Gamila's Review

Wildwing by Emily Whitman

2012-01-25T18:35:00.000-08:00

Wildwing by Emily Whitman
When Addy is swept back in time, she couldn't be happier to leave her miserable life behind. Now she's mistaken for Lady Matilda, the pampered ward of the king. If Addy can play her part, she'll have glorious gowns, jewels, and something she's always longed for—the respect and admiration of others. But then she meets Will, the falconer's son with sky blue eyes, who unsettles all her plans.
From shipwrecks to castle dungeons, from betrothals to hidden conspiracies, Addy finds herself in a world where she's not the only one with a dangerous secret. When she discovers the truth, Addy must take matters into her own hands. The stakes? Her chance at true love….and the life she's meant to live. (summary from Author's website)

I do not know if I like the fact that the author wrote a time-travel novel that basically ignored the fact that going back in time changes the future. Fun to enjoy her historical medieval world without worrying about complications of a distorted time-line, but on the other hand how can you not logically assess the implications of telling people about agricultural innovations that happen 50 to 100 years later? Eh, I’m sure opinions will vary widely on the treatment of time travel stories. Just know that this time travel novel is very light handed with the science involved and gauge whether you are a reader that will enjoy it anyway.

The romance was kind of so-so for me. It was little bit sappy and I was really annoyed with how unprincipled the main character was when she discovered she loved William, thehawking boy. She basically asked him to get involved with her when she was betrothed to marry someone else, and wanted to turn the relationship into an affair after she got married, which was just an stupid idea all around. Not to mention how that is a horrible way to treat the guy she truly loves. He totally deserved better.

Still I was caught up in the story enough to wonder how exactly she was going to get out of her betrothal to Sir Hugh so she could be with William without getting half the cast of characters tortured, maimed, or killed in battle. Those are some pretty severe consequences for your choices and so made for good reading. It was interesting to learn more about hawking, as it seems it was sort of a medieval sport.

I think Whitman has beautiful prose and I loved reading many of her descriptions in the book. Despite, my few little nitpicks I found the book to be entertaining and enjoyable.

Visit the author's website

The Night Tourist by Katherine Marsh

2012-01-17T20:30:00.000-08:00

The Night Tourist by Katherine Marsh

"Jack Perdue, a ninth grade classics prodigy, lives with his father on the Yale University campus. Smart and introverted, Jack spends most of his time alone, his nose buried in a book. But one winter evening, a near-fatal accident changes Jack’s life forever.

His father sends him to see a mysterious doctor in New York City—a place Jack hasn’t been since his mother died there eight years ago. In Grand Central Terminal, he meets Euri, a girl who offers to show him the train station’s hidden places, the ones only true urban explorers know about. Eight floors below the station, however, Jack discovers more than just hidden tracks and mysterious staircases..." (summary from author's website)

I don’t remember just how I came upon the summary for this title, but once I did I knew I wanted to read it. I put it on my to-read list and found it while browsing at the library two weeks ago. Essentially, this could be cast as a retelling of the classic Greek myth about Orpheus and Euridice. This tragic tale about Orpheus tells of his quest into the underworld. While there he is permitted find his love Euridice and bring her back to the world of the living on the condition that he not look back while he leads her out. As in all tragedies Orpheus fails in his quest and looks back before they exit the underworld. Euridice is lost to him and Orpheus mourns greatly and is never the same again.

This novel put a new spin on the tale by changing the setting of the underworld to the streets of New York City. Those who are familiar with the city’s many landmarks will be amused and delighted to experience them anew from a ghosts perspective—flying and swooping through the air and disappearing through walls. This version of the story becomes less a tragedy and more a mystery novel of sorts as Jack has to discover exactly why he was allowed to enter the Underworld in the first place while avoiding the three-headed dog Cerebus and other underworld guards. Jack finds companionship and love with Euri as they search the underworld for his mother. Each of the characters must face the conflict of finding closure with the finality of death. I really enjoyed this read. While not action-packed as most myth retellings these days, it gives a strong sense of place, complex conflicts, and characters that are worth rooting for.

Also, the Latin didn’t hurt. There are lots of fun Latin phrases scattered throughout, and as a former Latin teacher I had lots of fun reading and enjoying familiar and new phrases. Also, I think I have mentioned before that I have an obsession with underworld fiction, as I find it fascinating. So, this also increased my enjoyment of this book.

Please check out Katherine Marsh's website.

Notes on books read in 2011

2012-01-06T19:49:00.000-08:00

So, this list doesn’t have everything I read in 2011 as there are about a dozen more picture books that I didn’t bother to write down.

Overall, I was disappointed that I was unable to read many novels but I did have a lot of fun exploring the new medium of picture books. I also read a lot of short stories on daily science fiction.

I am also slightly disappointed that I only read three LDS Fiction novels. . (Paint Me True, Cross My Heart, Bumpy Landings)This depresses me, as that was the main purpose of this blog when I started out. I will have to try and change that in 2011. I miss getting my LDS fiction from the basement of the HBLL. In fact, looking at those numbers makes me feel LDS fiction starved. Sigh.

But perhaps I shouldn’t be too hard on myself as I read seven other novels by LDS authors.

One thing that has brought me excitment this year is the announcement of the Mormonlitblitz short story contest. ( I submitted my story yesterday. Why don't you submit too? All the cool people are doing it.) I have loved reading so many blogs discussing how we should renew our efforts to create a more authentic and rich Mormon culture through our writings. I also love how many have rejected the polarity between the sugary sweet fiction and the edgy fiction that just leaves everyone feeling uncomfortable. I am really happy that we are asking ourselves and others to step up to the plate and create more options for readers and writers alike. We have been moving in this direction for a while now and I am glad to see it continue.

I also read about hundred picture books and curiosity lead me to an interesting reading path. I feel as if there is a lot of information about LDS novelist out there, but I could not find one list or blog post about LDS picture book authors. I found this not only unacceptable but annoying and started out on a quest to find and read picture books written by LDS authors. Those savvy enough to know something about LDS picture book authors can see that I spent a lot of time this year reading (and writing reviews) of picture books by LDS authors.

So this year I will launch the LDS picture book project. Frankly, I am busy and don’t know how much I can devote to this project, but by the end of the year I will feature at least 12 LDS Picture Book authors and their books on this blog. See, now I am accountable and committed. I have hedged and hedged on this project probably because I don’t know how long I can sustain it. But at least there will be more out there on the internet about this topic.

So, if you want to help me out I’d love for you to tell me about your random aunt who is LDS and just happens to publish picture books. That’d save me hours of searching the internet. Also, I’d love to hear about your college roommate that now publishes picture books, and your Relief Society president, or anybody really. Seriously, I’m at the bottom of the barrel. Send more names fast.

Books Read in 2011

2012-01-04T21:01:00.000-08:00

List of Books read in 2011
183 Enchanted Ivy by Sarah Beth Durst

184 Bumpy Landings by Don Carey

185 The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan

186 Cross My Heart by Julie Wright

187 The Gurensey literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Annie Shaffer and Annie Barrows

188 Prisoners in the Palace by Michaela MacColl

189 The Aenied by Virgil

190 Sean Griswold’s Head by Lindsey Leavitt

191 Sapphique by Catherine Fisher

192 The True Adventures of Hector Kingsley By Kindal Debenham

193 Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet b y Jamie Ford

194 The Wretched of Muirwood by Jeff Wheeler

195 Tounges Of Serpents by Naomi Novik

196 Amelia Lost by Candace Fleming

197 Wrapped by Jennifer Bradbury

198 Witch Song by Amber Argyle

199 Tuesdays at the Castle by Jessica Day George

200 The Ladies of Grace Adieu by Susanna Clarke

201 Goliath by Scott Westerfeld

202 Wolves, Boys and Other Things That Might Kill Me by Kristen Chandler

203 Paint me True by E.M. Tippetts

204 Badger by Kindal Debenham

Picture Books:

Eric Carle

1 A Very Hungry Catapilar

2 The Very quiet cricket

3 Will you be my friend

4 The grouchy ladybug

5 Papa, please get the moon for me

Ian Falconer

6 Olivia by Ian Falconer

7 Olivia form a band

8 Olivia goes to venice

9 Olivia helps with Christmas

Mem Fox
10 Where is the Green Sheep

11 Hattie and the Fox

12 Hunwick’s Egg

Candace Fleming

13 Muncha! Muncha! Muncha! By Candace Fleming

14 Tippy Tippy Hide

15 Sonny Boy the Life and Times of a Tortise

16 The Hatmaker’s sign

17 This is the baby

18 Clever Jack Takes the Cake

19 Imogene’s Last Stand

20 Seven Hungry Babies

Lois Elhert

21 Waiting for Wings by Lois Elhert

22 Nuts to you by Lois Elhert

Rick Walton

23 Baby’s first year

24 6000 rats a tale of conjunctions

25 The Fox Chased the Mouse a prepositional tale

26 So many bunnies

27 How can you dance

Caralyn Buehner

28 Snowmen all year

29 Snowmen at night

30 Fanny’s Dream

31 The Queen of Fashion

Emma Dodd

32 I don’t want a cool cat

33 What pet to get

34 Just like you

35 No matter what

Trudy Harris

36 The clock struck one

37 Tally cat keeps track

38 Splitting the herd

39 20 hungry piggies

40 Jenny Found A Penny

Cambria Evans

41 Bone Soup

42 Martha Moth Makes socks

Lezlie Evans

43 The bunnies Trip

44 The Bunnies Picnic

45 Can you count Ten Toes? Count to ten in 10 different languages

46 Who loves the little lamb

Tana Hoban

47 A children’s Zoo

48 Cubes, Cones Cylinder and Spheres

49 Shadows and reflections

50 Let’s count

51 More Fewer Less

52 Let’s Count

53 Shapes, Shapes, Shapes

54 Is it red? Is it yellow? Is it blue?

Neil Gaiman

55 Blueberry Girl

56 Crazy Hair

Mo Willems

57 Knuffle Bunny

58 Knuffle Bunny Too

59 Knuffle Bunny Free

60 Don’t let the Pigeon Drive the bus

61 Don’t let the pigeon stay up late

62 The Pigeon finds a hot dog

63 The Pigeon wants a Puppy

64 Hooray for Amanda and her Alligator

65 Time to say Please

Brandon Doorman

66 Pirates of the Sea

67 Santa’s Stowaway

Kristyn Crow

68 Middles Child Blues

69 Bedtime in the Swamp

70 Cool Daddy Rat

71 The Really Groovy Story of the Tortoise and the Hare

Sharlee Glenn

72 Just What Mama Needs

73 Keeping up with Roo

Misc authors

74 The Night Pirates by Peter Harris

75 Mail Harry to the Moon by Robie H. Harris

76 The Duchess of Whimsy by Randall De Seve

77 Scapegoat by Dean Hale

78 Waiting for Mama by Lee Tae-Jun

79 The Wizard by Jack Prelutsky

80 Halloween night by Majorie Dennis Murray

81 The legend of the bluebonnet by Tomie De Patola

82 Bedtime for Bear by Brent Helquist

83 Heckedy Peg by Audrey Wood

84 Itsy-bitsy-babies by Margaret Wild

85 Baby Knows Best by Kathy Henderson

86 Baby Talk: a book of first words and phrases by Judy Hindley

87 City Dog, Country Frog by Mo Willems

89 Edwina: The dinosaur who didn’t know she was extinct

90 Absolutely Positively Alexander by Judith Viorst

91 Wild Witches Ball by Jack Prelutsky
92. Piggies by Audrey Wood

2011 was a VERY BUSY year

2011-12-26T19:11:00.000-08:00

So, this year was kind of a huge one for me and my family. There were a lot of life altering changes.

In January I was still teaching Latin and struggling to get all my lesson plans done, my grades in on time, and expecting the small wiggling creature inside of my tummy to come forth in a few months. I thought I would go back, but ended up not going back. So, I changed my vocation to stay at home mom instead of Latin teacher.

In March that wee little wiggling creature was born and I was immediately attached to her. She cried a lot, ate a lot, and slept a lot. Now, holy crap, she eats cheerios on her own and crawls about to where her whimsical heart takes her. She is naughty and angelic not to mention the most beautiful creature I’ve ever seen. I also tell her that she has got to stop this growing thing, but she refuses to listen. She cries less, laughs more but is still absolutely exhausting. She loves to go outside, and it is nice and convenient that it is still 60 degrees in Texas this week. Her favorite toy this month is the piano. It has superseded her love of bath time. She loves to bang on the keys and since I have a fancy electronic one that has hundreds of different instrument sound options she has learned how to change the sound from grand piano to the oboe or some other strange musical instrument I haven’t heard of before and squeals happily when the sound comes out different when she pounds away again.

This summer my husband and I launched our own ebook business by publishing two short stories, Killer and The Missing Figurine. We went on one of our long walks together and decided to name it Wandering Leaf Publishing. You can learn more about what we are doing with the company at its website www.wanderingleafpublishing.com

Most of my current efforts have been devoted toward this endeavor. I remember breaking down crying (in my defense I was very very VERY sleep deprived) over the fact that I could not figure out how to use gimp, a free photo editing software that was recommended to us by Joe. Whereas this month I made an original cover, did a hardcover layout for another cover, and made some cool bookmarks using this formerly foreign program. Huzzah! I had some awesome help from my friend Aneeka. We are grateful for her support and proud of how she has blossomed her own business this year at Not A VillianComic.

This October marked the year anniversary of our online writing group that we host over skype every week. These people have blessed our lives and we are so happy to have them in our lives as friends and fellow writers. Thanks Andy, Ben, Kayla, Megan, Alisa, and Joe.

This year Kindal wrote Badger, (I read it and LOVED it) Iron Angels, and The True Adventures of Hector Kingsley part II(so excited to read it!). So, he’s been kind of crazy and writing his brains out, but this is what he wants to do, and so we are going to figure out how to make this writing thing work.

I had a good writing year strangely enough. I typed out Alderik’s Quest one painful sentence at a time as I nursed Sera. She nested in the bobby pillow as I put the laptop in my lap in those early sleep deprived days. This lead to a short story kick, and I wrote Christmas Cars, Twin Swords, Christmas Gingerbread Man, The Shoe App, and Ruby’s Piano. I also rewrote my Sleeping Beauty and the God of Death story. I also stared a novel called Boys, Bells, and Blessings and got 20,000 words written. Not too bad for a new mom right?

November my parents left for another mission. They are currently in south England, and I had fun last night planning to visit them there next year. I am excited that might get to go back! I will get to wander around castle ruins with Kindal. Seriously people, I made this a goal when we were first married. Take Kindal to a Castle and next year we might get to do it. Better yet, we get to take the wee one with us. Kindal and Sera at a castle together with me! Huzzah! November we also lined up some cover artists. Found an Editor, Tristi Pinkston. Did the final formatting and editing to Wolfhound.

