few laughs in a fairly dark book. I love the language the author uses to describe everyone's feelings and thoughts, it just sounds so appealing. I also really liked Vera and her dad, it was nice to watch them become stronger and learn to pay attention to each other, themselves and others.

It's so easy to love King's characters. I loved Vera's quiet strength and she honestly sounded like a cute kid. She was so responsible but by being so responsible she was kind of missing out on the point of being in high school. I also really felt for Charlie. He had a very difficult life and did what he thought he needed to do to survive and protect Vera. But he allowed many people to manipulate him, from the man in the white car, to Jenny Flick, and to his father. Between Vera and Charlie I think that readers can easily find someone to relate to.

***Spoiler***
My only complaint is a little bit spoilery. We never find out what is in the envelope. We get Charlies notes on the napkin to Vera and we get an inkling of what's on the cd/dvd, but I never really figured out what it was that Charlie thought Vera could never forgive him for. I have a guess as to what it might have been but some confirmation would have been nice (I'm a little slow on the pick up sometimes.) Because what I thought it was I don't think is something that could really be blamed on Charlie so there is no reason for him not to be forgiven. Of course I read an arc and there is a chance that this part of the book was changed.
***Spoiler Ends***

It was a great read and I'm glad this won a Printz Honor book. While it was dark it also had an uplifting ending

Dream Life by Laura Mechling

2011-01-17T15:32:00.000-08:00

Claire is just as quirky as ever but at the end I found myself not liking her as much. Claire still has the black and white dreams that draw attention to her future, but Becca seems to be growing apart from her and Andy seems to be avoiding her so she feels left out. In her efforts to deal with her issues, she ends up not talking to practically any of her friends. Then she gets let in on Becca's big secret, and involved in a new mystery.

***Spoiler***
I didn't like that the cameo punished Claire for going out with Alex. Andy wasn't behaving well this book and she was extremely patient with him. She had every right to take someone else when he refused to go.

***Spoiler ends***

I also thought that Claire was being extremely naive not to realize that the Blue Moon's activities reflected well on the girls parents and were repayed with favors. The mystery was interesting and I was surprised when I found out who was really responsible for all the trouble. The dreams were a lot clearer and it was much easier to see how they fit into the bigger picture. I liked that Claire's powers did develop in the second story and she wasn't still stuck being frustrated.

It's Monday What Are You Reading?

2011-01-17T13:56:00.000-08:00

I haven't done one of these in a while and since I'm reading off of my bookshelf right now I thought it would be a good way to focus in on what I feel like reading. This meme is hosted by Shiela at One Person's Journey Through a World of Books. The point is basically to share what you've reading, what you're reading and what you think you're going to read.

Read This Week:

Red Spikes by Margo Lanagan

Will Grayson Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan

Dream Life by Lauren Mechling

Please Ignore Vera Dietz by A.S. King (Review Forthcoming)

Currently Reading:

The Mermaid's Madness by Jim C. Hines

Jekel Loves Hyde by Beth Fantaskey (on audio book)

To Be Read:

Just Ella by Margaret Peterson Haddix

Devoured by Amanda Marrone

Honest Illusions by Nora Roberts

As I've mentioned before I am moving in a month and if I want my friends to continue to like me I need to trim my book shelves down a little bit. Which is why everything I'm reading now is coming off of my book shelf from home. So far so good. What have you been reading?

Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan

2011-01-16T11:29:00.000-08:00

I really loved Will Grayson, Will Grayson. It made me laugh and it made me cry (God, I'm such a sap). This book is all about the characters and lately I've finally noticed that I really love character driven novels more then anything. Two young men named Will Grayson meet on a street in Chicago one night. You follow both characters as they try to figure out love and friendship. The Will Grayson's are alike in that they allow life to happen to them rather then being involved; however that changes for each of them over the course of the novel.

I feel like I have to comment on Tiny Cooper because everyone either loves him or hates, and he seems to be a big part of a lot of the reviews I have read. Tiny is an interesting character and a lot of fun, but truthfully the novel isn't about him and what really made this novel great for me was learning about the innerworkings of the two Will Grayson's watching them grow and develop, and start to take part in their own lives. Tiny was a good counterpoint for the two boys and provided a lot of the books humor, but at the end of the book it was the two Will Grayson's growth that really made me enjoy the book.

Red Spikes by Margo Lanagan

2011-01-13T11:05:00.000-08:00

I really really wanted to like these short stories but I just couldn't get into it. I love Margo Lanagan's writing, I think it's absolutely beautiful, and the language in these stories is absolutely gorgeous. One of my favorite things about Margo Lanagan's writing has always been her ability to really set a mood in a story, and these stories evoke many different moods from the down right disturbing to a sense of satisfaction. Unfortunately all of the stories felt unfinished to me. Each tale felt like an excerpt from a larger tale that I (mostly) wanted to hear the rest of. This left me feeling frustrated and unsatisfied as a reader.

I read an arc that I got from work and at the end of the arc there was a two page note from the author dealing with where the inspiration for each story. I hope that made it into the final copy because I thought that was really interesting. The stories I liked the best were Baby Jane; A Feather in the Breast of God; Under Hell, Over Heaven; Forever Upward, and Daughter of the Clay. Unfortunately, these all left me feeling the most frustrated as well. It just felt like I was missing out on getting to know characters, endings and even beginnings.

The Stolen One by Suzanne Crowley

2011-01-12T11:30:00.000-08:00

Kat has no idea who she is. All she knows is that Grace has raised her along with her own daughter Anna. When Grace dies Kat leaves everything behind and goes to London to try and find out her past.

****Spoiler****
It's an interesting take on what could have happened to Katherine Parr's daughter. However this mystery was really only a small aspect of what made the novel interesting for me.
****Spoiler****

In the beginning I was afraid it would be full of back stabbing and cruelty but while it is a sad story and some of the sadness is brought on by people's cruelty it isn't all because of the things people do to each other, a lot of it is just brought on by situations, particularly people's stations in life.

The author beautifully captures just how both the low born and the high born have very little say in their lives. It's interesting to see how Kat's life, which in many ways changes drastically when she becomes one of Elizabeth's ladies in waiting, doesn't really chane at all when it comes to her personal freedoms. She still has no say in who she marries, she still must do as she is told.

I really wish we had found out what Rafael came home for and whether he really just wanted Kat or whether his desires were more sinister then that.

The discriptions of clothing are gorgeous and I can imagine the beautiful embroidery that Kat does. I loved that the dress she embroidered for Queen Elizabeth, it sounded like such a beautiful piece. The description of the piece helped set the tone and mood of the story for me.