December we published Wolfhound and Christmas Cars. We sent the True Adventures of Hector Kingsley off to an Editor. Got the Cover Art for the True Adventures of Hector Kingsley. Best of all is that we are going to be with family for Christmas! PA here we come. We are so very much happy with all the blessings that we have received this year, especially for our little Sera. We love to see her little smile first thing every morning and love to chase her around before she goes down for the night. She is a sweet and active little soul that makes our lives more exhausting but also more interesting. We are thankful for the support of family and friends and for the opportunities that we have had to grow. We are also grateful for the Savior, who has got us through the dark days and helped us enjoy the bright ones with peaceful hearts.

Heckedy Peg by Audrey Wood

2011-12-14T07:42:00.000-08:00

Heckedy Peg by Audrey Wood
Seven children, all named after the days of the week, are left at home with two rules from their mother. The first is not to let any strangers in and the second is to stay away from fire. The children play while their mother goes to the market for food, but an old woman comes by and asks to be let in. They children refuse but she offers them a bag of gold. They let her in and are trapped in the witches spell. Their mother must come to their rescue and break the curse cast upon them.

I really loved this story. The illustrations are beautiful paintings full of light and life. The painting from the cover is what got me to pick this one up and take it home from the library. I also loved the fact that it has all the classic characteristics of a fairy tale story, yet I had never heard it before. So, if you love those fairy tale classics but want to read something new, then Heckedy Peg would be a delightful read for you. This one was a bit long for the little Sera, but oh well. I liked it at least and so did the hubby. He kept peeking over as I read it.

After looking at this Audrey Wood's wonderful website I want to find and read more books by her!

Follow Friday

2011-12-09T08:59:00.000-08:00

The Follow Friday Question is:
Q: Keeping with the Spirit of Giving this season, what book do you think EVERYONE should read and if you could, you would buy it for all of your family and friends?

I think I would choose Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld or Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson. Both are awesome innovative books that have lots of adventure and good characters.

Don't forget to check out the Wolfhound Christmas Giveaway while you visit!
Everyone who enters wins an e-book christmas story!

Wolfhound Christmas Contest

2011-12-09T07:25:00.000-08:00

Alright people! It is officially December 9^th and the Kickoff of my Wolfhound Christmas giveaway!

The best part about this giveaway away is that everyone is a winner! EVERYONE who enters will receive a coupon to download my Christmas story The Missing Figurine on Smashwords.

Two people will win copies of Anita Stansfield’s Chrismas novels Home for Christmas or A Christmas Melody. Entrants will also we entered to win a free e-book copy of Wolfhound by Kindal Debenham if they participate next week also.

3 Ways to earn entry points:

Friend my blog

Post about this contest on facebook/twitter

Tell your blog readers about the release of Wolfhound

Feel free to snag one of these pics:

Remember to win a copy of wolfhound you must enter the contest this week and next week. Tell me how you entered and leave your email address in the comments so I can send you a coupon to download a free copy of The Missing Figurine.

The prizes this week:

Note: I will not ship internationally, but if an international contestant wins the drawing I will email them an e-book copy of Wolfhound instead of the book prize.

Paint Me True by E.M. Tippetts

2011-12-07T07:27:00.000-08:00

So a couple years ago I read a new release by E.M Tippetts. Loved the cover, loved the story, loved the writing. Then I discovered that she had a falling out with her publisher over some contract details and I was sad because it didn’t look like I was going to read any books by her for a long time. So, I was thrilled when E.M. Tippetts contacted me to let me know that she had a new book out, Paint Me True. This time she had decided to indie-publish.
Paint Me True by E.M. Tippetts

The story of Eliza a thirty-year-old looking for love in a singles ward begins as she is breaking up with Len, her boyfriend for the last six months. She thinks he was going to propose and instead he throws her a celebratory break up dinner instead. With her pride hurt, Eliza limps back to her life as an artist, paining in an empty house that her stepmother can’t sell in the housing market.

Then she receives a phone call from her Aunt Nora in England, who has broken her arm and refuses to get treatment because she doesn’t want an x-ray. Eliza, having lost her mother, two sisters, aunts, and grandmothers to cancer because of a genetic mutation that runs in the family, packs and leaves everything to help the last living female relative in her family. While dealing with her aunt’s stubborn attitude toward all medical institutions Eliza paints scenes for Nora of her deceased husband to keep her motivated and strong. As in all good plot lines not everything about Nora’s life is as it seems, as her medical conditions complicate, and her noisy relatives reveal past secrets, Eliza learns about true love, friendship, and how to change after making a huge mistake.

My Review:

The breakup scene was hilarious and I empathized more with Len than I did with Eliza, who really was a rather shallow thirty one-year-old. It was pretty obvious that she looked down on Len for some of his nerdy and sloppy habits. Still, despite the fact that it seemed like this guy hadn’t bought himself any new clothes since his mission his genuinely caring personality comes out. Therein lies the genius of this romance novel. Even when Eliza is in Britain dating a hot new doctor, the reader’s heart is commiserating with the lonely soft-hearted computer/gamer geek back in the states.

In fact, it becomes rather clear that Eliza has made a huge mistake but if she thinks it is going to be easy to get Len back she has got another thing coming. E.M. Tippetts turns romance tropes on their head by switching gender stereotypes as Eliza now has to be the one who wins the guy back after her huge lapse in character judgment. In this touching novel characters are painted with true and realistic personalities that make them memorable, lovable, and endearing. I laughed out loud, felt the deep loneliness of the single life, and was strengthened by Eliza’s patient faith in the face incredible trial.

The formatting of the book is beautiful with lovely chapter headings and a professional cover. As I reader I didn't like Eliza at first, as she is kind of a jerk but I think the novel does a good job of making her sympathetic by showing that she is willing to grow and change. There were a few typos, and there was a mistake when Eliza’s home teachers gave her a blessing. They sealed the blessing even though it was only a blessing of comfort and counsel and not a healing blessing. Despite these mistakes I loved this book and I am thrilled that I get to read another LDS Fiction work by E.M. Tippetts again.

Her next book is coming out in December, Someone Else’s Fairytale. According to her blog it will be free the entire month of December. So be sure to pick it up and sample this wonderful author’s work. I hope you love her work as much as I do and purchase, Paint Me True.

And don’t forget! It is Whitney nominating season!

Visit E.M. Tippetts Website

Wolfhound Christmas giveaway!

2011-12-05T19:52:00.000-08:00

It is time for a Christmas celebration this December and so I am going to host a few giveaways! What are we celebrating in particular you may ask? Well, my husband Kindal is going to publish his first novel this month and I've written two Christmas stories that I want to give to you this year in exchange for your super blogging powers.

There will be two weeks of celebration December 9th-23rd!

The first week 9th-16th I will give away two out of print copies of Anita Stansfield's Christmas novels Home For Christmas, and A Christmas Melody. Everyone who enters this week will get a coupon to download a free e-book copy of my short Christmas story The Missing Figurine at Smashwords.

The second week 16th-23rd I will give away an ARC of How to Save a Life by Sara Zarr, and everyone who enters will get a coupon to download a free e-book copy of my YA christmas story Christmas Cars at Smashwords.

Those who participate in both giveaways will be entered into a raffle to win an e-book copy of my husband's first book Wolfhound.

Entry details will be forthcomming on the 9th of December.

Three baby themed picture books

2011-11-30T07:43:00.000-08:00

Itsy-bitsy-babies by Margaret Wild

Itsy-bitsy-babies is a short little book told in rhyming couplets that portray little babies doing little baby things. The illustrations are simple but life-like. I loved this one because Sera seems interested in watching other babies right now, and she seemed interested in the pictures of the babies as I read to her. It helped that the book is short and repetitive. I think that was key in keeping her attention.

Baby Knows Best by Kathy Henderson

A humorous picture book about all the funny quirks that babies have; I am sure that anyone that has any experience with small ones will get a laugh out of this cute book.

Everyone in the family notices that baby has tons of toys but only wants to play with the house keys, or that then baby has tons of specialized food in jars and baggies but only wants to eat what the family eats. I also related to how the baby was surrounded by fun little books but only wanted to eat the newspaper. I only get the Sunday edition of the paper and it is a celebratory event for little Sera when she gets her little paws on all that chewy paper goodness.

Baby Talk: a book of first words and phrases by Judy Hindley

This picture book take baby through the daily routine—getting the hair brushed, getting the coat on, going to the park—and then emphasizes common phrases that go along with these activities. I thought this was fun to read with Sera because we use these same words and do these same things every day, every week. I hope she has started to recognize these things, but I think she knows more than I suspect. Just this evening I was playing with her until bath time. I turned to her and asked, “Sera are you ready for bath time?” and she made a happy little squee and threw her little baby arms above her head to show her excitement. Hilarious!

Wolves Boys and Other Things That Might Kill Me by Kristen Chandler

2011-11-23T09:17:00.000-08:00

Wolves, Boys, and Other Thing That Might Kill Me by Kristen Chandler

KJ Carson has never attracted much attention in her small town of West End, Montana. Then she takes a Journalism class and is assigned to write a newspaper column on wolves with her new classmate and crush, Virgil. Virgil’s mom is a biologist studying the wolves in Yellowstone park, and that means she gets to spend early mornings with Virgil and his mom learning about the wolf packs that roam the park. Her fascination with wolves puts in in a precarious position with people in town. The ranchers are violently opposed to the wolves reintroduction into the park because their livestock is being killed. Then someone shoots at Virgil’s pro-wolf float in the holiday parade and suddenly the argument about wolves as becomes dangerous as acts of violence and vandalism multiply.

In general I really enjoyed KJ’s character in this book. She doesn’t back down from what she thinks and is always quick with a clever comeback. She really knows how to fight with words. I found her kind of annoying in the fact that she doesn’t make much effort to see the rancher’s point of view when they live all around her. I thought that since she was the editor of the school newspaper she would make a bit more effort into getting an interview besides just ignoring the one rancher dude that hates her. There had to be other rancher kids that were less hostile toward her that she could have interviewed.

Overall, this was a pretty interesting book that explored the conflict surrounding the reintroduction of wolves into Yellowstone Park and I thought that was unique angle for a book. Occasionally, the small town setting felt a little plain to me, but the author managed to keep the story interesting by escalating the conflict between the rancher and the pro-wolf groups. In the end KJ has to confront the villain and survive both him and a harsh Montana hail storm, as her effort to make peace turn into a wilderness survival situation.

Visit Kristen's website

Three classics in one book! Absolutely Positively Alexander by Judith Viorst

2011-11-16T07:25:00.000-08:00

Absolutely Positively Alexander by Judith Viorst

Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day is a classic children’s book from my childhood. I use to read this funny tale as a child. I did not know that there were more books about the stubborn and pessimistic Alexander, and his family. This book includes Alexander, Who Used to be Rich Last Sunday. A story about Alexander’s deplorable spending habits. Full of funny moments, sibling rivalry, and money mismanagement. The third story Alexander, Who’s Not (Do you hear me? I mean it!) Going to Move, tell about how he finally comes to terms with his family having to move away from his old home and friends.

These classic picture books are full of a humorous and unique voice. I loved Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day as I child and enjoyed rereading it to my child. Though, the text was a bit long to hold her attention. She usually would go off and play on her own in the middle of the stories. I think perhaps the black and white illustrations did not hold her attention very long. Oh, well. We will have to read these ones together again when she is older.

Hey you can get a free copy too!

2011-11-15T20:06:00.000-08:00

There is a blogger called Money Saving Mom and she is offering a free book about freezer cooking if you help her promote her new book, The Money Saving Mom's Budget. I am intrigued by this new blog and thought this would be a nice chance to investigate and participate. (Thanks for the facebook post Reigheena!)

I shall now go hop around her blog and investigate what pearls of wisdom she dispenses.

Goliath by Scott Westerfeld

2011-11-11T17:15:00.000-08:00

Goliath by Scott Westerfeld
In this latest installment Alek tries to make himself useful by aligning himself with the inventor Tesler, who claims that he has invented a machine that can waste an entire city with the push of a button. Tesler proves to be unstable and more interested in his own glory than the lives of others. Alek is the only person who can stop the destruction of the entire country of Germany, but will he decide to preserve his enemy?

Deryn continues to prove her airman skills time and time again. It was only a matter of time before someone discovered she was a girl. What will happen now that her true identity is revealed not only to her closest friends but to a nosy reporter looking to break the next big headline?

The last and final installment of the Scott Westerfeld’s steampunk trilogy is full of adventure, new sights and fun. So, this last book took interesting turns that I did not expect, namely that our main characters ended up meeting Pancho Villa, and spending a lot of time in America. My favorite chapter of the entire book is when you are trying to figure out if Alexander has guessed that Deryn is a girl or not. Westerfeld teases the reader throughout the entire thing, and it is hilarious! The entire book is worth a reread just for that chapter alone. I got to say that my favorite book of the entire series is Leviathan. This book didn’t have the dramatic character arcs of the first book, and that wild serendipitous feel of first adventure and accidental meetings. Goliath does have a dramatic, satisfying, and romantic ending that will have your insides mushy with happiness. I will recommend this series for a long time to come. It is beautiful, original, and just plain good writing. Please, go enjoy this wonderful trilogy.

Picture Books for Halloween

2011-11-02T07:19:00.000-07:00

Wild Witches’ Ball by Jack Prelutsky

This short Halloween poem is perfect for wee ones with short attention spans. Lately, it has been difficult to get the small one to sit still long enough to read to her. So this short little Halloween book was a perfect length.

The wild witch ball is in full swing during this festive Halloween night. From the ten groaning crones to the last lumpy witch this counting rhymes describes the attendees of the witches ball with clever and delightful poetry that rolls off the tongue.

The Wizard by Jack Prelutsky

I didn’t read this one for Halloween precisely, but I did during the month of October and so I include it here. Author Jack Prelutsky characterizes a creepy wizard and his mastery of his magical art. His words dance off the page, and the illustrations by Brandon Dorman are masterful, bringing the text to life in beautiful ways. I don’t think I have seen text and illustration work so well together to create such a wonderful feeling of awe. I’ll probably add this one to my library one day. It is simply gorgeous.

Halloween Night by Majorie Dennis Murray

A traditional Halloween inspired poem about ghosts, goblins, and other haloween worthy creatures preparing the house for Halloween celebrations. Ten unsuspecting children prance down their lane prepared to trick or treat, but they are in for a fright. This was a fun Halloween book to read the little one.

Halloween Costume

2011-11-01T19:52:00.000-07:00

So, for halloween Sera was a book fairy. I made her little fairy wings out of a book that I bought at the library book sale. I figure if I was going to ruin a book to make a costume I should at least make sure the money for the book went to supporting more literacy, right? So the book was a parody of the "Don't Sweat the Small Stuff"series. I also made her a tutu by rolling up the pages into tube and then attaching them to a little fabric tie. I got the idea for this costume here.

Anyway, here is our beautiful little creature, all sneaky and trying to get some candy!

The Ladies of Grace Adieu by Susanna Clarke

2011-10-26T08:21:00.000-07:00

The Ladies of Grace Adieu by Susanna Clarke

So, I picked this book up because I have heard a lot about Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell( here after referred to as JS & Mr. N) by the same author. Being curious I did some investigating and discovered that JS &Mr. N sounded like a book I would like, written in the style of Jane Austen and Charles Dickens with magical twists that often involved fairy folk. The problem? JS & Mr. N is over a thousand pages long. I can barely get through a 200 page novel in two weeks. I really don’t think the library would be pleased with me checking out a book for over two months, plus I wasn’t sure if I would like the author’s writing style.

More investigation ensued wherein I discovered that this little book of short stories all took place, or related back to the world that the author flesh out in JS &Mr. N. Yes, I would get a fun little taste of author’s writing style and JS & Mr. N all in one go without the 1000 page time commitment. So I checked this little book out from the library.

So how did the experiment go? I enjoyed most of the stories in the book and I really did like the writing style. It felt like a mix between J.K. Rowling and Jane Austen, which was like heaven! My top favorites were “The Ladies of Grace Adieu” and “The Duke of Wellington Misplaces His Horse.” The short story collection had a lot variety between the stories. The settings felt different—though most take place in the English country side. There were a variety of characters types—though most stories explored what happened when the fairy world and human world met. I was even surprised at the variety of styles. Some stories were written with unconventional spellings to give the story a more authentic antique feeling, one was told entirely in the format of diary entries.

So overall I enjoyed this experience, though by the end I did get a bit bored, but I don’t know if that is because I tired of the author’s style or if I just didn’t like the last few stories. I still don’t know about committing to reading a 1000 page book, but this was a nice read anyway. It was refreshing to read something a bit out of my normal reading, and a book of short fairy stories hit the spot.

Picture Books Mo Willems Part II

2011-10-18T09:19:00.000-07:00

Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus by Mo Willems

The first book in Mo Willems award winning pigeon series, Don’t let the Pigeon Drive the Bus is full of personality and character. Willems has always had a gift for conveying characters in a brief amount of text. In this short little book the illustration and text work together to bring to life a character screaming with personality. You will laugh and be charmed by the dramatic and true to life tantrum this little bird throws when he is not allowed to get his way.

Don’t let the Pigeon Stay Up Late by Mo Willems

This installment of Willems series is just as charming as the first. The pigeon needs to go to bed, but of course he doesn’t want to. His personality shines as he tried to wheedle his way out of heading off for bed, but ends up exhausting himself in the process. Turns out that even energetic and dramatic pigeons need some rest.

The Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog by Mo Willems

In this cute little tale the Pigeon finds a delicious treat, and a soft heart. In this tale his is joined by a small, naive, and inquisitive chick companion. When he finds a delicious hot dog he finds that the best treats are shared with friends. This is a cute little story everyone in the family will enjoy.

The Pigeon Wants a Puppy by Mo Willems

My personal favorite of the Pigeon series in The Pigeon Wants a Puppy, Pigeon tells us all he knows about puppies, which to the astute reader is not very much. He longs for and dreams about a puppy until he meets one on the street on day and discovers that Puppies aren’t everything he imagined.

I loved these books the art was so simple and yet so expressive, and the character of the pigeon so well drawn and entertaining that you couldn’t help but like his dramatic and expressive personality. When I had to turn these books back into the library I was so sad! They are fun to reread and were short and funny. These will end up in my library one day.

Tuesdays At the Castle by Jessica Day George

2011-10-12T09:05:00.000-07:00

Tuesdays at the Castle by Jessica Day George

Castle Glower is no ordinary pile of stones, adding rooms on a whim, creating hallways that stretch on forever. Those who know the castle well know a few tricks to get around its ever changing floor plan, but Celia is the only one who has attempted to map it out. Her knowledge of Castle Glower serves her well when her parents disappear after an ambush. She and her two elder siblings—Rolf and Lilah—must protect the castle and kingdom from the greedy ambition of visiting prince named Khelsh.

Celia and her siblings must support one another in their grief and rely on their own resourcefulness to outwit and out maneuver Khelsh and his supporters on the council. TheCastle Glower is not only a setting but a character in its right, providing protection, clues, and information that the children can use to fight the plots of those trying to take over the kingdom.

This one is a fun read with plenty of laugh out loud moments as both Castle and children play pranks on their enemies to discourage and delay them in their tactics. Celia and her siblings are easy to cheer for because they are smart, strong and united in their loyalty to both Castle Grover and their people. This is a great read for guys and girls, as I have found true of Jessica Day George’s Dragon trilogy also. I sometimes wish the covers were a tad more boy friendly. My husband raced through this one faster than I did and I think the humor appealed to him more. So, anyway, a fun read full of clever pranks, and a charming setting.

Jessica Day George's Website

Witch Song by Amber Argyle

2011-09-28T19:46:00.000-07:00

Witch Song by Amber Argyle

Far from the other villagers, Brusenna and her mother live alone in a little cottage guarded by trees enchanted by their witch song. Each time Brusenna visits town she is treated with hatred and disgust, until one day a woman named Coyle stands up for her. Leading the woman back to the cottage Bruenna discovers that she has much to learn about being a witch.

Her mother attempted to shield and protect her from the war waging between two factions of witches, and in the process left her unable to protect herself. As Coyle and her mother leave in order to stop the evil machinations of a witch named Espen, Senna must find a way to protect herself from the witch hunters that come after her soon after their departure. With a bag of gold, her dog, and a notebook full of witch songs she sets out to defeat Espen and free the other witches from her prison. She teams up with Joshen, a witch guardian, and together they travel to Tarten to save her mother and the other witches.

So, there were good things about his book and bad things. Overall, I enjoyed the story and the characters. The setting and world background felt real and detailed, and I found myself interested in politics and social dynamics that affected the characters. I also liked how the witches used their magic, singing seeds to life to heal and attack people. Occasionally, I really wished for a little more detail on how the magic worked, but for the most part the system was understandable. I felt like the plot was full of action and kept me engaged as a reader. Though sometimes I felt that the author fell back on melodrama to keep the tension in the book going, which did keep me reading, but made me roll my eyes a few times. The romance between Senna and Joshen suffered from this melodrama issue and their love story came off as a bit cliché. I can’t quite put my finger on it but the love story between these two fell a bit flat for me. They were interesting to read about, but I wasn’t really moved by the love story line.

There were one or two times I stopped reading because something within the text itself was contradictory or confusing.

So, bottom line: The world and magic system were interesting and engaging, the plot fulfills everything it promises, the characters are strong and real, but there were a few storytelling and technical issues that took me out of the story.

Visit Amber's Website

Waiting for Mama by Lee Tae-Jun

2011-09-21T09:13:00.000-07:00

Waiting for Mama by Lee Tae Jun

This unique picture book tells the endearing story of a little boy waiting for his mother at the street car station. Bundled up in his yellow coat he waits patiently for her to arrive home.

This story was originally published in 1938 in a Korean newspaper, as such both the English and Korean text appear on each page. This background explains why the illustrations convey the setting of the book in whimsical Asian style art. The illustrator tried to capture the culture and time period of the story, which makes the book really stand apart from anything I’ve recently read. The beautiful art and simple text will transport you to another time and place. A simply wonderful read.

My only critique is that the story left me hanging at first. I wondered if the boy had found his mother, but then the last page of the book has a painting of the boy and mother walking home together, however they appear so small that it is hard to spot them at first glance.

Picture Books: Candace Fleming part II

2011-09-14T07:21:00.000-07:00

Clever Jack Takes the Cake

One day jack receives an invitation to visit the princess’s birthday party up at the castle. His mother tells him that he will not be able to go because they cannot afford a gift. Jack is disappointed but he comes up with a plan. With a little bit of creativity and work he manages to make the perfect cake for the princess. Cake in hand he sets out for the castle only to discover that the way there is more difficult that he imagined. First, crows eat the nuts on the cake, then a troll demands a toll to cross a bridge, and the candles are used in order to get through the dark, dark forest. Jack travels until finally he reaches the princess’s feet with nothing to offer but a brave adventure story of how he travel to see her. Delighted with the gift of a clever story the princess becomes Jack’s fast friend.

Once again the clever and polished story telling of Fleming delivers a delightful and entertaining tale about a boy poor boy who tries very hard to give his princess and nice birthday present.

Seven Hungry Babies

Momma Bird’s eggs hatch one morning and now she has seven hungry baby birds on her hands. She travels all over the neighborhood snatching things for them to eat. When she if finally done feeding all seven and settles into rest they are hungry again. All moms can sympathize with this harried momma bird. This is a cute little tale full of fun repetition and sounds.

Imogene’s Last Stand

Imogene Tripp is a unique character, who has had a passion for history from a very early age. In fact, her first words were “four score and seven years ago.” She takes over the historical society of her small town Liddleville in New Hampshire. After organizing, cleaning, and repairing the old building news comes down from the mayor that he is going to tear down the historical society in order to build a shoe factory.

Imogene will not stand for the destruction of her town’s history, but no one will listen to her protests. Not even when drops flyers from a bi-plane. Then she makes a marvelous discovery about the history of Liddlevill—George Washington stayed the night there once. Imogene notifies the town historian and asks for help, but it might be too late. Imogene is the only thing standing between the bulldozers outside and their town’s precious historical heritage.

Seriously! I found another picture book I just adore by Candace Fleming. This little tale could also be ranked under my most favorite picture books ever. Imogene is a hilarious, passionate, and precocious little character that you can’t help but root for. It is fun to watch her take on the whole town and fight for what she believes in.

An Award!

2011-09-12T19:47:00.000-07:00

So, I am excited to annouce that two people awarded me The Liebster Blog Award! Free e-books daily and Fans of Fiction. Thanks so much guys! It has taken me awhile to post about this as real life has prevented me from sitting down and working on the blog. I took that blog vacation and we moved from a one bedroom apartment to a two bedroom! Huzzah! I get a lot more sleep now that the little one is in her own room and doesn't have her crib in the corner of our bedroom.
So the rules are that this award gets passed on to five lucky blogs that have under 200 followers. So some blogs that I follow regularly that meet that critieria are:

Bookworm Nation

Madigan Reads

A Thousand and One Parsecs

And some newbies I just discovered:

Low Country Book Blog

Book Rants

Follow Friday and book blogger hop

2011-09-08T19:11:00.000-07:00

The question this week is: Have you ever wanted the villain to win at the end of the story?

I cannot think of any example no. Though I guess I have wanted a villain to turn good. I have wanted the villain to make the choice to do the right thing so that everyone could be happy in the end. Alas, short answer and quite boring, but I really can't think of anything else to say. I suppose my answer would have been more interesting if I could have thought of an example of a villain I had wanted to win at the end of the story, but I don't so you all will have to just recommend some twisty villain story to me in the comments.

Crazy for Books asks:

What genre would you switch to if your favorite genre ceased to exist?

Usually I read a lot of fantasy, and I like it a lot because it takes you to another place and helps you discover new things. So I think if fantasy ceased to exist I would start to read more historical novels because they are similar in the way that they take you to another time and place and give you a new experience.

If you are stopping by please follow! Have an awesome weekend.

Picture Books: Emily Gravitt

2011-09-07T07:12:00.000-07:00

Orange Pear Apple Bear

This small and simple book has only five words. Yet the author manages to pair and re-pair them in interesting ways. The pictures illustrate the subtle and different pairings of these words. An orange bear is different from orange, bear. It is interesting to see how the author’s clever word play can affect the meaning of two simple words.

Spells

The story about a frog who finds a book and wishes to go on many adventures, but he can’t really go on adventures with a book. Until he realizes that the book is a spellbook. With a book a spells he can become many different things.

I thought this was a really interesting and innovative picture book. In the middle of the book the frog starts reading out spells and he turns into different animals. The book has been arranged so the top and bottom pages split in the middle so the top and bottom half of the frog can be changed into half-creatures. It is a book that is very fun to play and experiment around with.

Wolves

A bunny rabbit checks out a book out from the library about wolves. As he reads more and more about these dangerous creatures he grows more and more cautious, but if he continues to keep his nose in the book he may just end up being caught unawares.

This short little book is fun because it gives you the experience of checking out a library book about wolves. The illustrations are drawn in such away that the reader experiences the book about wolves just as the rabbit experiences it. Down to the little spreadsheet on front recording what dates the book has been checked out.

Emily Gavett has a fasinating website.

Wrapped by Jennifer Bradbury

2011-09-05T09:07:00.000-07:00

Wrapped by Jennifer Bradbury

“On the eve of her debut in 1815 London, Agnes Wilkins attends a decidedly singular social event on the London scene—a mummy unwrapping party. But if the evening’s entertainment and Agnes’ ambivalence at the attentions of Lord Showalter weren’t enough to deal with, she quickly finds herself embroiled in a mystery whose answers could ultimately decide the outcome of England’s war with Napoleon.” (summary from author’s website)

So, I picked this one up because there was a mummy on the cover with a pretty girl in the background. I assumed that the book was steampunk, but nay I was wrong. This book falls solidly into the historical novel genre. Despite this little bump I was not disappointed in my reading. I loved the way that the author had so many rich details about the setting, and had such a unique hook.

Once I realized that the party goers were unwrapping a mummy for entertainment I have to admit I was hooked. Then our heroine discovers an artifact that starts her off on mystery that involves espionage, a lost artifact of mystical power, and romance. Who could ask for more? I do get annoyed at historicals that make the main characters (mostly females) whiny about their position in life, but in this case I thought the author show a fair hand at showing that men also had some of their choices limited by the expectations of society.

I loved the Egyptologist bent! The book is like Indiana Joes mixed in with Jane Austen. I dare say that even a few guys might get sucked in by this one.

The ending of this book had me craving for more. Seriously, the book was begging for a sequel and I can’t wait to read the next adventure in this series as the author says that there is one planned. This is probably one of my favorite novels I’ve read all year.

Visit Author Jennifer Bradbury’s website

Blog Vacation!

2011-08-27T07:09:00.000-07:00

So, as you noticed I didn't post yesterday because I have decided to take a vacation from the blog for a week. So, what has inspired this impromptu break?

1. Today is my birthday!
2. My parents are visiting from out of town (yay! so excited!)
3. It is the last week of August (huzzah! I survived another texas summer!)

I shall return in the first full week of September.