Discord's Apple by Carrie Vaughn

2011-01-11T12:01:00.000-08:00

This book brought together several genres that I didn't necessarily think would come together nicely. The world is ending, every country is at war with each other but Evie is more concerned with going home to see her father who is dying. Once she arrives she starts learning about the store room in her father's house. It's filled with magical items from every world mythology and fairy tale. It is now Evie's turn to become the caretaker. Meanwhile Hera is trying to take advantage and get Discord's apple so that she can use the world's strife to make the world the way she wants it. Weaved into this story there are short tales of how Evie's family acquired some of the items in the store room and Alex's story. Alex has been alive since the Trojan war and the reader learns how he became immortal and what his time was like after the war. There is also another story being told. Evie is a graphic novel writer and you also get the story that she is writing about a military team.

All of the stories, including the stories within the stories are beautifully written. Normally I'm not a big fan of the story within a story because it can be difficult to keep them straight but it was always very clear which story was being told. The world building in this book is wonderful and I really loved all of the characters. I felt invested in how things were going to end with them. My favorite character was probably Alex, at first his story annoyed me because I wanted to know what was going on with Evie. However as she got more and more wrapped up in her sadness and panic about dealing with the store room his story became the more interesting one. I was especially intrigued by his meeting with Oddyseus after forty years. I also liked the fact that Alex was tied to the storerooms beginnings, and I liked how parts of the end were tied to Evie's graphic novel and the beginning of the Trojan war (won't explain how cause that would be a big spoiler).

The part where the world actually ends is skipped. I appreciated that because it would have made the book drag on too long, but I kind of wonder if it would be interesting to learn how Hera was able to reshape the world with the apple. I think it might have been a good topic for another book, except then Hera would have to be the heroine and I'm not sure that she is likable enough to be a main character.

Off the Shelf Reading Challenges

2011-01-08T12:27:00.000-08:00

So once again I find myself having to move and my fiance and I are realizing that we have a lot of stuff. So I have once again returned all my library books and I am once again trying to read off the shelves. I did a challenge like this one last year and I was only trying to read 30 books which was 10 more then the previous year and I bombed miserably. This year things have got to go, so I went looking for a challenge and found Book Ardour's Reading Challenges where she is hosting the Off the Shelf Challenge. You don't have to do anything with the books after you read them, the point of the challenge is just to read, but since I already have too much whatever I read that I am not head over heels in love with will get donated to my local library.

Since I am really trying to only read off my shelf for at least the next month and a half I am going to go for On a Role which is 50 books. (I know this seems silly what with last years fail, but I have four book cases worth of books and my friends are going to kill me if I don't do something about my problem, most likely sometime around loading it all into the moving truck.) Of course I'm moving in the middle of February and I don't see myself reading 50 books between now and then I figure with the added boost by reading as much off the shelf as possible now I can do 50 books by then but at least this big push in the beginning will be a good start.

1. The Stolen One by Suzanne Crowley

2. Red Spikes by Margo Lanagan

3. Will Grayson Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan

4. Dream Life by Lauren Mechling

5. Please Ignore Vera Dietz by A.S. King

6. Just Ella by Margaret Peterson Haddix

7. The Mermaid's Madness by Jim C. Hines
8. Devoured by Amanda Marrone

9. Honest Illusions by Nora Roberts

10. Julie & Julia: My Year of Cooking Dangerously by Julie Powell

11. The Blue Sword by Robin McKinley

12. Secret Society by Tom Dolby

13. The Season by Sarah MacLean

14. Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

Rose Sees Red by Cecil Castellucci

2011-01-06T15:17:00.000-08:00

What a phenomenal book. I absolutely loved it. Rose goes to the performing arts high school in Manhattan. Making this decision seperated her from her best friend Daisy (who wasn't really a good friend) and made her feel like having friends was too hard. So she has closed herself off, until the day two girls at school reach out to her and her next door neighbor comes in through her window. The book chronicles Yrena and Rose's night in the city.

But it's sooo much more then that. The book takes place during the Cold War and Yrena is from the Soviet Union. It really brings home how people from all over can be the same and yet so different. Both girls are ballerina's, the same age and living in the same city, yet they approach things with completely different attittude and points of view. There is a lot of great symbolism here and it's a book that has a story that will really make you think. The characters are interesting and with the current political state of the world I think teens today could really relate to this book.

Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins

2010-12-29T17:08:00.000-08:00

When I first read the reviews for this book I was surprised, mainly because the descriptions didn't sound that appealing to me yet everyone seemed to love it.

Now I've finished it and it turns out I love it too. The plot sounds like a cross between a paranormal book and one of those mean girls chicklit type books, but it's not really. Sophie has to go to a special school for paranormals because she can't seem to get a handle on her powers. Her roomate, the only vampire is accused of murder and Sophie isn't sure what's going on.

What really makes it stand out for me are the characters. I loved Sophia and Jenna, there was something about the two of them that was just so compelling. I wanted to learn more about them and enjoyed watching them learn and grow. I really want to learn more about Archer. There is a character that you just know that you want to know more about their story. I'm glad there is another one coming out although I wasn't entirely happy with where the ending of the last book left us, so I hope that changes. It just felt like Sophie was running away from her problems instead of trying to learn how to deal with them. (I understand that her decision is a difficult one, but that doesn't change that it is a form of running away.)

I Kissed a Zombie and I Liked It by Adam Selzer

2010-10-16T09:44:00.000-07:00

This book was an arc someone I work with got at some meeting or conference. No one seemed to really want to read it and it languished in our summer reading prize box. At the end of the summer we got to grab what we wanted and this made me think of my friend Jenn. She is the one I will go looking for when the zombie apocalypse happens and most likely she would be the reason I just might survive. She loves any and everything zombie. Naturally before I gave it to her I had to read it myself.

In Ally's world zombies, vampires and other paranormal creatures and critters are par for the course. Ally starts the novel and the snotty ice queen. She works on the school paper and her and her fellow journalists are known for her witty but cruel sarcastic commentary both at their lunch table and in the papers gossip column.

I actually really liked this book. I found it to be a more "realistic" Twilight story. (I use the term realistic very loosely I honestly just can't think of a better way to phrase it.) The "realistic" opinions and character development added a lot of humor to the story and made me really respect the author. Ally's first love ends up being a zombie. She goes through the typical responses of a girl in puppy love/lust, but she also realizes that this relationship has a short shelf life and she recognizes some of her mistakes along the way. The relationship changes Ally in a lot of ways, in ways that you would wish any teenager dating someone who's not quite right for her would. Sometimes funny, sometimes sad I thought it was a great take on a paranormal romance that hasn't really been seen yet.

Also worth checking out is the books official website. It's got a great soundtrack you can download for free and some other great extras, such as pamphlets and blog posts detailing where some of the inspiration came from. It's a quick read and I will admit to being sorry to have forked my arc over to my friend, but she loved it too, so it was worth it.

The Strange Case of Origami Yoda by Tom Angleberger

2010-10-07T15:38:00.000-07:00

What a great book for fourth to sixth graders. It totally accurately portrays what first young romance is like, and it does it in a fun and funny way. Dwight is the weird kid in class, but he folds phenomenal origami and gets straight A's but only in math. He folds an origami yoda and claims it gives advice/predicts the future. Tommy a sort of friend of Dwight's needs to know if Origami Yoga is real because he asked a very important question and need's to know. The book is his case file, an organized collection of everyone's experience's with Origami Yoda so he can scientifically decide whether or not Origami Yoda is real.

Part graphic novel, part case study, I really enjoyed the read. Also includes directions for how to make your own origami yoda.

Other by Karen Kincy

2010-10-06T10:22:00.000-07:00

Gwen is half-pooka in a small town where people don't really appreciate 'others'. She is forced to hide her secret from everyone except her parents and others like herself. Although she is thinking of coming out to her boyfriend. Then Others are being murdered and the police are turning a blind eye, so Gwen begins to search for clues before she becomes the next victim.

Gwen is a hugely likable character even if she is a little bit headstrong and her actions are sometimes unrealistic, to the point where I was becoming annoyed with it. I really liked Tavian too, although I would have liked to know a bit more about him and have had his character more fully developed. (Maybe the next book in the series could be told from his point of view.) Zach was annoying to me but most likely that is because his strong religious back ground. I am always irked by people who let their common sense be blinded by religious belief, even though in this case it lead to some major plot points. (I'm going to leave this ambiguous so that I don't spoil the story.)

I loved the different Others that existed in the story. I thought they were all really interesting and some of them were really unexpected. I particularly appreciated that the author selected mythological creatures from all over the world, and not just the standard vampires, werewolves and fairies.

There was a lot going on here in terms of plot, but it was all dealt with in a timely fashion. Nothing felt rushed or jammed in at the last second. As far as the mystery was concerned I felt like it was maybe a tiny bit predictable mainly because tolerance and lack of tolerance were such a big part of this story how could you not see this coming.

Fat Vampire: A Never Coming of Age Story by Adam Rex

2010-10-03T13:09:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I finished this book and I'm still not entirely sure how I know how I feel about it. It starts out as a funny read with a strong focus on nerdy/geeky humor. Doug is an overweight, geeky high school kid that gets turned into a vampire. He's into comics and computers and the book opens with him at Comic con in San Diego. Doug feels cheated regarding his transformation; he may be a vampire now but he's still an overweight nerd that no one really looks twice at. To make matters worse he's got vampire hunters chasing him for television ratings and his vampire mentor is kind of the pits.

The beginning of the book is extremely funny. It's very heavy on nerd/geek humor that maybe only a person that's really comfortable with their own nerdiness could appreciate (which I am), so I loved it. I couldn't stop laughing.

Then about three quarters of the way through the book, it suddenly gets super dark and serious. Friends are lost, personalities suddenly darken and the ending is extremely heavy. (I am leaving this ambiguous because I don't want to leave any spoilers.)

I will admit to really not liking the last page. It felt kind of unnecessary, like it should have already ended but the author was afraid that leaving it with such a dark ending would make readers unhappy.

I loved the beginning of the book and I liked the ending of the book. They were both very strong and definitely interesting. I'm just not sure I felt like they went together. The beginning and the end just didn't feel cohesive to me. However the since I did like everything I think it's still well worth the read.

Suzi Clue: The Prom Queen Curse by Michelle Kehm

2010-06-05T07:33:00.000-07:00

I just couldn't get into this one. I really wanted to enjoy it cause the cover was cute and the premise was adorable; plus a friend of mine read it and really seemed to enjoy it.

Suzie Clue is kind of an alternative type chick and doesn't really fit in at school. The BG's rule the school and all of the prom queen nominations come from their ranks. When someone starts harrassing prom queens and playing mean pranks, rumors of a prom queen curse start circling the school. Suzi loves mysteries so she decided to investigate.

But the whole thing felt forced and completely unrealistic. Adults would never let things go as far as they did in the book, both with Suzi's investigations and with the actual pranks played. Now adults would intervene and have handle things quickly.

If an unrealistic investigative process and the lack of adult interference wont bother you there are some important themes about being yourself and being compassionate worth exploring here. There is a lot to think about regarding some of the decisions Suzie makes; particularly regarding the culprit (I am trying not to give a spoiler here so forgive me for being vague.)

It's Monday What Are You Reading?

2010-05-31T14:03:00.000-07:00

Slaves to the Empowered: Volumes of Lagéyan Lore (Volume 1) by Jeremiah Cain

The library stuff just keeps coming. These are the last two library books (and a couple of graphic novels, but we shall see what happens with those). Slaves of the Empowered I have been waiting for since last Halloween. I requested it for my library after the author posted about his book to a group I belong to on goodreads and I can't wait to read it. Bloodhound I am reading for a challenge over at Tempting Persephone called Pursuing the Lioness. My original plan was to read the first books she wrote about Tortall the Lioness Quartet, but then I found the Beka Cooper series which even though they were written recently actually go back even further then the Lioness books so I started with them instead.

I did read less then usual this week, but I think that means I might actually be able to get up all my reviews this week. I will probably be posting my Suzie Clue review later tonight or tomorrow morning. I hope everyone had as much fun I did. What are you reading this week?

The Cinderella Society by Kay Cassidy

2010-05-28T11:13:00.000-07:00

Jess Parker has moved around from high school to high school and town to town her entire life. Now settled down in her mother's hometown for good she is having a hard time fitting in after having been an outsider for so long, until she is invited to join a secret society called The Cinderella Society. Now she is involved in a fued between the Cindy's and the Wicked's and she's not sure she isn't in over her head.

There is so much more going on in this book then meets the eye, and I don't just mean plot wise. This book is probably one of the greatest girl power, to thine own self be true type books I have ever read, without being preachy about it. I felt very girl power reading it and using a left over flyer from the local roller derby team, the Long Island Roller Rebels. The Cinderella Society is all about learning to be yourself, how to be comfortable in your own skin and knowing your strenghts and weaknesses. They call all this a makeover but truthfully I almost felt like it was misnamed because it's not about changing yourself but being your best you if that makes sense.