The Duchess of Whimsy by Randall de Seve

2011-08-24T19:09:00.000-07:00

The Duchess of Whimsy by Randall de Seve

The Duchess of Whimsy has a reputation for being the life of the party. She loves extravagant parties, unusual attire, and exotic pets. Being a duchess unfortunately requires here to associate on occasion with those less interesting than herself. For example the Earl of Norm wears ordinary clothes, has a reasonable pet, and likes to talk about practical things. The Duchess thinks that they don’t have anything in common, but the King admonishes her to be friends with their neighbors.

Then one evening The Duchess’ cook becomes ill. Without food the evening will be ruined so all her guests scramble to make the most unusual dinner that they can. That is except for the Earl of Norm, who decides to make a grilled cheese sandwich with milk. The simplicity of the meal catches the Duchess’ eye, and he offers her a bite. The food is delicious and suddenly she and the Earl of Norm have something to talk about, and she discovers that he isn’t as bad as she thought. In fact, they find each other very interesting. It is possible that the Duchess misjudged the Earl of Norm and shall have to get to know him better.

This is a cute little love story with fantastic art and engaging story line. It is so fun to watch these two characters get to know each other a little better.

Follow Friday and (eventually) Book Blogger Hop

2011-08-18T20:02:00.000-07:00

If you could write yourself a part in a book what role would it be and what role would you play?

You know, I would love it if my life read like a fiction story! At the end all the loose ends would be tied up. I would know just who the bad guys are and who the good guys were and I’d know why they made the choices they did. I would be rewarded for my good decisions and punished for the bad. It would be nice if my life were mapped like a nice, tight plot.
Too often though, I don’t know the why behind the action of those people around me, and it confuses me. I don’t know if a bad experience is going to lead to the epiphany that helps me find the meaning behind it all. Once one of my students asked me if I believed that everything happened for a reason. I answered, “No.”

As I do have a strong faith in God I wondered if these two beliefs were in contradiction with each other. I do know that God watches out for us and prepares pathways for us, and that he cares for us. Yet, sometimes stuff happens and we never know the reason why. Sometimes those things that happen don’t improve our lives, and in fact make it worse. Better yet, sometimes really good things happen and there really isn’t anything we have done to deserve it. There is no reason or why. The blessing just is— there is nothing we could have done to merit some things.

Yet, I sometimes hope at the end of my life I’ll be able to look at the good and the bad and make sense of it all. I hope that I can look back as Joseph of Egypt, who got sold into slavery by his brothers. He had a lot of crappy stuff happen to him, but each experience he had lead him to his next position in life, until finally he was the right hand man to Pharaoh. Then he was able to save his family (not to mention the population of more than one nation) from starvation, because he had counseled pharaoh to save up a huge supply of grain during his seven years of plenty. His faith in God allowed him to accept and find the best of each situation, and his faith that God had made his experiences for his good allowed him to forgive his brothers. I only aspire to have that kind of faith.

This week the book blogger hop asks:

What is the longest book you have ever read?

I think that would have to be the Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien.

Entwined by Heather Dixon

2011-08-17T08:34:00.000-07:00

Entwined by Heather Dixon

When princess Azalea’s mother dies it seems that all she cares for begins to unravel. Her father becomes stern and distant. She must dress in black and stay inside, and worst of all give up dancing, her most favorite thing of all, in order to observe morning. As the crown princess of the realm and eldest sister to 11 younger sisters she must make sure they all remain safe.

One night they discover a secret passage way in their room that leads them to silver pavilion where they meet Mr. Keeper, who allows them to dance their troubles and cares away each night. They do not realize that Mr. Keeper has another identity as the old high king trapped away in the palace for practicing dark magic.

They dance there many nights without a care in the world until slowly Keeper’s darker side begins to reveal itself. Many years ago he made a blood oath to kill the Wentworth General, who displaced him on his thrown. Soon, Azalea and her sisters must destroy Mr. Keeper before he discovers a way to escape and kill their father.

Entwined is another retelling of the Twelve Dancing Princesses fairy tale. I enjoyed reading this story very much and loved the flawed character of the girl’s father, the King. He leaves for war on directly after their mother’s funeral, leaving the girls to believe he does not love them. So, when he returns and discovers his girls are ensnared in some kind of sorcery he does not get a warm welcome. In fact, it is charming to read about how this family learns to trust and love one another again.

Mr. Keeper is so dark and charming at first, but slowly becomes more creepy as the story goes on. He is an excellent villain that uses the girl’s innocence about magic against them. He pulls trick after sneaky trick until you think he more slippery than a snake.

Then there are the dear sisters themselves. It is hard to write a cast of 12 sisters, but this author manages to make many of the girls distinct and likable. This band of sisters is practically its own small army and you can’t help but root for their success by the end of the book. The icing on the cake to this wonderful tale is the fact that you get not one, but three unique love stories by story’s end.

Book Blogger Hop and Follow Friday

2011-08-11T20:28:00.000-07:00

How have your reading habits changed since you were a teenager?

Wow, what a thought provoking question. I need to think about this. I guess I don't read romance as much.

I have also found myself more selective. As a teen a had lots of free time to try out any book regardless of quality. Now I don't try out a book unless I am pretty sure I am going to enjoy reading it. I've grown some pretty refined tastes.

I still like fantasy though. I have started to try and branch out into Science Fiction this year though. I've discovered steampunk.

The biggest thing though and perhaps the saddest is that I think I have finally lost my interest in Harry Potter. Alas. I never saw the Deathly Hallows movie and still don't have a great desire to see it. The announcement of pottermore did not excite me. I think it is cool, but the idea of running around and solving clues to get background book content makes me feel annoyed. I don't have the time or the inclination to run around on a computer game solving riddles when I have a baby and a husband to take care of. I rather write in my free time instead.

So, the death of the Harry Potter fanaticism is strange to me. Perhaps, I have finally grown up. Perhaps I am ready to put this story away, not that I don't want to share it will my kids when they are old enough, but it needs to hide away in a dusty corner of my mind until it is ready to be rediscovered again one day.

The hop's prompt is on interesting book titles:

Also thought provoking.

Scott Westerfeld's steampunk series titles have always intrigued me.

Leviathan, Behemoth, Goliath. All are words that make you think of creatures that are larger than life, and a bit mystical.

I also think Shannon Hale's books Austenland and Book of a Thousand Days have interesting titles. Austenaland because it refers back to Jane Austen the woman to whose work Hale play homage. Book of a Thousand Days makes you wonder what happened to that person in a thousand days was so important that they would write a book about it? It immeadiately intrigues me and fits so well with the diary format of the book.

So, that's all I have for today. Have a nice weekend folks! I can't wait my husband is off work! I love having him home for two whole days. Please Follow!

Ten Rowdy Ravens by Susan Ewing

2011-08-10T08:11:00.000-07:00

Dropping in to highlight only one picture book this week. I am trying to read my loot from the library! I bit off more than I could chew. Too many books, too little time!
Ten Rowdy Ravens by Susan Ewing

This clever little counting rhyme portrays the clever antics of ten mischievous ravens. Each pages reveals a new prank or game that the ravens engage in. From wild, whirling acrobatics in the air to stealing underwear from clothes lines these ravens are out to have a good time.

I love the artwork that illustrates the lively nature of these interesting birds. The back of the book has an mock newspaper, The Daily Kaw, whose news columns report real life anecdotes of ravens pulling pranks, showing off, and tricking the humans around them.

I have always found ravens to be interesting creatures because they are so intelligent and are always getting up to clever antics. So, I really enjoyed reading this book and devoured all the little articles in The Daily Kaw. This picture book is bound to satisfy the bird’s admires and those looking for a humorous story.

visit Susan Ewing's website.

Amelia Lost by Candace Fleming

2011-08-08T09:13:00.000-07:00

Amelia Lost by Candace Fleming

I previously read and reviewed Candace Fleming’s biographies of Benjamin Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt. So when I saw that she recently released a biography of Amelia Earhart I was thrilled. I ordered it in at the library and thoroughly enjoyed Fleming’s talent for making history entertaining. The opening chapter starts with the dramatic story of Amelia Earhart’s last but fateful flight. The scene portrays the instant when the navy crews expecting Amelia’s arrival first realized she was lost.

The book then switches to information about Amelia’s childhood, and those experiences that gave her the personality and interest for being an aviatrix. So, the biography continues to switch between the narrative history of Amelia’s life and the dramatic clips about what happened after the Navy discovered that Amelia was lost.

I found this biography fascinating, as this time period is full of so much adventure. The author manages to convey just how dangerous the beginning of aviation was, and the progress that it made through Amelia’s life. I felt that the biography showed just how courageous Amelia was but illustrated that her courage also made her reckless in her decision making. To every virtue there is the downfall. The biography also discussed how strongly Amelia felt about women being able to do the same as men, and portrayed this as a motivating factor behind her flying. As a result Amelia Earhart inspired a generation of woman. I found this honest and human look at this legendary woman to be inspiring and interesting.

I really love Candace Fleming. I hope she writes more books similar to this one, though they must take years of work.

Visit the website of Candace Fleming

Book Blogger Hop and Follow Friday

2011-08-05T05:07:00.000-07:00

The Crazy for books prompt today is what arc am I dreaming about currently?

This is a hard question. Currently I am really looking forward to reading Pegasus II by Robin Mckinley but it doesn't come out till next year. I'd love an arc of the next book by Jessica Day George, Tuesday's at the Castle. So, yes. I guess I am in a fairy tale fantasy mood this morning.

This week I am going to do Follow my book blog Friday too! Yea, I am being more social! If you can call blogging social.
They asked what is one book that really affected or changed your life?
I have read many books that have made me think and put me on a new direction in my life, but I got to say the Fiction book that has impacted me the most has got to by Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien. I read it in high school and it was one of those path changing books. I was inspired by the tale of Frodo the hobbit, and it was the first book I remember reading where I REALLY wondered how the author was going to pull of a happy ending. Which made Frodo's victory even sweeter still. Lord of the Rings changed how I looked at life and inspired my love for fiction that has resonance (as Dave Farland calls it). It also inspired me to write my own stories.

Welcome visitors! Please Follow and have an awesome weekend!

Picture Books: Tana Hoban

2011-08-03T07:28:00.000-07:00

Picture Books Tana Hoban

So, this week at the library I discovered the work or Tana Hoban, a writer who was very popular when I was a infant. Apparently, she created very unique children’s books for the time period. I think that her work continues to still be unique and relevant despite its age.

Most of her books contain groups of photographs that are arranged by themes. For example Is it red? Is it yellow? Is it blue? Contains many photographs of brightly colored objects in red, yellow, and blue. For example a little girl in a bright red rain jacket and red umbrella plays in the rain. A huge bunch of colored balloons blow in the wind tied to a tent pole. A gumball machine, rows of sunglasses, a stack of yellow crates provide interesting and dramatic pictures for children to look at and pick out colors.

I wish I had Children’s Zoo when my daughter was an infant. The book is on black pages with white text describing the animal on the opposite page. The pictures are all stark and clear, which I think would appeal to tiny baby eyes. Children’s Zoo is still fun to read now, but the girler’s attention span is shorter. She is more interested in the fact that the pages turn rather than what is actually on the pages. This fact does make these books appeal to me. The books are merely pictures so we can go through the book as fast or slow as we please. If girler wants to wiz through the pictures we can, but if one catches her eye we can pause. This picture book experience doesn’t rely on text for timing, which gives them a charm of their own.

There are many different themed books written by Tana Hoban the ones I picked out included:

A Children’s Zoo

Cubes, Cones Cylinder and Spheres

Shadows and Reflections

Let’s Count

More, Fewer, Less

Let’s Count

Shapes, Shapes, Shapes

Is it red? Is it yellow? Is it blue?

Book Blogger Hop

2011-07-29T09:04:00.000-07:00

The prompt of the week: Highlight one book you recieved this week

This one is sort of hard since I didn't recieve any books this week. Though, I guess my husband did deliver to me his most recent manuscript of his Science Fiction novel Wolfhound. I am giving it one last read through before we hand it over to a copy editor we hired. After that we shall get it ready for an e-book release in December.

I really am enjoying this most recent version. There are new scenes added and characters are fleshed out and now that I think about it my husband really has done an excellent job this time around of clarifying the motivations of his main character, Jacob.

As I wrote that last sentence my heart swelled with joy. I love watching my husband grow as a writer. This is such a fun journey for us, and we get to do it together as a team. Happiness!

If youare visiting please follow! thanks!

Picture Books: Emma Dodd

2011-07-27T13:37:00.000-07:00

Picture books by Emma Dodd

What pet to Get ?

Jack asks his mother for a pet, and she agrees to allow him to get one. At first he asks for an elephant. Sadly his mom does not think this is a good idea. So he must dream up another awesome pet to get. A lion!

So continues the fun until he and his mom find the perfect pet for their family.

I loved the pictures in this book as all the animals look so friendly and nice. Even if they would be really bad pets, and the illustrations of why they would be bad pets are really funny. This is a humorous and charming little read.

I don’t want a cool cat!

The little girl in this book describes just what kind of cat she wants.

I really like the rhythm of this picture book. The text feels modern and hip not like an old nursery rhyme. The style was refreshing and fun to read. Once again the pictures are charming and fun.

No matter What

This is the story of little elephant, who learns that his mother loves him no matter if he is happy or sad, good or bad, dirty or clean.

This book has cute little pictures of an elephant playing. The text is simple and beautiful and is full of opposite pairings. It is also short. It was a good one to read to the girler as her attention span is rapidly shortening as she realizes there is so much to do in the wide world.

Just like you

The text about a little bear that wants to grow up to be just like his mama/papa bear.

This little book is very similar to No matter what. The text is short and simple and the message is sweet. Has fun illustrations of bear and cub doing activities together.

Tongues of Serpents by Naomi Novik

2011-07-23T07:49:00.000-07:00

Finally! Two weeks ago we purchased Naomi Novik’s 6th book in the Temeraire series, Tongue of Serpents.

In this latest installment Temeraire and Laurence are exiled to Australia because of their actions in books previous to this one. When they arrive there they find that the previous governor Bligh has been overthrown by a local man named MacArthur. This leaves Laurence in an awkward position because as he owns a very large and powerful dragon they both want to curry his favor in order to use Temeraire to secure power in the developing colony.

In order to avoid being manipulated by the current political battles Laurence and Temeraire accept the mission to explore the Blue Mountains and find a route through them. En route through the mountains they discover that a dragon egg that they have been guarding has been stolen. So they begin a lengthy search across the entire continent of Australia to gain the little dragon hatchling back.

So, this book had a lot of wandering across the wild and deadly outback of Australia, which was not my favorite story line of all the books. They meet a lot of challenges and dangers along the way: a huge thunderstorm that starts a fire, lack of water, lack of food, mysterious man-snatching monsters. So there is enough drama and high adventure to be had but Australia is a continent and they cross the entire thing! So traveling is the majority of the book. Not so much fun as battles with Napoleon.