The Cindy's are all about balance and everyone getting their fair say, while thier counterparts, the Wickeds are all about gaining power over others. Evverything doesn't fall right into place once Jess enters the secret society; she continues to make mistakes and grow and spends a lot of time thinking about how to handle things when her opinions differ from the Cindy's. All in all I really enjoyed it and hate that I need to wait until next summer to find out what happens next. I do have one little gripe though; the author put a ton of pop culture references in the text such as current movies and music. While right now this isn't an issue, I think the book is good enough to stay popular for a long time, but the cultural references may date the book and turn kids off later. I hope I am wrong though cause it is a really great read.

Dark Life by Kat Falls

2010-05-25T12:33:00.000-07:00

Ty lives in an underwater colony that was formed after the earth started to fall apart. He meets a Gemma, a topsider searching for her brother and decided to help her. Ty is also dealing with his life and trying to be normal struggling against problems with the government and dealing with his own self.

I typed out this whole review and lost now I am retyping and I just know this one wont be as good, so I apologize in advance. Ty is an incredible character and was extremely likable and easy to relate too. His sister Zoe is also a great character and I kind of wish we saw more of her in the book. The way people live in the colony makes people grow up very quickly so Ty is extremely mature but like most teenagers still a little bit lost when it comes to figuring himself out, although his situation is probably a little bit stranger then most.

We don't get a lot of information about what living up above is like. Just little scraps here and there and most of it is extremely negative. However the descriptions of sea life, both animal and how the people in the colony live are just incredible. They sound amazing and gorgeous, and just incredibly smart.

Although this is not exactly the kind of dystopia we are used to seeing, mainly because the people from the colony live so separate from the colony that the day to day life seems quite normal. It is only the large deprivations that the government infringes on the colony that are seen. This definitely could has strong themes and ideas of how much power a government should have both over it's people and it's colonies.

It's Monday What Are You Reading?

2010-05-24T09:54:00.000-07:00

This meme is hosted by Shiela at One Person's Journey Through a World of Books, and I want to give credit where credit is due so I want to let you know I heard about it through Bookworming in the 21st Century. The point is basically to share what you've reading, what you're reading and what you think you're going to read.

Read This Week:
White Cat (Curse Workers, #1)by Holly Black
The Reckoning (Darkest Powers, #3)by Kelley Armstrong
Burnout by Rebecca Donner, Inaki Miranda
Festering Romance by Renee Lott
The Color of Earth (Color Trilogy, #1)by Kim Dong Hwa
Birds of Prey, vol. 7: Dead of Winter by Gail Simone, Nicola Scott, Doug Hazelwood
Huntress: Year One by Ivory Madison, Art Thibert, Cliff Richards, Norm Rapmund
Black Jack, Volume 5 by Osamu Tezuka
Emma, Volume 2 by Kaoru Mori, Sheldon Drzka
Phoenix, Volume 2: Future by Osamu Tezuka
Marvel Divas TPB by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, Tonci Zonjic

Currently Reading:
Mansfield Park and Mummies: Monster Mayhem, Matrimony, Ancient Curses, True Love, and Other Dire Delights by Vera Nazarian and Jane Austen

To Be Read:
Bloodhound (Beka Cooper, #2) by Tamora Pierce
The Cinderella Society by Kay Cassidy
Dark Life by Kat Falls
A Kiss in Time by Alex Flinn

I have been sick hence my skipping posting last week and my high graphic novel content this past week. Somehow I always feel like the addition of pictures to words makes it even easier to understand what's going on and easy to follow when I am sick.

The Reckoning (Darkest Powers, #3) by Kelley Armstrong

2010-05-19T12:29:00.001-07:00

Tori and her friends are in hiding from the Edison Group, the people who performed genetic experiments on them to make their powers easier to control but instead made them almost completely uncontrollable. They hope that they will soon be heading back to rescue the rest of their friends, but right now nothing is as it seems.

Even though the characters are in a holding pattern for much of this book, there is enough going on between the characters and within their own heads to make it feel like it's moving along. All romances are also sorted out at the end, although it's really dragged out til the last minute. Chloe is not as wishy washy as she was in previous books which also made me happy. Her self confidence is beginning to grow and she starts standing up for herself more, which makes her a much more likable character.

I was so excited that the series was finally going to be finished, but I have to say that in that respect I am a tiny bit disappointed. While this was just as well written and exciting as the others, it doesn't feel like the end of the series. Yes their immediate adventure was over, but it definitely felt like the story could continue and I am disappointed that it is being billed a trilogy making this one the last one. I hope that they decide to make more of these because the premise of the series is interesting, and it would make me happy.

White Cat (Curse Workers, #1) by Holly Black

2010-05-18T11:09:00.000-07:00

Cassel is the only normal person in his entire caster family. Because of that he's constantly being left out of the loop in his crooked caster family. Although he guesses he's not that different, cause he did kill his best friend Lila. But now he's older, in boarding school and pretending to be normal. Until he sleepwalks his way to the roof. Now everything has changed and Cassel needs to figure out what's really going on with his family.

Cassel is a great character. And the word he lives in mirrors our own, except for there being people with magical abilities. I think how close their world is to ours will make this a good beginner fantasy for teens. I liked the twists and turns that the plot took and I was extremely glad for the relationships Cassel developed, with both friends and family, regardless of how they were developed. Even though Cassel is a con artist, at heart he does appear to be a good person, which is what makes him an enjoyable character. This was a great beginning for this series. It's story was self contained enough to keep you from being frustrated but there is also enough to keep the series going. All in all I really loved it and I hope other people love it as much as I did.

Another Faust by Daniel & Dina Nayeri

2010-05-15T08:26:00.000-07:00

I wanted to read this book cause I loved the cover and the title sounded interesting. I love new takes on old tales, whether it's high literature or fairy tales. But this was kind of a strange book. It was easy to get into but I had to take a break in the middle so I could read the new Sookie Stackhouse because of library due dates and that made it hard to get back into.

Five unhappy children are whisked away from their homes in the middle of the night at the age of ten. They are all given special powers as part of their deals with their governess or in order to entice them into making deals. The powers threw me off a little. Since I had never read Faust and only knew the basic tale I couldn't figure out exactly how the stories were connected, but by the end I think I figured it out. We watch the children go through a year at one of the most prestigious high schools in New York as they try to use their powers to get what they want. In the end the children must each decide for themselves how they want to live their lives.

I found the parts regarding the governesses life at the beginning of each chapter and occasionally tucked into a chapter, very interesting. The authors had her interacting with famous figures so that readers could see how futures can be affected. I also really liked all of the interesting ideas regarding language. While this book is probably not for everyone (the ending is a little ambiguous and I know some people really hate that) if you do choose to read it there is definitely a strong "be careful what you wish for" theme.

Foiled by Jane Yolen

2010-05-15T08:18:00.000-07:00

Aliera doesn't fit in at school. She's just a little bit too different to fit into any of the cliques. But she has fencing and her cousin so she's still pretty happy. Then Avery Castle shows up, he's gorgeous and nice and he seems to be interested in her. Is there more then meets the eye to Avery?

I liked this graphic novel although I felt a little disappointed about how quickly it was over. This one was a ton of set up and very little plot moving forward type stuff. I feel like that happens a lot when a novel writer writes a graphic novel series. It does have it's own self contained story that is an extremely cute take on the frog prince (kind of if you think about it and stretch the bounds of the story.) It was a fun story and I loved the illustrations and the integration of black and white and color. The story looks like it's going to be an interesting one and I can't wait to see what happens next.

Going Bovine by Libba Bray

2010-05-12T11:33:00.000-07:00

Cameron Smith is a sixteen year old focused on being a slacker, and doing as little as possible. There is nothing really wrong with his home life, he just feels overlooked and has decided to exploit that for all it's worth. Everything changes when he contracts Creutzfeldt-Jacob or “Mad Cow” Disease and Dulcie, a punk rock angel, tells him that if he finds Dr.X he can be cured and he can save the world.

This book has a really great road trip adventure story that focuses on the importance of living life, without being overly heavy and trying to beat the reader over the head with a message. The author makes sure that Cameron gets a chance to experience everything, both the good things and the bad, without dwelling on Cameron’s disease. The adventure that Cameron and Gonzo go on is all about parallel dimensions and possible time travel, but the reader isn’t bombarded with a bunch of technical science terminology so that even those that are not really into science fiction can enjoy this work.

I totally understand why this book was selected for this years Printz Award. This is a book that I think could really grab someone who isn't necessarily a reader. It's a phenomenal adventure story that has a great deal of depth.

It's Monday What Are You Reading?

2010-05-10T15:07:00.000-07:00

This meme is hosted by Shiela at One Person's Journey Through a World of Books, and I want to give credit where credit is due so I want to let you know I heard about it through Bookworming in the 21st Century. The point is basically to share what you've reading, what you're reading and what you think you're going to read.

Read This Week:
Bite Me (Love Story, #3)by Christopher Moore
The Naughty List (The Naughty List, #1)by Suzanne Young
Fade to Blue by Sean Beaudoin
Yakitate!! Japan, Volume 2 (Yakitate!! Japan)by Takashi Hashiguchi
Dead in the Family (Sookie Stackhouse, #10) by Charlaine Harris
Metropolis by Osamu Tezuka
Phoenix, Volume 1: Dawn by Osamu Tezuka

Currently Reading:
Another Faust by Daniel Nayeri, Dina Nayeri

Up Next:
Bloodhound (Beka Cooper, #2) by Tamora Pierce
Mansfield Park and Mummies: Monster Mayhem, Matrimony, Ancient Curses, True Love, and Other Dire Delights by Vera Nazarian and Jane Austen
White Cat (Curse Workers, #1)by Holly Black
Black Jack, Volume 4 by Osamu Tezuka
Dororo, Volume 1 by Osamu Tezuka
Radiant Shadows (Wicked Lovely, #4)by Melissa Marr
The Reckoning (Darkest Powers, #3)by Kelley Armstrong
Foiled by Jane Yolen, Mike Cavallaro
The Cinderella Society by Kay Cassidy

It happened again, stuff that I ordered months ago just came in on interlibrary loan. But hopefully this is the last of it and I will get all caught up. Looking at the last few Monday posts I am noticing that I read a lot of manga and graphic novels...maybe I should start some kind of feature. Are features fun? Any suggestions? Or is there some kind of graphic novel meme that I could be participating in? How was your reading week?

Dead in the Family by Charlaine Harris

2010-05-09T09:32:00.000-07:00

I was so excited to get the new Sookie Stackhouse novel and while it was good and I did like it, I felt like it was slower then previous books. This volume seemed to focus on Sookie getting her life back into some semblence of order and there was a lot of emphasis on her living her day to day life; gaining a new roommate in the form of Claude and working on recovering her body physically from the torture she experienced in the last book. Even Sookie felt the lack of action, frequently complaining that she felt lonely and bored.

The mysteries weren't solved until the last couple of pages (which is good cause I was getting soooo close to the end I was afraid that they were going to carry over into the next book). We also get a lot of interesting background on both Bill and Eric and their makers, which I always love, and a really great couple of chapters dealing with Sookie and her nephew trying to figure out how to teach him to deal with his powers. A lot of this book felt like everyone was still in a holding pattern, like the author hadn't really decided what direction certain parts of the story were going to go in. Hopefully the next book will be a little bit more dynamic the way previous books have been.(As it has to becuase there were a few unresolved problems.)

Naughty List by Suzanne Young

2010-05-08T09:17:00.000-07:00

The cheerleaders at Washington High School are more then just cheerleaders. They are an elite team of spies who have their own detective agency the Society of Smitten Kittens. SOS checks out guys for girls who are afraid they are being cheated on, and if the guys a cheater he gets his very own spot on the Naughty List. When Tessa the captain of the squad and head of SOS gets a text annonymously accusing her boyfriend Aiden of cheating, her perfect life starts to show some cracks.

I didn't enjoy this book as much as I should have because it was so much more then I expected it be (I know this sounds weird but I will explain). I loved the premise and I thought it was such a cute idea and that it would be a light fluffy read, which is what I was looking for when I started it. But as I read the book I realized that this was not going to be a piece of light fluff, there was some serious character development and mental issues at play here. Which normally I would love because there is nothing better then finding out something is better then you expected but you know how sometimes you just want something that is a quick and dirty fun read? That's what I was in the mood for.

While the spying story is a little incredulous and definitely has some fun aspects to it, what was really interesting in this book and what I wasn't expecting was getting to watch Tessa develop. Tessa has been trying to be perfect and in this book you see the beginning of her desire to become a well developed person. Unfortunately because it's a series (or at least has a sequel) the development doesn't fully flesh out before the story ends. I hope this trend continues in the next book in the series.

Fade to Blue by Sean Beaudoin

2010-05-06T12:11:00.000-07:00

I saw this book forever ago in a store and loved the cover. I was recently reminded of it somehow and it was one of my last requests from the library before I decided to cut myself off. I read this whole book this morning while waiting online at the dmv to register my car. It was so interesting that it really made the whole trip go by much much faster, so I decided to share it.

Sophie thinks she is losing her mind, seeing an ice cream truck and having horrible nightmares where she wakes up with bruises that make her wonder what's really going on. Kenny thinks he's losing it to, hearing and experiencing weird feelings, static and mysterious computer code. What does it all mean?