My favorite parts of the book included the hatching of the new eggs. I love watching eggs get hatched they are funny as you get to see the personality of the dragon right off. In fact, I just love seeing the dragon personalities interact at all. They are all so headstrong and funny and thoroughly in love with their captains that each new dragon is endearing in its own way. Tharkay gets to come along because he has been hired to figure out who is smuggling goods through Australia’s ports. I really liked that plot line and the fact that we got to meet merchants from so many different places, including America.

So, while this book was not my favorite in the series there is still plenty to enjoy! I am already excited to see how the author will develop the seeds she planted in this novel in the next books. Will Laurence and Temeraire head to America, settle in an Australian valley (very likely), or head back to China? Will they become privateers or herd cattle? Will they get pardoned and head to battle Napoleon in South America? I like how this novel hinted at greater globalization and it shall be fun to see what the crops up in the next novel along those lines. Laurence and Temeraire have already visited Australia, Europe, Asia, and Africa. I am guessing that the Americas lie in their future! I hope we get to meet new dragons. I always love new dragons.

Oh, sidenote usually these books are pretty clean, but there are one or two instances of serious swearing and one or two polite as possibe references to extremely crude acts on the part of the convicts. This is done on the part of the author to show just how truly uncivilized life is in Australia. Prison colony people. Not pretty. I thought it was in good taste, but people liked to at least be warned about these things sometimes.

Blog Hop again!

2011-07-22T13:29:00.000-07:00

This week's book prompt is:
What genre of books do you wish you could really get into, but you just can't?

I wish I could get more into science fiction. Most of the science fiction that I read are novel manuscripts written by friends. Yet, when I pick up a sci-fi book off the shelves more often than not I get really bored. I wish I could be more interested in this genre, but I am just not. I like dystopian and apocalyptic science fiction, but actual true space-ship and planet exploring science fiction never has interested me as much as other types of fiction. I keep thinking one day I'll find a really good book that will get me hooked into the genre but it hasn't happened yet. Alas.

Tis sad but true.

Thanks for stopping by if you are from the book bloggers hop! I'd love for you to say hi or follow me.(hint! hint! I need more followers! 5 is a very sad number)

Picture Books: Candace Fleming

2011-07-20T08:08:00.000-07:00

Picture books: Candace Fleming

Sonny boy the life and times of a Tortise

Alright, this may have just become my all time favorite picture book. The little one did not like to sit through it because it was too long, but I found it charming.

It is the story of a tortoise named Sonny Boy, who likes plants, stamp collecting, and Latin. Each of his owners have been nice and docile professor types until he gets handed down to Biff. Biff is a dare devil who isn’t that good at his job. In order to prove his mettle he decides to go over Niagara Falls in a barrel. Sonny boy ends up taking the plunge with him.

I enjoyed this delightful character story. I have enjoyed Candace Fleming’s non-fiction books before, but I am now quickly becoming a fan of her picture books. Fun times! Fun times!

Muncha! Muncha! Muncha!

Mr. McGreely has dreamed of planting a garden for years, and finally decides to start one this spring. He plants and waters and hopes and his garden starts to grow. Then he discovers that he isn’t the only one enjoying the fruit of his labors. He has found three little intruding bunnies that keep trying to eat his vegetables. He refuses to allow such pilfering and builds a fence around the garden, but the bunnies manage to sneak through. As a result Mr. McGreely decides to build a bigger and better defenses around his garden.

This story even made the hubby (over on the couch trying to pretend he wasn’t interested in a measly picture book) laugh. This one is a joy to read out loud. Mr. McGreely’s determination to keep the bunnies out of his garden and the bunnies’ sneaky little tricks makes for a humorous and entertaining show down.

This one was enjoyed by the girler and me alike. The text is fun to read as it has a lot of alliterative and onomatopoetic elements to it.

Tippy Tippy Tippy hide

Is the sequel to Muncha! Muncha! Muncha! It involves all the old cast. This time winter is coming and Mr. McGreely is preparing for winter and is ready to hole away inside. Then the bunnies start sneaking into his house to get warm. Mr. McGreely runs around the house stopping up all the places they can sneak in.

This one also had the husband and me laughing. My favorite part is when Mr. McGreely finds bunny drops on his pillow. Hilarious! Seriously, I recommend these two stories! Go check them out from the library now.

Visit Author's Candace Fleming's Website

Joining the Blog Hop today!

2011-07-15T11:13:00.000-07:00

This weeks question is about where I get the books that I review.

The majority of the books I review come from the library. After that my reviews are based off of books I buy and several times a year I get an ARC from a publisher or author.

So, yeah, the library actually serves me quite well because the library in our area has a really good interlibrary loan system which makes my access to books a lot bigger and a lot easier because I can just put them on hold and pick them at the libray.

Currently, I am looking forward to getting Candice Fleming's new non-fiction book on Amelia Earhart.

The Wretched of Muirwood by Jeff Wheeler

2011-07-15T08:09:00.000-07:00

“Imagine a world where words are so precious they are only etched in gold, and only the privileged are allowed to learn how to read. Muirwood Abbey is one of the few places where learners are taught to read and engrave, and thirteen year-old Lia wants nothing more than to learn both of these skills—yet she is a wretched, an orphan, and doomed to remain in the Aldermaston’s kitchen, forbidden to read and subject to his authority. Her future is destined for preparing recipes in a privileged household until, unexpectedly, a mysterious knight-maston abandons the wounded squire Colvin at the Aldermaston’s kitchen in the middle of the night. Soon after, Sheriff Almaguer comes hunting for Colvin, and Lia is thrust into the greatest adventure of her life as she and the squire are forced into a partnership that brings her closer to her dream—and Colvin closer to his fear of dying on the battlefield. The Wretched of Muirwood is the first book of the Muirwood Trilogy.” (amazon summary)

So, with all the news about indie-publishing and with my husband planning to jump into the foray himself, I decided to take the leap. The Wretched of Muirwood is the first electronic indie-published purchase of mine. So how did the experiment go?

I really enjoyed the story in this book. There were several really bad typos. As in the main character Colvin suddenly gets called Cohen in a few paragraphs. Awkward! There were a few descriptions that I would have pointed out to the writer to clarify if I were critiquing the manuscript.

Yet, when it came down to basic storytelling I was hooked. The first chapter had a good hook, and after that I was pulled along with the main character Lia on her interesting adventure as she learned more about her magical abilities. I really didn’t want to stop reading. At first Lia only agrees to hide Colvin from Sheriff Almaguer until the sheriff comes looking for him at the Abbey. Lia manages to help Colvin escape only to discover she has sent him directly into a trap intended to capture him.

Lia can’t allow her new friend to get captured on her bad information so she leaves her safety of the abbey and with the help of a magical orb sets out to save Colvin. The result of her actions sends her on a journey that helps both of them discover more about their powers and heritage than they knew before. I enjoyed how the author showed that this duo needed one another to achieve their potential. I liked watching the trust and friendship grow between them as they faced and supported one another through their darkest moments.

I also liked the setting and the interesting aspects of the magic system, which is based on faith and belief. All magical powers are achieved through the use of a power called the medium. The use of the medium feels very similar to the way religious belief works in our world. I think some readers may find this as sort of preachy, but I found it kind of interesting. It allowed the author to portray the topic of faith and how it works without referencing a specific creed. Though I must say that I enjoy the thematic exploration of faith in literature. Those are the stories that I find most interesting and some of my favorite passages of the book were when Lia had to struggle within herself to find the strength to use the medium.

Story wise, some things that bugged me was that Lia did a lot of lying and stealing, and general sneaking around behind the Aldermaston’s back, but never really got in trouble for it. Though, I guess at the end of the book she did realize that she should obey and trust the Aldermaston. Yet, still I don’t like lying characters that much. I hated Lyra in the Golden Compass series for the same reason. Yet, I loved Harry Potter and Harry lies a lot. The lying wasn't so bad that I hated Lia as I did Lyra, but sometimes it annoyed.

Shall we return to the topic at hand? Overall the Wretched of Muirwood is an entertaining story with characters that will stay with me even after I have finished reading the pages.

Visit the author Jeff Wheeler's blog

Picture Books: Lois Ehlert

2011-07-13T13:22:00.000-07:00

This week I picked out a bunch of books by Lois Ehlert. I was immediately attracted to her books on the shelves because of the bright and beautiful art. I picked out about five books of hers that corresponded along a nature theme (I like nature)and read them to girler. Most of them weren't very successful. While the art in her books is beautiful and I love how it uses natural elements like leaves, bugs, and animals as inspiration, I felt like her stories were kind of boring. In addition her prose isn't very lyrical or rhythmic. I find that I prefer picture books that have a certain rhythm to them. They don't have to rhyme, but I enjoy that natural pause in the text that indicates it is time to turn the page. So below are my two favorite books I read of hers.

Waiting for Wings
Waiting for wings tells the story of a caterpillars transformation to a butterfly. It is very much like A Very Hungry Caterpillar, but is more detailed about the process of becoming a butterfly. It follows the life cycle of a Caterpillar from egg to butterfly, but continues the story until that butterfly lays its own eggs, completing the life cycle. The text in this picture book was one of her more poetical ones, and I enjoyed it a lot.

The author usually includes some factual information about the nature topics contained in the story. There are two color pages at the end dedicated to this information. One page showed each type of butterfly that appeared in the book and labels them. The second page showed each type of flower that appeared in the book and labeled them. I would show these two pages to girler as she laid on her tummy and she would just stare at all the beautiful and interesting colors.

Nuts to You

Tells the story of an active squirrel that scampers around outside an apartment in the city. The narrator accidentally allows the squirrel in her window, and so has to lure the creature back outside with food. The story was simple and short. It was not very lyrical, but not long winded enough to get boring like several of her other books. I also very much enjoyed the nature artwork in this book.

The end of this book contained quite a bit of factual information about squirrels and their habitats and etc.

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford

2011-07-08T12:30:00.000-07:00

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford

As Henry Lee is grieving over his wife death from cancer and worrying about the relationship he has with his son the news of a historic discovery reminds him of his childhood. The belongings of Japanese- American families forced to evacuate during WWII are discovered in the basement of the historic Panama hotel in the international district in Seattle. Henry grew up in the area and recalls the prejudice he suffered as a Chinese-American going to a white school. He also remembers the Japanese-American girl he met there and formed a special bond with during that tumultuous time.

I have been interested in reading this novel since it won the Whitney Award in 2009, but didn’t get around to it until my church selected it for book club last month. I had to leave for a family reunion before the book club meeting, but I enjoyed the book despite not being able to discuss it with people. One of the things I enjoyed most about this book was the setting. I felt like I was wandering the streets of Seattle with the little boy Henry as he suffered the loneliness of trying to fit into two different worlds. I think the author portrayed his struggle to identify himself as either American or Chinese when he was such a mix of both that he wasn’t fully one or the other.

The highlight of the story for me was the love story between Keiko a Japanese American girl that suffers the same identity crisis, but has to suffer through the prejudice that was leveled against the Japanese in America after Pearl Harbor. I felt that their love story tempered the harsh plot events in the story. It was uplifting to watch these two transcend the cultural boundaries of their countries and form a friendship that helped them both weather the tough times.

Then just as Henry and Keiko are discovering the truth of their feelings for one another Keiko is forced to relocate to an internment camp for Japanese Americans with her family. This is a well-told tragic love story that ends on a hopeful note.

So I really enjoyed this book a lot. There were wonderful characters, a great setting, and a story layered with diverse and interesting conflicts. I recommend that if you are into historical novels that you go forth and read it.

Author Jamie Ford website

Picture Books: Mo Willems

2011-07-06T13:00:00.000-07:00

Picture books: Mo Willems

Knuffle Bunny

Trixie loses her favorite animal. She and her father must rush across the city to save it.

This is a charming little picture book. The illustrations consist of black and white photos of the city, while the Trixie and her family are illustrated in cartoon. At the end of this book you’ll love Trixie, her parents, and her beloved stuffed animal Knuffle bunny.

Knuffle Bunny Too

Trixie discovers that she is not the only one that owns a Knuffle Bunny. She goes to school and finds that another one of the girls in the class also owns a Knuffle Bunny. The two then proceed to try and show each other up. The teacher confiscates both Knuffle Bunnies and returns them at the end of the school day. Trixie wakes up in the middle of the night only to realize that she has the wrong Knuffle Bunny. Something must be done!

This story is also similar to the first book. Cute and charming and full of humorous and sympathetic characters. My favorite illustration is the frazzled looks on the dad’s faces at the end of the book. What a father won’t do to keep his little girl happy.

Knuffle Bunny Free

Trixie’s family is on their way to visit the grandparents. On the way there the unthinkable occurs. Trixie loses Knuffle Bunny on the plane. Her dad tries to call the airline, but nothing can be done. Knuffle Bunny is gone. Can Trixie learn to live without her dearest Knuffle Bunny?

So the Knuffle Bunny saga continues. I think it is fun to read a series of picture book stories where the character stays the same but continues to grow older in them. I think it is interesting for children to see characters in the book grow up like them. This one is longer and more complex than the other two bookd probably to correspond with the age of the Trixie.

City Dog, Country Frog (favorite of the week)

City Dog goes to the country and meets a new friend—country frog. This tale of friendship and change has gorgeous watercolor illustrations. I loved to read this one to my little one so she could see all the green rolling hills and the cute friendship between frog and dog. We get to watch them play together during the different seasons of the year.

Edwina: the dinosaur who didn’t know she was extinct.

Everyone in the Neighborhood loves Edwina the Dinosaur. She is always willing to help out and bake cookies. Only Reginald Von Hoobie Doobie is grumpy about this fact because dinosaurs are supposed to be extinct. He tries to tell everyone this but nobody listens.

I found this little story humorous, as Reginald gets more and more frustrated about people not listening to him. He is quite the dramatic little fellow. I also liked Edwina the service-oriented dinosaur. If only there were more Edwina’s around the world would be a better place.

Visit Author Mo Willems Website

What I am reading to celebrate the Fourth!

2011-07-04T10:50:00.000-07:00

Visit Author's Website

This is a humorous little read for those that love the founding fathers and early U.S. history. The author tells a humorous little story from the childhood of the founders John Hancock, Paul Revere, Ben Franklin, George Washington, and Thomas Jefferson. The little anecdotes are based on folklore or extrapolated from the known character of those included in the book. The point of the book is to be more clever and funny that completely factual. To compensate the end of the book is a true or false test so that the reader can separate the truth from the false. I love this funny little book and enjoyed reading it this week so close to our nation's birthday. '

Sapphique by Catherine Fisher

2011-07-01T10:37:00.000-07:00

Sapphique by Catherine Fisher

Finn and Claudia managed to escape the insane prison Incarceron, but now that he is on the outside Finn doesn’t feel free. He thinks that the suffocating procedures of the realm are just as stifling as being trapped inside Incarceron. Especially since Claudia believes that he is the real Prince Giles and the heir to the throne, and he still can’t remember anything about his past. Then a man pretending to be Prince Giles comes to court and he knows things that Finn can’t remember. Now Finn has to prove that he is the real Prince Giles or be killed by the Queen.

Inside Incarceron Keiro and Attia are trying to survive the harsh conditions that are slowly getting worse. The prison is distracted from its true purpose—taking care of the inmates—and is focused on creating a body so it can escape. The desire for escape fuels the quest for the glove of Sapphique, a mysterious magical artifact that is supposed to help the wearer escape from the prison.

So,the sequel to Incarceron I enjoyed this book and found it entertaining. It won’t be one of my favorites of the year, but I really enjoyed revisiting the characters. I think my favorite character by far is Jared. For some reason he fascinates me. I think it is partially because he seems the most good-hearted of all the main characters, and he makes interesting stuff happen when he is around. I bet some will be unhappy about his fate in this book, but I am kind of pleased that he still gets to hang around. I was worried that his sickness was going to kill him, but the author successfully found a way to preserve him—at least in spirit. I found it interesting that we found out how fake the outside world was in this novel, and intriguing that it was so similar to Incarceron in many ways.

Yet, we never really find out why Prince Giles was sent to Incarceron, and some other backstory threads were kind of left hanging. The immediate plot and character arcs were interesting and satisfying, but some of the world-building and backstory plots were left unwrapped up. So while I really enjoyed hearing the end of this tale and more about the characters the book didn’t fill all the expectations I had for it. I sort of wanted the mystery parts resovled, but the author focused more strongly on the action-adventure plot lines. So entertaining to read, but not everything I wanted.

Author's website

More about the Husband and a Project Revealed

2011-06-24T10:33:00.000-07:00

So, the theme for this week shall be the husband! It was father's day last Sunday, and so he deserves a little love, a little recognition, and few extra short story sells.

Short story sells?

Yes, that is right. I have neglected to announce that the brilliant writer husband has something you can read. Right now. Only a mouse click away.

Last month we released his short story "Killer" as a e-book on Amazon Kindle. We also started up a little business called Wandering Leaf Publishing. Yea! Where we plan to write and release e-book stories together. Tis one of the huge projects that I've been meaning to reveal for a while, but hadn't got around to yet.

So without further ado....

Wandering Leaf Publishing would like to announce the release of its first short story in e-book format.

"Killer" by Kindal Debenham

A brief glimpse into the mind of a serial killer. Meet Daniel, a former employee of the Center for Disease Control, who has turned to a life of murder. A 3,000 word short story.

A sneak peek:

"So I guess I killed them all.

It didn’t seem like I had succeeded at first. My last try had been far too obvious, and as a result, I found myself very much in jail. That’s never a good sign of success."

Now Avaliable for purchase at amazon.

Problems finishing books (also a review of The True Adventures of Hector Kingsley by Kindal Debenham)

2011-06-20T14:15:00.000-07:00

So, I've been struggling to keep up with this blog each week. I can't seem to read books fast enough because real life keeps interrupting.

I was halfway through reading Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet and then the book was due back at the library right before we had to leave for a family reunion to Utah. So, I have put in a request for it again because there is a waiting list. A small one but a waiting list none the less. I was really liking it too! But I am mad because I spent all that time reading and now there is no review to show for it at the end of the week. bah! I want to finish a book!

I am currently halfway through Sara Zarr's How to Save a Life but am finding it way too depressing to continue. What can I say? I like happy books. I didn't think this book was going to be quite so sad or so full of tragedy ridden cliche. I am really tired of the mom's boyfriend being abusive plot line. Tell another story people!!!!! I am sorry. This is mean to the author Ms. Zarr. I really did like her other books, but this one is just too much.

In addition I just read my husband's novel manuscript The True Adventures of Hector Kingsley. I actually finished it and I must admit it has been the most enjoyable read out of the three titles I've mentioned. It was funny, charming and just a fun ride. I think my husband is a brilliant writer. There were typos and mistakes, but I challenge you to show me another author that can write such a tight plot line in only a second draft! It is seriously AMAZING! But maybe I only admire this skill because I can't plot a story to save my life. I can't tell you the number of times my husband's clear-sighted advice has helped me to wrangle in my stories that never seem to end.

Anyway Hector is an Investigator entrenched in the streets of Victorian Era London. In true steam-punk style the world has been affected by a material called the Distillation. This material once discovered in the vast regions of the Arctic began to change the face of the world. The distillation was appreciated first as a catalyst for machinery and inventions across many disciplines, and then it became apparent that it had serious side-effects on those humans that had handled it so carelessly. Mutations began to appear among the populace, mutations that seemed to reflect the inner character of those who came in direct or prolonged contact with it.

So, now Hector not only solves ordinary run of the mill crimes, but crimes that involve golems, trolls, werewolves, and other once human creatures out to fulfil the bidding of their evil crime lords. Nearly out of funds to sustain his housing and food costs Hector takes on two investigating jobs after his American friend, a Ms. Patricia Anderson gives his name over as a reference. The first involves the assassination attempt of a Lord Pevensly, a nobleman renowned for his generous charitable contributions and controversial stances in Parliament. The second, the vandalism of a vulnerable school for children affected by the Distillation.

So, there is the blurb. My favorite character has got to be Ms. Patricia Anderson herself, a bold pants-wearing, carbine-toting, woman straight from the wild-west. She is totally in love with Hector and Hector is totally in love with her, but they just won't admit it yet! So frustrating those two. So, my husband is planning a sequel, but he won't start writing it till September. What shall I do? I miss the book already. sigh. I am already giving him hints about what types of scenes he should insert.

I would like to see Benjamin and Hector do such and such I say...

Oh, and you have to do this plot-line sometime! It would be hilarious. *wink wink*

Dear Hubby! When will Hector and Patricia kiss? huh? huh?

He is quite gracious to bear my annoying prodding, but I think he is just happy that I actually like the book. I hope one day you all get to read this manuscript in book form. I would like to have enough money to have my husband write at home all day. I'd bring him sandwiches at lunch time and make sure he got to play with our little one everyday just when she was the happiest, and not fussy and grumpy. or screaming in the middle of the night for a hour straight just cause she wants to. Arrggg! Also, that means I'd get more books about Hector Kingsley in a very prompt fashion. plotting plotting....anyone want to be his patron? You will get lots of free books. It is tempting isn't it?

Picture Books: Mem Fox

2011-06-17T10:09:00.000-07:00

In where I talk about the sampling of picture books I got from the library this week.

Picture Books: Mem Fox

Where is the Green Sheep

This picture book was one of my favorites to read to Sera. One it has sheep and I like sheep. Two it has a nice rhythm when you read it, and so it is fun to read. Three, it moves at a quick pace and has interesting pictures. In the book we meet all kinds of sheep in couplet type pairs.

Here is the blue sheep

And here is the red sheep.

Here is the bath sheep

And here is the bed sheep.

Yet there is the eternal quest for the green sheep. Where is he? Well you have to read to the end to find out.

Hattie and the Fox

This little story is about Hattie the hen who lives on a farm with a bunch of other animals. One day she spots a nose coming out of the bushes. The nose is quickly joined by two little eyes. The animals react as a fox slowly inches out of the bushes and into the barn yard. Who will save the day and chase away the fox?

This was a fun little book to read. The animals repeat the same chorus over and over as each new body part of the fox appears out of the bushes. This was a fun little tale, but I didn’t really have a huge preference for it.

Hunwick’s Egg

I didn’t like this one so much as the others. Hunwick, a bandicoot, lives in a desert and on day he finds a smooth oval egg. Hunwick asks around, trying to figure out if anyone lost an egg or knows someone who lost an egg. No home is found for the egg so Hunwick takes the egg in and waits for it to hatch. He keeps waiting, and waiting, and waiting but it never hatches.

The twist ending is that the egg is a rock and not an egg. I was excited to see the egg hatch, and see who this new little egg person would be, so I was disappointed when my expectations were let down when the egg turned into a pretty rock at the end of the book.

Guest post by Joseph Vasicek

2011-06-11T11:54:00.000-07:00

I am currently in Utah for a family reunion. So this week I conveniently have a guest post by Joseph Vasicek. I met Joe during my BYU days while participating in a writing group there. He is currently doing a blog tour for his most recently indie-published book Genesis Earth, which I critiqued while in progress. Visit his awesome Blog here. You can find reviews and buy his book here on amazon.

Do Mormon writers of science fiction and fantasy have a unique perspective because of their faith? certainly!

One of the most obvious examples of this would be Eric James Stone's Nebula Award winning novelette, That Leviathan Whom Thou Hast Made. In that story, an LDS character quotes from the Book of Mormon while trying to save a sun-dwelling alien convert to the church from religious persecution. That is certainly a story that only a Mormon could have written.

I think it goes a lot deeper than that, though. You don't have to include explicitly Mormon themes to have a unique perspective; if you're living close enough to your beliefs, I believe it will come out naturally. I see this in works by such authors as Dan Wells, Dave Wolverton, Orson Scott Card, Stephanie Meyer, and Brandon Sanderson; even though their fiction might not refer to explicitly Mormon concepts or ideas, their spiritual sensibilities certainly inform how they address universal issues such as the problem of evil, the meaning of free agency, the importance of love and the power of redemption.

Science fiction in particular is one of the best genres for addressing issues related to faith. Even more than mainstream fiction, sf probes for meaning and depth, exploring new worlds of possibility while at the same time relating everything back to the human condition and our place in this boundless universe. Because of this, it's no wonder that so many works of science fiction refer to religious ideas or include religiously motivated characters--sometimes to promote an anti-religious bias or agenda, but more often than not to provide an extra layer of depth and meaning.

I wrote an article on the origins of the science fiction and fantasy community at BYU last year for Mormon Artist magazine, in which I was fortunate enough to interview several influential Mormon writers. From that experience, I realized that there's an urgent need for more LDS voices in sf&f--that we have so much of value to offer the community.

Certainly, we shouldn't be preachy or overzealous about it, since all that does is drive people away. But the more we write, and the more we write honestly, the more we enrich the genre and thus enrich other people's lives.

When I wrote Genesis Earth, I didn't set out to write about faith or sprituality. I did want to write about the human condition; to question whether we're all just automatons moving about in a predictable universe, or whether we're infinitely creative free agents in a universe of boundless wonders.

Quite unconsciously, the story of my main character (Michael) became a journey of faith. As the son of two well-renowned astrophysicists, he grew up with a deep devotion to science. Unfortunately, this also means he feels a tremendous amount of pressure to live up to his parents' expectations--a conflict that underscores the entire novel.

Michael's mission partner, Terra, is almost the exact opposite of him. She's a rebel who does not share his views on science and openly question some of his deepest, most personal beliefs. But I didn't just want this to be a story of disillusionment; I wanted Michael's faith to grow and mature, not just wither away and die. I suppose that was my LDS sensibilities speaking to me. So Michael's story became a deeply personal journey of discovery, and when he found the thing that helped him to come to a new realization of his faith, it surprised me just as much as it surprised him.

No matter what you believe, I think it's important to write honestly, especially when writing science fiction. If you do, your beliefs and values will inevitably come out in your voice, often in ways you would least expect. That's the way to be unique, and the best way to "let your light so shine."

Sean Griswold's Head by Lindsey Leavitt

2011-05-27T15:53:00.000-07:00

Sean Griswold's Head by Lindsey Leavitt

"What if your first love was literally sitting right in front of you?
According to her guidance counselor, fifteen-year-old Payton Gritas needs a focus object-an item to concentrate her emotions on. It's supposed to be something inanimate, but Payton decides to use the thing she stares at during class: Sean Griswold's head. They've been linked since third grade (Griswold-Gritas-it's an alphabetical order thing), but she's never really known him.

The focus object is intended to help Payton deal with her father's newly diagnosed multiple sclerosis. And it's working. With the help of her boy-crazy best friend Jac, Payton starts stalking-er, focusing on-Sean Griswold . . . all of him! He's cute, he shares her Seinfeld obsession (nobody else gets it!) and he may have a secret or two of his own." (summary from publisher website)

At first I was a little worried to read Sean Griswold’s Head by Lindsey Leavitt. I had read the first book in her princess series and really enjoyed it, but it was more along the lines of fantastical fiction. Sean Griswold’s Head sound serious and heavy. A father gets diagnosed with MS. Then the summary gave me some strange vibes. Focus object? Therapy? I felt hesitation.

Then I read a positive review of it by Janssen at Everyday Reading and decided to take the plunge. I am very glad that I gave the book a chance. I ended up enjoying it. I really liked Payton’s voice. She has a very funny way of describing her feelings mostly with odd and self-conscious metaphors that are charming. The author does an excellent job of showing how Payton’s life was impacted by her father’s MS. The author manages to convey the depth of Payton’s distress without the book feeling like a pity party. In fact I really sympathized with Payton and was willing to watch her as she tried to figure out how to cope with her distress.

In the middle of all her stress and grief Payton’s focus object—Sean Griswold—brings a bit of light heartedness to the book. Payton does a bit of gentle mocking of Sean’s big head, but finds herself inspired to get to know him better as a result. What results is a genuine and honest teenage romance story. I also loved the fact that the author had a light touch with the romance plot line. Not too sappy and just the right amount of sweet.

So, next time I see a contemporary novel by this author I will not hesitate, but leap to give it a chance.

Lindsey Leavitt's Blog

Picture Books: Eric Carle

2011-05-20T10:45:00.000-07:00

Picture Books: Eric Carle

I’ve been reading a lot of picture books to the baby girl recently, and not as many novels as I would like. So, I realized that I’m not really that qualified to review pictures books, but I wanted to keep a record of what I read to the little one so that if/when I decide to build a library of children’s books I’ll remember which ones that I thought were worth reading .

The Very Quiet Cricket

This is the story of a newly hatch cricket. He has a little bit of trouble making noise at first. Each time another bug greets him he tries to chirp back, but he can’t make any sound. At the end he meets a pretty little cricket and when he rubs his wings together to greet her he finally makes a sound.

I find this little story to be satisfying and cute. The last page has an electronic chirping sound to simulate the sound of our brave hero’s first chirp. This is one I could read to the girler often.

Will You be My Friend?

This is a unique book about a mouse looking for a friend. The book has no text, and the reader is supposed to make up the story as they go along. The book is intended for children just learning to read and learning how books work. As in they have to physically turn pages in order to find out what will happen next. Eric Carle uses the art work as cues to aid the child by putting the tail of the next animal in the story on the page before it appears. This also leads the child to predict what animal will appear next, which is reportedly an important reading skill.
The girler wasn’t developmentally ready enough for this one. At, you know, two months old. Though, part of the reason I record what I am reading is that perhaps a book like this can serve her better later. At least I know books like this exist.