This book kind of reminds me of the Matrix (I'm afraid to explain why cause it might be a spoiler so if you care about things like that skip the end of this run on sentence) because of the Virtuality and the multiple realities where people experience the best the world has to offer. It was kind of neat and much like the Matrix I think this one needs multiple readings to understand everything that's going on.

The other thing I loved about this book is that in most dystopia type books you see the after affects of whatever changed the world. In this case you kind of get to see how a dystopia is starting. You are reading about the corruption of an idea that has the possibility to change the world for the better or for the worse, depending on how it's being used and the decisions these few people make in how the idea is used. I think that is what makes this a really interesting read.

Bite Me (Love Story, #3) by Christopher Moore

2010-05-05T17:53:00.000-07:00

In what looks like the final entry of the Love Story series, Chet the vampire cat has become something of a problem, attacking both other cats and people, Jody and Flood are bronzed this time and Elijah's other fledglings return to the city to clean up his mess.

This is my favorite of all of the Love Story books (granted it's been a while since I read the first two, fortunately Abby spends the first couple of pages catching us up on the past two books via her blog.) This one was just as silly and irreverant as the first two, but it also has a few more serious and kind moments that I really enjoyed and that kept it from getting too rediculous.

I loved Abby's blog updates and I know that considering the time when the first book takes place blogs and texting are a little out of place but I loved it anyway. The only thing that really threw me about this book was that the book would jump from character to character and when it jumped character it also seemed to jump time sometimes and I couldn't figure out if things were happening the next day or earlier the same day. But I really liked how the ending worked out and was very happy, I hope everyone else enjoys it as much as I did.

It's Monday What Are You Reading?

2010-05-02T20:34:00.000-07:00

Currently Reading:
Bite Me (Love Story, #3)by Christopher Moore
It Must've Been Something I Ate: The Return of the Man Who Ate Everything by Jeffrey Steingarten (I am actually not sure that I am going to finish this one right now; more on that later.)

Up Next:
Bloodhound (Beka Cooper, #2) by Tamora Pierce
Fade to Blue by Sean Beaudoin
Another Faust by Daniel Nayeri, Dina Nayeri
The Naughty List (The Naughty List, #1) by Suzanne Young

So these are what remains of the forty library books I had out last week. I came home from work on Monday and got rid of everything that wasn't a book I had been waiting for to be released or on a hold list for forever and this is pretty much what I was left with. My plan is to finish these last few books. (I haven't actually decided on the Steingarten book, I was thinking of sharing this with my honey which is why it hasn't gone back even though it doesn't fit the criteria outlined above.) My request list at the library has been whittled down to books that have not been released yet (which will hopefully keep me from being slammed all at once.)

After I finish these last few books my plan is to begin reading the stuff I own. I have all these great arcs I got at work, stuff I bought at ICon (my local science fiction/fantasy convention) plus stuff I bought at a crazy shopping trip to the Strand on Thursday and at my local comic book shop Saturday (Free Comic Book day, woo hoo) and things friends have loaned me. I hope I can at least catch up with myself and try not to get as much stuff out of the library for a while. Wish me luck.

Rampant by Diana Peter

2010-05-02T11:23:00.000-07:00

Unicorns are not the light happy creatures we think they are, they are dangerous man eating beasts and after 150 years of supposed extinction they have suddenly reappeared in the world. Only virgins descended from Alexander the Great can hunt unicorns but very few people remember this, but Astrid's mother does and she is shipping Astrid off to Unicorn hunter training camp.

At first I couldn't get into this book because I was so incredibly turned off by what happened to Astrid with Brandt and Kaitlyn. However once Astrid got to Rome and Phil showed up I was entranced. I loved watching Astrid develop as a person and Phil was a ray of sunshine in amid a bunch of heavy, troubled characters. For me Phil was what this book needed to keep from getting too dark and it is a very dark book. But Phil wasn't all light and sunshine, she had darkness too keeping her from being the obnoxious peppy character.

***Possible Spoiler***Trying to avoid spoilers so I am going to be as general as possible, but feel free to skip this paragraph about my big gripe.
There was one issue regarding sex and rape that I wish had been clarified by the author. This is a book for teens and I felt the author should have made it clear that the second someone says no, it is rape. While she did do a good job handling the mixed feelings that people experience, there should have been a more solid clarification that it wasn't that certain characters felt it was rape and others didn't. As soon as the character said no, it was date rape.
***End possible spoiler***

I feel this story could end here and doesn't really need any sequels since all of the major villains appear to be vanquished and the only real loose ends involve a minor character I wasn't really thrilled with to begin with. However I am extremely curious about where the story is going to go since it is clearly being labeled as a series.

Stitches by David Small

2010-05-01T08:46:00.000-07:00

Stitches is a memoir of David Small's life revolving around his cancer and his family's extreme dysfunction. This was such a great graphic novel and I really want to do it justice in a review but I don't know if I know enough to describe what I liked about it, but here I go.

The main body of the memoir starts when David is young and goes until high school with periodic skips in time, and a brief period of his adulthood. The slightly messy art style fits the tone of the story; almost like you can feel how the craziness he was experiencing was affecting his mentality through the illustrations. I also felt that the expressiveness of the illustrations and the dialogue selections helped me understand his feelings, without needing him to spell them out with thought bubbles. He also gives the reader brief sections at the end so you can find out what happened to various members of his family and how he straightened his life out. While this was all obviously a very painful time in his life and generally a dark memoir I really think it's a worthwhile read.

I hope I gave this book justice and other people give it a try.

Heist Society by Ally Carter

2010-04-30T06:57:00.000-07:00

Kat used to be a thief (it's the family business) but she decided she wanted out and conned herself into one of the most prestigious boarding schools in the United States. But now Kat's dad is being accused of a robbery he didn't commit (mainly cause he was busy committing another one somewhere else) by a pretty scary guy. With Interpol hot on her dad's trail Kat needs to clear her dad of the second crime, or else. So Kat sets up her team and breaks into one of the most well protected museums ever.

This was an extremely fun read, think of it as Ocean's Eleven with teens and girls. Kat and her compatriots are incredibly likable characters. While technically they are criminals, they do have a code of honor that is highly important to them and their own sets of morals that are important to them. This goes a long way to making them likable. A lot of this book focuses on that code of honor and on righting previous wrongs and contextualizes an important part of how theft can sometimes be justified. (Yeah I know that sentence was really ambigious but I am trying not to be spoilery.)

It's Monday What Are You Reading?

2010-04-26T12:11:00.000-07:00

So I have decided to participate in my first meme. This one is hosted by Shiela at One Person's Journey Through a World of Books, and I want to give credit where credit is due so I want to let you know I heard about it through Bookworming in the 21st Century. The point is basically to share what you've reading, what you're reading and what you think you're going to read.