The Very Hungry Caterpillar

This was a book given to me at my shower and I really love it. It tells the story of a newly hatched caterpillar, who is very hungry. Each day he eats more and more food until he is huge and goes into a cocoon and becomes a butterfly.

I have read this one over and over to the girler. She seems to like it a lot. I don’t know if it is because of the brightly colored pictures, and unique page sizes that makes it more interesting, or if she enjoys listening to me read the text. It is short and sweet so it is very easy to finish quickly, which is important in the short attention span of a newborn.

She doesn’t seem to like Goodnight Moon as well, though it is similar, and I wonder if it is because it has too little text. She doesn’t get to listen to the cadence of my voice as much and turning the pages in between short lines makes the sound choppy.
The Grouchy Ladybug
This book tells the story of a Grouchy Ladybug that refuses to share aphids with another ladybug. He challenges the Ladybug to fight, who accepts the challenge. In a fit of bravado he claims that he needs to fight a bigger opponent and runs off.
So, the book continues as the Ladybug goes off to find bigger and bigger opponents to fight. Very similar to the Hungry Caterpillar, but the pages are set up with the times of the clock instead of the days of the week. A lot longer than the Hungry Catapillar, and a bit more complex.

I didn’t like this one as much as the hungry caterpillar. The book ran a bit too long for me. I got bored of the same thing about half way through. Girler didn’t show a negative or positive preference for it either way.

Papa, Please get the moon for me

This was a cute little story, but was kind of annoying to read. The daughter requests her father to go and get the moon in the sky. Her father follows her request and gets a huge ladder, and climbs all the way up to the moon.
This book is unique in that is has a lot of pages that fold out to show huge pictures of papa’s ladder, his climb to the moon, and the moon. I found the fold out pages to be a little bit annoying to deal with, and I kept thinking about how easily they would tear if girler wasn’t a newborn and instead a toddler who handled books roughly.
What age are these types of books appropriate for? Mature enough not to tear a book to pieces, but immature enough to still enjoy a picture book. Does anyone out there have an answer?

Prisoners in the Palace by Michaela MacColl

2011-04-28T14:34:00.000-07:00

Prisoners in the Palace: How Victoria Became Queen with the Help of Her Maid, a Reporter, and a Scoundrel by Michaela MacColl

“London, 1856. Seventeen-year-old Liza’s dreams of her society debut are dashed when her parents are killed in a tragic accident. Alone and penniless, she accepts the position of a lady’s maid to the young Princess Victoria and steps unwittingly into the gossipy intrigue of the servants’ world below-stairs as well as the trickery above. It is possible that her changing circumstances my offer Liza the opportunity to determine her own fate, find true love, and secure the throne for her future Queen?”

This really is a wonderful historical novel. From the first page I was interested in the plight of Elizabeth Hastings, whose parents have just died. She then discovers that her father has left behind large debts, including the bill for the hotel at which they were currently staying. Desperate, she follows the first job lead that comes her way—becoming a maid to Princess Victoria at Kensington Palace. As the daughter of a successful business man and minor nobility she enters into a whole new world as a servant. It takes a while for Eliza to get the hang of her new duties, especially since they include keeping her mouth shut, but the Victoria’s governess decides to keep her around because she can speak German. This makes it possible for her spy to on Victoria’s mother and her man, John Conley, who want to discredit Victoria and become her regents.

I had a hard time putting this book down once I started reading. The author makes you sympathize with Liza’s new status and portrays the detailed life of a servant in historic Victorian England. She also portrays Princess Victoria as a clever and strong character, though as a bit thoughtless because of her inexperience. Her Mother and John do not let Victoria have a moment alone and she really does lead a miserable existence, so it is interesting to watch her form a friendship and alliance with Liza to combat the scheming and plots of Sir John and her Mother.

In addition the novel also portrays the plight of orphans on the street, and the working class. A significant sub-plot is dedicated to Annie Mason, a servant that is dismissed as Victoria’s maid without recommendation. She is forced into prostitution and then a reform house, a very tragic storyline that shows the reader just how much Liza stands to lose if she is fired from her position, and the harsh realities of the Victorian world. I enjoyed the fact that the author showed not only the complexities of class and wealth in the Victorian world, but made interesting and sympathetic characters at all levels of society. So, while this is a fabulously plotted and superbly detailed historical novel parents/teachers of young teens should be aware of the heavy issues in the novel, and be ready to talk about the unfairness of the historical predicaments that sympathetic characters face.

Still a wonderful read and I find myself wanting to go read more about the life of Queen Victoria.

Author Michaela MacColl’s website

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Marry Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows

2011-04-28T14:33:00.000-07:00

The Guernsey Potato Peel Pie Society by Marry Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows

I am not usually interested in reading popular literary fiction. I am very much a genre reader, but I saw the book trailer for The Gurnsey Potato Peel Pie Society, and I found myself very interested in the premise of the book.
The Channel islands were occupied by German troops during WWII, and this book tells the story of the occupation through the lens of a literature society formed hastily one night in order to hide the fact that the participants were feasting on an illegally acquired pig. This varied group of party goers then has to keep up the pretense to throw off the German authorities. Very few of the party goers were naturally readers, but all of them end up finding meaning in the literature they read to help them through the brutal German occupation.

The entire book is told in the format of letters. Much of the story is told through the voice of Juliet, a writer, who is looking for a new story idea after her popular war time humor column. She receives a letter from a man named Dawsey, a member of this literary society. Juliet becomes interested in the literature society and the plight of the entire Island during the war. This correspondence spreads to include the entire literature society, and several of the Island inhabitants. The book often reads as first hand historical accounts of the German occupation of the Channel islands during WWII, and since Juliet is collecting information for her book there is a ton of different perspective and stories.

I found the characters and format of the novel interesting. Each character has a strong personality and voice of their own, and so many of the letters have unique flavor, which makes them pretty fun to read. The literary society is such a random group of people with weird personalities that hearing about how they interacted is pretty amusing at times. Yet it can also be sad as they remember the trials they had during the war time, and how the struggled to get through it.

That said I felt like the book didn’t have that strong of a plot because of the format. The letters were interesting to read because of the characters and history, but it felt like the book went on forever because there was not a huge plot line linking everything together. Some letters were very heavy on history and background. So, some of the book dragged on for me. Yet, by the end I was won over and I still had the characters wandering around in my head for couple days afterward. I felt like the novel did a good job of transporting the reader to another time and place, and I was disappointed when the story ended. I wanted to hear more little anecdotes about the lives of these funny, beloved, and flawed characters.

So, if you like history (especially WWII) and are game for a unique storytelling style this really could be an enjoyable read.

Cross My Heart by Julie Wright

2011-04-28T14:31:00.000-07:00

It was Easter last Sunday and so I decided everyone in the house got a book and some candy. Except Sera— she, of course, can’t have candy, but she did get a book. (Olivia by Ian Falconor) The husby requested I don’t want to kill you by Dan Wells. So, while I shopped online for an Easter book for me I settled on Cross My Heart by Julie Wright. I had read the first chapter on her website and was so incredibly charmed that I could not resist. Since I had a good excuse to buy a random book just for me it became my girly Easter purchase.
My husband laughs at me when I read girly books (read: chick lit novels), and this book was full of enough drama, romance, and humor to keep me entertained. I even skipped my afternoon nap for this one. High praise indeed from a sleep deprived mother of an exhausting newborn.
This book snatches you from the first pages with the witty, and sometimes scathing voice of the main character Jillian, a successful designer at an advertising agency. She fled her literary hometown—Boston to escape her fiancé, Geoffrey. He stole one of her ad ideas and got a promotion based off of it. She ended up in L.A. until her boss transfers her back to the Boston office with a mission to uncover who has been stealing the ad agencies accounts.
On the way there she meets a dentist named Allen, who has recently been dumped by his girlfriend for a hotshot advertising guy. She soon discovers they are connected in an unlikely way. Her fiancé is engaged to his girlfriend, but she will have to discover if this connection will help the form a relationship or only stand in their way.
As stated before the voice is charming, and I really liked the main character Jillian. She was hilarious, smart, and sympathetic. She really makes the entire book, and the plot has several enjoyable comedic twists that makes the romantic comedy genre so much fun to read. Sometimes, you just need a drama fest to feel better about life! So, if you are looking for a light, fun romance. I would totally recommend you pick up this book.

Author's website

Matched by Ally Condie

2011-04-22T13:14:00.000-07:00

Matched by Ally Condie
"In the Society, Officials decide. Who you love. Where you work. When you die.

Cassia has always trusted their choices. It’s hardly any price to pay for a long life, the perfect job, the ideal mate. So when her best friend appears on the Matching screen, Cassia knows with complete certainty that he is the one… until she sees another face flash for an instant before the screen fades to black. Now Cassia is faced with impossible choices: between Xander and Ky, between the only life she’s known and a path no one else has ever dared follow — between perfection and passion."

Okay so, I finally get around to writing my review of matched. This was one book that I looked forward to reading all year. I saw so many ARC reviews of it on other book blogs that I almost got sick of hearing about the book! So when November rolled around I dropped by the bookstore to pick up a copy finally I was really excited to read the book. I was in the middle of my pregnancy reading slump, but I was immediately drawn into the setting. Condie managed to find a perfect balance between description, voice, and foreshadowing to bring me right into her dystopian world from the first chapter.

It was such a relief to enjoy a book again! I actually even liked the love triangle! Love triangles usually annoy me, but I could see why Cassia loved each boy, and I felt sympathy for both of them. They were both strong and interesting characters and I found myself wanting to know more of their background. The author hints at a curious relationship between Ky and Xander, and I found myself wanting to know more about these two boys, and their experience living in the society. I don’t think I have wanted to get a longer background story about the characters in a novel since the Harry Potter Series. That is high praise indeed. There is an air of mystery about these two, and feeling that there is more to be said about their relationship than the novel hints at, and so I found the relationships dynamics entertaining and fascinating.

My only problem with the novel was the ending. Cassia is determined to find Ky, but she ends up in a random work camp unrelated to any other part of the plot. It seemed really odd and was a little bit dissatisfying to not see her not make more progress on finding Ky. It was more of a set up for the next installment rather than a satisfying end to the story line. Still I expect the rest of the series will be excellent, and I am excited to see what the author will present us with in the next installment, Crossed.

Author Allyson Condie's Website

Baby girl is here!

2011-04-11T10:33:00.000-07:00

On March 24th our beautiful baby girl was born at 11:54 pm. She is already two weeks and 4 days old, and already growing by leaps and bounds. She is a good little eater and I am very pleased with her progress. She has dark blue eyes, and ashy blonde hair on her head.

So, this little tyke has been the reason why this blog has been dormant for the last few weeks. I hope to start posting reviews again either this friday or next friday. Still trying to recover and organizie life around a demanding little newborn. I still have books to read and review. I also have been working on other interesting projects that I shall reveal at a later date.

until later!

Airborn by Kenneth Oppel

2011-03-18T17:05:00.000-07:00

Airborn by Kenneth Oppel
“Matt Cruse is the 15-year-old cabin boy aboard the Aurora, the 900-foot luxury airship he has called home for the past two years. While crossing the Pacificus, Matt fearlessly rescues the unconscious pilot of a crippled hot air balloon. Before he dies, the balloonist tells him about the fantastic, impossible creatures he has seen flying through the clouds. Matt dismisses the story as the ravings of a dying man, but when Kate de Vries arrives on the Aurora a year later, determined to prove the story is true, Matt finds himself caught up in her quest. Then one night, over the middle of the ocean, deadly air pirates board the Aurora. Far from any hope of rescue, Kate and Matt are flung into adventures beyond all imagining. . .” (summary from author’s website)

So, it has been several months since I finished this book, and I am now just sitting down to write a review. I was originally attracted to this series because I heard it was steampunk. I was immediately hooked at the beginning when the Aurora stumbles upon the damaged air-balloon, during a routine flight. The man inside the basket is seriously ill, and taken to the ship’s infirmary. A short-time later he dies, but not before he confides to Matt that he has discovered something out there in the sky. I found this mystery to be very intriguing, but I had a hard time reading the book for a while afterward because the mystery is dropped for a while until this man’s granddaughter, Kate, appears on the ship trying to discover what her grandfather last saw.

The action picks up again when pirates cause the ship to crash land on an island. The island that Kate’s grandfather described in his air log, while there they discover more than the strange creatures that her grandfather described. I really liked this section of the book. It has a bunch of adventure and discoveries, as Kate and Matt discover the really cool creatures that her grandfather drew and mentioned in his log book.

So my reaction to this book was mixed. It had some slow parts that gave me some difficulty, but had some really fun action-adventure, and age of discovery type feel to it that was enjoyable. This would be a great novel to hand over to a young men, but tis also enjoyable for girls, as Kate is a spirited and unique character in her own right.

Kenneth Oppel's website

What is that huge pregnant girl up to?

2011-02-26T14:47:00.000-08:00

So, unfortunatly I don't have a book review for you today. I haven't written one for a while, though I could. I read Airborn and Matched and still haven't written up reviews for them. Maybe tomorrow, perhaps.

My brain power doesn't seem to focus on books currently, but on the little tyke, who will be here in about a month!

April 1st people! That's a month away! So excited.

I'm thinking about breastfeeding, and labor, and cuddling that small little being against my chest and nuzzling her soft hair. If, of course, she has hair.

If I'm not thinking about her, I'm thinking about taking care of my busy and sick (flu this week) husby. I hate making him eat pre-packaged food for too long. That stuff kills the taste buds and the soul. So, I cook and try to keep our sink from overflowing with dishes. I also like to wear clean clothes, a lot. Especially, when I am big and uncomfy my clothes can at least be comfy!

Then, I must think about my students. We have to get through the next few weeks together. Really, I must give them what I can, even if I feel like a walking zombie. I can't just make them watch movies for the next three weeks cause really I don't have enough movies and in addition-- I would feel like crap. Feeling like crap sucks so I will continue to do my job the best I can even if we are both grumpy about it.

It's like I always say....If you already know it is going to be a bad day you might as well be happy about it. (The husby thinks that this makes no sense. pah. It makes perfect sense! )

So, I shall not leave you comfortless, though. I have a cool link to share with you all. My dear friend Aneeka has started a web comic. I know she's my friend and so I am biased, but really I am so dang proud of her! She has worked really hard to learn how to draw and has done better than a lot of start-up web comic people in my opinion in the art department. The story is also pretty interesting, about a girl who lives in a virtual reality and really really wants to participate in a huge game competition, but can't seem to make the cut.

Go read about her adventure at Not a Villan.