Read This Week:
Terrier (Beka Cooper, #1)by Tamora Pierce
Rex Libris Volume 2: Book Of Monsters by James Turner
Ôoku: The Inner Chamber, Volume 1 by Fumi Yoshinaga
Ôoku: The Inner Chambers, Volume 2 by Fumi Yoshinaga
The Boulevard of Broken Dreams by Kim Deitch
Crogan's March (Crogan Adventures 2)by Chris Schweizer
Blood Song: A Silent Ballad by Eric Drooker
Buzzboy Volume 2: Monsters, Dreams, & Milkshakes by John Gallagher
Antique Bakery, Volume 4 by Fumi Yoshinaga
Black Jack Volume 3 by Osamu Tezuka
Children of the Sea, Volume 1 by Daisuke Igarashi

Currently Reading:
The Sorcerer King (Faerie Path, #3)by Frewin Jones
Bittersweet: The Story of Sugar by Peter Macinnis
Everything I Need to Know I Learned from a Children's Book by Anita Silvey
Essential Moon Knight, Vol. 1 (Marvel Essentials)by Doug Moench, Bill Sienkiewicz, Bill Mantlo

To Read:
The Dead-Tossed Waves (The Forest of Hands and Teeth, #2)by Carrie Ryan
Would-Be Witch (A Southern Witch Novel, #1)by Kimberly Frost

I linked everything to Goodreads although I had a little more time this week so I have actually reviewed some of it, and you can check out my thoughts if you want. I read a ton of graphic novels this week in my effort to reduce the amount of stuff I have out from the library. Unforunately it didn't help that much, as I still have 40+ items out (why does everything you requested months ago on interlibrary loan come in at the same time?). I think sometime this week I may have to make a difficult decision and return some things either unread or half read to be taken out again at a future date in time, so basically this list is kind of tentative. Wish me luck and good luck to everyone else.

Ooku The Inner Sanctum by Fumi Yoshinaga

2010-04-24T08:25:00.000-07:00

What a phenomenal concept. In fuedal era Japan, men have died off to only a quarter of their numbers from a mysterious plague. Women now do everything that men did, including run the country. The changes in how society is run and how people behave just kept me entranced. The illustrations are great and I always really love Fumi's characters, they are just so likable.

Each volume follows different characters and shows how these changes have affected their lives. The first volume gives a brief explanation of how society has been changed by the plague and then follows Yunoshin as he joins the Ooku, the inner sanctum in the shoguns home. Unfortunately that means Yunoshin from the first volume will not be returning as a main character, but I know he will be replaced with new interesting characters. I really loved Nobu, she is a very fair and interesting ruler and most likely one of the few characters that will return.

The second volume (which I am about half way through) follows the beginning of the change over of how society is run extremely closely. I can't wait to find out how the fact that women were basically running the country became an acknowledged fact in Japan.

Pursuing the Lioness Challenge & Terrier by Tamora Pierce

2010-04-22T10:44:00.000-07:00

Tempting Persephone is holding a challenge called Pursuing the Lioness. All you need to do to participate is read at least one of Tamora Pierce books between January 2010 and June 2010. As a bonus part of the Challenge you can also read something off of Tamora Pierce's Ultimate Ever Fantasy List. My original plan was to read the Song of the Lioness Quartet, but when I saw the cover of Terrier the first book in the Beka Cooper Trilogy, I just had to read it. I still plan on reading the the Song of the Lioness Quartet and something off of Tamora Pierce's Ultimate Fantasy List, but I don't know if I can get it done by June so I decided to post this for now.

Beka is a Puppy (or Dog in training) which is basically like being a police cadet. She works in the worst part of the city but since this is where her life started she is happy working here. She wants to help the community where she was raised and make it better for those that are stuck living a difficult life in a hard world. Instead of going for glory, she picks difficult cases to work because she wants to help people. The cases of the diggers and the shadow snake went ignored for a long time because they were happening to people that are often ignored by those of authority. Beka with her special connection to those living in the Lower City makes it a point to help those that would otherwise be ignored. She isn't a perfect heroine either; she suffers from crippling shyness and has special abilities to talk with the spirits of the dead. What really makes me lover her is her strong desire to help people and to hurt those that make life harder for people who's lives are already exceedingly difficult. She is not in it for the glory and in an organization where bribery is actually what makes the police system work she doesn't get greedy either.

Beka isn't the only fantastic character in this work. The two dogs she is assigned to Goodwin and Tunstall are also interesting. There personalities are opposites and allows Ms. Pierce to play them off of each other. It also showcases two different styles of working and provides us with yet anothers fabulous strong female character. Rosto the Piper and his freinds Aniki and Kora were other favorites of mine and Rosto the Piper maybe my new literary crush, so I really hope he makes an appearance in the next book in the series. They come from another country and even though they are Rats, they have a strong sense of honor. They also see the importance of helping those who are weak and can't necessarily take care of themselves. (I could go on forever about these characters and others but I assume you have other things to do with your day.)

While there is alot of world building in this book I really feel that what makes Tamora Pierce's work stand out are her fabulous characters. I always find myself loving them and they are just so easy to connect to. The more I read, the more I like her work so I think eventually I will read all of it.

Goose Girl by Shannon Hale

2010-04-20T10:19:00.000-07:00

This is a very strong retelling of the traditional fairy tale. It takes a while to get into this book though. Initially Ani is such a weak person (not a weak character but a weak person, there is a difference) that it was very difficult for me to really care about her. How could I care about her if she wasn't willing to take better care of herself (i.e. care about herself)?

However as she starts to grow and change I really came to like her and enjoy her tale. When she allowed herself to explore her abilities and make friends with her fellow workers. I also love that the things that her family thought made her weak, are what really made her strong. There are alot of other things I loved but I am afraid that I will start giving things away (I may have already given things away).

On a side note I am totally psyched that the next book is about Enna cause I really loved her as a character.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

2010-04-19T07:46:00.000-07:00

So I have decided to participate in my first meme. This one is hosted by One Person's Journey Through a World of Books, and I want to give credit where credit is due so I want to let you know I heard about it through Bookworming in the 21st Century. The point is basically to share what you've reading, what you're reading and what you think you're going to read.

Read This Past Week:
Challengers of the Unknown Must Die! by Jeph Loeb
Antique Bakery, Volume 3 by Fumi Yoshinaga
Buzzboy Trouble in Paradise by John Gallagher
Black Jack, Volume 2 by Osamu Tezuka
Rock and Roll Love by Misako Rocks!
The Poison Eaters and Other Stories by Holly Black
The Splendor Falls by Rosemary Clement-Moore

Southern Witch #2: Barely Bewitched by Kimberly Frost

Books of Bayern #1 The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale
Nightschool: The Weirn Books, Vol. 2 by Svetlana Chmakova

Currently Reading:
Beka Cooper #1 Terrier by Tamora Pierce

Rex Libris Volume 2: Book of Monsters by James Turner

Everything I Need to Know I Learned From a Children's Book by Anita Silvey

Essential Moon Knight, Vol. 1 by Doug Moench, Bill Sienkiewicz, Bill Mantlo

Upcoming Reads:

Faerie Path # 3 The Sorcer King by Frewin Jones

I linked everything to GoodReads so people could add to their to read lists if they wanted. Someday I hope to be able to post reviews of everything I read, but I know while my boss is on maternity leave it's not going to happen. And in case anyone was wondering all of these books (and the 25 others I have out) are all from the library.

The Supergirls: Fashion, Feminism, Fantasy, and the History of Comic Book Heroines by Mike Madrid

2010-04-16T08:34:00.001-07:00

My post earlier this week on what famous person I would want to be made me think of this book which I read last week, so here's the review.

I really loved this book. It gave a great overview of the place that women have held in comics over the last 70 years. The author writes in a very personable style that makes the book easy to read and enjoy. For each decade since comics have been popular, the author addresses the changes occurring for women in the society and how these changes were reflected or not reflected in comic books. There are also chapters devoted to specific characters or even arch-types within the comic book industry.

My biggest problem now is that I want to go out and read all of these comics he talks about and some of them just aren't available. The only negative thing I will say is while it would be completely inappropriate to have a book on female superheros without devoting a chapter to Wonder Woman; the author also covers parts of Wonder Woman's background in other chapters so by the time you get to that chapter, you do kind of feel like "okay I read alot of this already." But stick it out because it's totally worth it to get to the chapters on the superheroes of today. Otherwise this is a great read for any girl that's into comics and graphic novels or anyone who want's to see how womens issues are reflected in different types of media.

This post will eventually be cross-posted at Reviews for You

What Celebrity Would You Be?

2010-04-12T08:48:00.001-07:00

Over on Green Been Teen Queen they are holding a contest for Runway (An Airhead novel). You could win a $50 gift card to American Eagle Outfitters and the first three books of Meg Cabot's Airhead series.

As part of the contest you get extra points for saying what celebrity you wish you could trade bodies/lives with. This got me thinking about what celebrity I would want to be, which somehow led me to think of Wonder Woman and Lynda Carter. I have always loved Wonder Woman in pretty much any incarnation and Lynda Carter is still pretty damn gorgeous as evidenced by 1-800- Contacts commercials. I wish I looked that good now, lol.

Anyhow head over to Green Been Teen Queen, a fellow teen/tween librarian's site and enter the contest. If nothing else it will be fun to think about what celebrity you would want to be.

Flow: The Cultural Story of Menstruation by Elissa Stein and Susan Kim

2010-04-09T08:57:00.000-07:00

This book was such a brilliant idea, and the authors did a great job. I read Presenting Lenore's blog post about Flow and she just had such a strong reaction to it, not positive or negative really just strong, that I thought it was definitely worth reading. Flow tells the cultural history of the period and how woman's status and health care have changed over time. It's written in a friendly, personable style. While many reviewers feel like this means the book was geared at the younger set, I think what the authors were really going for was making the book readable, and to try and make a topic that makes many people uncomfortable a little bit friendlier. The book isn't couched in a bunch of scientific jargon that most of us will never understand. Everything is in language that is respectful and completely understandable.

Some of the information in this book is definitely scary. It is absolutely terrifying to see how woman's bodies have been mistreated over the years due to lack of scientific study and information. While there is a lot of good explanation in this book regarding fertility and how a woman's cycle really works, the most important thing I think a woman can take away from this book is too make sure that you are well informed about exactly what it is you are doing to your body when you use medications or how you handle your period.

Astro City Vol. 5: Local Heroes by Kurt Busieck

2010-03-04T10:39:00.000-08:00

Another great book from Busiek in the Astro City collection. This book brings together several different tales where the only consistent character as through the entire series, is the city itself. This volume focuses more on ordinary people living in Astro City and the heroic (or not so heroic) things that they do when they find themselves in situations that would really only occur because they live in Astro City. The book comes across as residents trying to explain what it is about Astro City and it's heroes that draws them there even though they are constantly being put in dangerous situations.

Prince of Persia by Jordan Mechner

2010-02-27T20:13:00.000-08:00

This graphic novel is part of the storyline followed by the Prince of Persia video games. However it doesn't actually tell the story from the video games; it's more of a backstory. The book tells the story of twins, a boy, Guiv, and a girl Guilan who will rule Persia and a boy, Layth that grows up with them who is the prince of an enemy their father defeated. Eventually the Layth marries the Guilan, but other's interfere in the ruling of the kingdom and all end up dead or in hiding. The story then moves forward a hundred years or so to the love story of Ferdos and Shirin. Shirin finds Ferdos in a well, he is hiding in an abandoned city. At times the stories are told parallel to each other on the page so that the reader can see all of the connections between the two tales and their characters.

The story was interesting and the artistic style definitely fits the story, with vibrant colors and style that reminds the reader of the stories Arabic roots albeit in a superficial way. However Ferdos' confusion about who he is makes the story difficult to follow at times, and also makes it difficult to figure out when the two plot lines are happening in relation to each other. This is where the parallel story telling becomes especially helpful.

Graphic Novel Day

2010-02-25T09:39:00.000-08:00

Today is my birthday so I have decided to spend the day reading graphic novels and doing laundry. Mainly it's cause I love graphic novels and I have the day off so why not, partially it's cause I have something like 30 items out of the library and reading the graphic novels is a quick way to get some of them returned. If this weren't a work day for most people I would make it a contest but I know most people don't have the day off (I only have off because I working on Saturday) so instead you will just have to see what I read. I will post a list at the end of the day and probably post reviews over the course of the weekend.

(2/26) All of the libraries I work at have closed due to inclement weather so I am extending my graphic novel reading day. Yay.

1. Prince of Persia

2. Astro City: Local Heroes

3. Abe Sapien: The Drowning

4. B.P.R.D.: The Black Goddess

5. Oishinbo A La Carte: The Joy of Rice

6. I Kill Giants

7. Elektra Lives Again

8. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

This is the final count, I will start posting reviews sometime later today.

Sorry for the Hiatus

2010-02-22T10:45:00.000-08:00

Sorry I haven't posted in a while but it's been a crazy month. I moved (yay), got engaged (double yay), had to house/dogsit in a house that had something in it I was allergic to and some other familial dramas. I plan on beginning to post again tomorrow.