Bumpy Landings by Donald J. Carey

2011-02-04T12:50:00.000-08:00

Bumpy Landings by Donald J. Carey

"All his life, Jordan MacDonald has dreamed of taking flight and soaring above the majestic mountains of his native Hawaii, but he doesn’t dare disobey his mother, who has absolutely forbidden him from flying. Suddenly everything changes when, spurred by the pain of a failed relationship, Jordan begins working toward the coveted pilot’s license. Just as he finds love again, Jordan’s lies start to close in around him, and he soon learns that a life full of dishonesty attracts more turbulence than he’s ever faced in the air.

Set against the exotic backdrop of the Hawaiian islands, this thrilling tale of romance and self-discovery is a perfect vacation from the average love story. Join Jordan as he tests the limits of friendship and finds out just how far his dreams can carry him. Entertaining and engaging, Bumpy Landings will take you to new heights with each turn of the page." (summary from novel backliner"

The author does a good job helping us sympathize with his main character, Jordan, who is fresh off his mission and ready to use the techniques he learned there to become less insecure and shy. He finds varying success as he tries to pursue girls on BYU—Hawaii’s campus. He really is quiet nerdy, and a bit spineless, but is still quite lovable because he tries so hard.

His main antagonist is his mother who forbids him from pursuing his dream of becoming a pilot, and tries to break up his relationships with girls she doesn’t like. She was a rather nasty character, and easy to hate. But Jordon wants her approval and so lies to her about take flying lessons, and stays in a bad relationship far too long as a result.

When he is finally caught in his lies he must face up to what he really wants despite what others may think. Bumpy Landings reads like a typical college romance story, but is made unique by the Hawaiian setting and the fact that is told from the point of view of a male protagonist. The ending did seem a little predictable (it is a romance novel after all.), but the characters are drawn realistically, and you’ll root for them, flaws and all.

I did enjoy reading about Jordan and his challenges; the Hawaiian setting was fun and refreshing, and there was enough conflict in the plot to keep me hooked into the story. Overall, a nice read for those that miss the sunshine, and wish they were out on the beach.

To find out more information about Bumpy Landings visit the Donald Carey's website.

Enchanted Ivy by Sarah Beth Durst

2011-01-28T15:39:00.000-08:00

Enchanted Ivy by Sarah Beth Durst
“What Lily Carter wants most in the world is to attend Princeton University just like her grandfather. When she finally visits the campus, Grandpa surprises her: She has been selected to take the top-secret Legacy Test. Passing means automatic acceptance to Princeton. Sweet!

Lily's test is to find the Ivy Key. But what is she looking for? Where does she start? As she searches, Lily is joined by Tye, a cute college boy with orange and black hair who says he's her guard. That's weird. But things get seriously strange when a gargoyle talks to her. He tells her that there are two Princetons—the ordinary one and a magical one—and the Key opens the gate between them. But there are more secrets that surround Lily. Worse secrets.

When Lily enters the magical Princeton, she uncovers old betrayals and new dangers, and a chance at her dream becomes a fight for her life. Soon Lily is caught in a power struggle between two worlds, with her family at its center. In a place where Knights slay monsters, boys are were-tigers, and dragons might be out for blood, Lily will need all of her ingenuity and courage—and a little magic—to unite the worlds and unlock the secrets of her past and her future.” (summary from jacket flap)

At first I felt a bit hesitant about whether I was going to like Enchanted Ivy or not. Sometimes fantasy set in the real world doesn’t appeal to me very well, especially if the place is well known. Yet, to my delight Enchanted Ivy sucked me right in. The story is set at Durst’s own alma mater, Princeton. Her love of the school and familiarity with the architecture really shines through in a way that brings the story alive. The setting really does feel magical and mysterious. Her main character is determined, smart, and totally clueless to the fact that she is about to discover an alternate world that will change her life forever.

About half-way through the book I was so hooked into the plot that I could not put it down, as Lily discovers the alternate magical world she also discovers secrets about herself and her family that she never knew before. In particular she discovers the source behind her mother’s mental illness, and learns about her father’s death, and even new talents that she herself possesses. This wonderful discovery story is full of magic, adventure, and little romance. I think I may have become a fan of Durst with this one. I’m going to keep an eye out for her next book.

Visit Sarah Beth Durst Author’s website

Her author blog also has a pretty cool picture tour of Princeton architecture that inspired characters and scenes in the book.

My Double Life by Janette Rallison

2011-01-21T10:41:00.000-08:00

"Her whole life, Alexia Garcia has been told that she looks just like pop star Kari Kingsley, and one day when Alexia's photo filters through the Internet, she's offered a job to be Kari's double. This would seem like the opportunity of a lifetime, but Alexia's mother has always warned her against celebrities.

Rebelliously, Alexia flies off to L.A. and gets immersed in a celebrity life. Not only does she have to get used to getting anything she wants, she romances the hottest lead singer on the charts, and finds out that her own father is a singing legend. Through it all, Alexia must stay true to herself, which is hard to do when you are pretending to be somebody else!" (summary from good reads)

I think the first line of this book is sort of hilarious considering the fact that I got to talk to Janette Rallison at the LDSstorymakers conference while she was revising this book. She wasn't really all that excited about writing this book because while she came up with the initial idea when she sat down to write it (because her editor requested it) she found it kind of limiting. I still think the book turned out great, which is a sign that she is an experienced and skilled writer.

It seems very similar to Just One Wish on a surface level. A normal everyday girl goes to Hollywood and falls in love with a handsome star, but Alexia has very different struggles than the main character Annika in Just One Wish. She has grown up dirt poor, watching her Latina mother work as a housekeeper at a very nice local hotel. She knows that her father abandoned them when she was just a baby but not much else. They live a good life, though a very simple one. So, when Alexia is offered the chance to go to Hollywood and be Kari's double she thinks seriously about the offer, but her decision isn't final until she finds out that she may be able to meet her father, who abandoned her family when she was young.

This story ended up being a entertaining, light-hearted romance that even made me teary-eyed on one occasion. I read this book rather quickly considering the time I had to read it in. I always seemed to get sucked into Rallison's novels and can't put them down. This book was no exception.

Janette Rallison's Website

Janette Rallison's Blog

Behemoth by Scott Westerfeld

2011-01-14T13:12:00.000-08:00

"The behemoth is the fiercest creature in the British navy. It can swallow enemy battleships with one bite. The Darwinists will need it, now that they are at war with the Clanker powers.
Deryn is a girl posing as a boy in the British Air Service, and Alek is the heir to an empire posing as a commoner. Finally together aboard the airship Leviathan, they hope to bring the war to a halt. But when disaster strikes the Leviathan's peacekeeping mission, they find themselves alone and hunted in enemy territory.

Alek and Deryn will need great skill, new allies, and brave hearts to face what's ahead."
(summary from goodreads)

Scott Westerfeld’s second installment of his steampunk WWI series was as enjoyable to read as the first book. This time much of the book takes place in the city of Istanbul. Dylan and Alek and the crew of the Leviathan are put smack dab right in the middle of a huge political and military tangle for power over the city. We finally get to discover what strange creatures Dr. Barlow is carrying across the entire continent of Europe as a peace offering to the sultan of Istanbul.

Alek, meanwhile, gets himself in a tight spot when Britain finally declares war on Austria-Hungry and Germany. The hospitality of the Leviathan crew can no longer protect him, and so he flees into the streets of Istanbul and finds what allies he can to elude capture and to make plans for the future. As he wanders around the city we get introduced to a whole new crew of walker machines and their intriguing owners.

This book is full of plot, awesome characters, and one of the most interesting and unique settings I’ve come across in a long time. While I did miss reading about the ship Leviathan and found the huge new beastie a little disappointing because it had so little screen time this was still an awesome read. This is a series I would recommend to everyone. I can’t wait for the next book to come out!

Scott Westerfeld's blog

The Limit by Kristen Landon

2011-01-07T15:17:00.000-08:00

The Limit by Kirsten Landon
"An eighth grade girl was taken today . . .

With this first sentence, readers are immediately thrust into a fast-paced thriller that doesn’t let up for a moment. In a world not too far removed from our own, kids are being taken away to special workhouses if their families exceed the debt limit imposed by the government. Thirteen-year-old Matt briefly wonders if he might be next, but quickly dismisses the thought. After all, his parents are financially responsible, unlike the parents of those other kids. As long as his parents remain within their limit, the government will be satisfied and leave them alone. But all it takes is one fatal visit to the store to push Matt’s family over their limit–and to change his reality forever."
(summary from Author's website)

I was immediately intrigued by the concept of this novel. The idea of people coming and snatching children away to pay off their family’s debt when they went over the limit was a very compelling hook. The author does a very good job a conveying the conventions of society in her world and introducing the main character, Matt.

Matt is super smart, unusually smart and the author does a really good job at portraying how smart he is without making him seem unrealistic or unsympathetic. When Matt gets taken away from his family after they go over the limit during a trip to the grocery store I as a reader felt as desperate as he did for him to get back to his family.

At the workhouse it seems that some of the action in the book slows down a bit after Matt gets sorted onto his floor. The workhouses are actually designed to be quite humane and comfortable for the kids. They do work assignments, get paid, meet new friends, and some of them even forget a bit about getting back to their family. Sure, Matt misses his family at first, but then he sort of gets used to living the luxurious life on the “top floor.” It was kind of hard for me to keep reading the novel after the initial conflict of him being taken from his family weakens, but the author has a few twists and turns in the plot, and soon Matt is working with his friends to save children on the lower floors from the director’s illegal experiments.

While I thought The Limit was well-written novel with an interesting concept at the end I felt like the novel was lacking for me. I was expecting the book to have a few more action scenes, and a little less down time. All the loose ends of the plot were nicely tied off, but the ending wasn’t as big as I expected it. It becomes obvious that the corruption of the director was localized to Matt’s workhouse. That at the end the society in the book would continue to function as it always had before, and there would be no huge overall change. I suppose that took me off guard because I expected the plot to go in the character v.s government plot line that is so typical of this type of book these days.

Alas, my expectations for the book led for me to feel let down at the end of the novel, but it really is a decent little novel. I would recommend it to those who like the dystopian sci-fi genre as a quick, stand-alone read.

Kristen Landon's Website

Books read in 2010

2011-01-01T05:55:00.000-08:00

List of Books read in 2010

137 Don’t You Marry the Mormon Boys (won in contest)
138 Heroes of Glorietta Pass (won in contest)
139 Brellan’s Tale by Kindal Debenham (manuscript)
140 Two Girl’s of Gettysburg by Lisa Klein (library)
141 The Giver by Lois Lowry (library)
142 Wolfhound by Kindal Debenham (manuscript)
143 Maurice and his educated rodents by Terry Pratchett (library)
144 Band of Sisters by Annette Lyon (electronic review copy)
145 Charles and Emma by Deborah Heiligman (library)
146 Leviathan re-read
147 Leigh Ann’s Civil War by Ann Rinaldi (library)
148 Being Sixteen by Ally Condie (purchased)
149 Empire of Ivory by Naomi Novik (Purchased)
150 Woods Runner by Gary Paulsen (library)
151 Victory of eagles by Naomi Novik (Purchased)
152 My ridiculous Romantic Obsessions by Becca Whilhite (Purchased)
153 Pegasus by Robin McKinley (borrowed from librarian)
154 Mistwood by Leah Cypress (borrowed from Librarian)
155 The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan (purchased)
156 The Last Waltz by G.G. Vandagriff (purchased)
157 Alma the Younger by H. B. Moore (review copy)
158 Princess of Glass by Jessica Day George (purchased)
159 Incarceron by Catherine Fisher (purchased)
160 Princess for Hire by Lindsey Leavitt (library)
161 Just One Wish by Jannette Rallison (library)
162 Calamity Jack by Shannon and Dean Hale (library)
163 Spells by Aprilynne Pike (library)
164 Ice by Sarah Beth Durst (library)
165 Mayflower by Beverly Peirce Strobel (Review copy)
166 this world we live in by Susan Beth Pfeffer (library)
167 I’d Tell You I Love You But Then I’d Have to Kill You by Ally Carter (library)
168 Pocket of Guilt by Dora Lee Thompson (ARC)
169 Boneshaker by Cherie Priest (library)
170 Airman by Eoin Colfer (library)
171 The Princess and the Snowbird by Mette Ivie Harrison (library)
172 The Heist Society by Ally Carter (library)
173 The Diamond of Darkhold by Jeanne Duprau (library)
174 The 13th Reality: The Blade of Shattered Hope by James Dashner (library)
175 Secondhand Charm by Julie Berry (ARC Bloomsbury)
176 Raven Speak by Diane Lee Wilson (library)
177 The Limit by Kristen Landon (Purchased)
178 Behemoth by Scott Westerfeld (Purchased)
179 Enchanted Ivy by Sarah Beth Durst (library)
180 My Double Life by Janette Rallison (library)
181 Matched by Ally Condie (Purchased)
182 Bounded by Aneeka (manuscript)

I read 45 Books this year. Down from my usual number. I've been slacking off recently, as I still need to write a review for Behemoth.

3 book manuscripts written by people close to me
22 from library
2 contest wins
11 purchased with my money
2 borrowed from people
5 ARCs

My favorites:

1. Charles and Emma
2. Being Sixteen
3. Pegasus
4. Mistwood
5. Behemoth

Christmas Greetings!

2010-12-22T05:25:00.000-08:00

Hello, all you book lovers out there!

I hope the holidays are treating you well. This year my husband and I are going solo and staying home for various reasons. We shall miss our family, but it has been nice to have so much time together. We have opposite work schedules and don't spend as much time with each other as we would like to.

So, it is nice to be a teacher and have a long winter break in which to recoup and relax. Of course I don't do relaxing very well. I'm always up to one project or another. Unfortunately, (or fortunately) this blog hasn't really been the focus of my attention this season. I'm still posting fairly regularly, but I know a few weeks have slipped by with out a word from me.

I am now six months pregnant. How the time has flown! So, most of my attention is focused on the tyke now. I think I have entered a full on nesting mode. All I want to do is sew, and sew, and sew. I sewed Christmas themed totes instead of using wrapping paper for presents this year. For the book appreciators in my family we slipped books into these totes and shipped them off. For the non-book appreciators we slipped in yummy snacks. Then I made hand-made cards with the Cricut to go along with them.

We haven't really bought the baby anything yet. We are horrible, I know. Shopping currently sounds so exhausting and I worry about running out of food and getting sick, then having to drive through massive amounts of traffic to get home in that condition. So, I've made the mistake of visiting crafty blogs and now a lot of my time is spent in dreaming up what to make next.

Yesterday, I went to the fabric store to buy loads of fabric and some patterns. I am in the planning stages of making the baby a homecoming outfit, a nursing pillow, fabric play blocks, decorated clothed pins, and a quilt. Then I also want to sew pillow cases for a gift for a family in our ward. I finished sewing a "super secret project" for the husby yesterday. So, a lot of my time recently has not been devoted to reading.

I still have a few reviews to post and I need to write reviews for several books I read last month. So, that is how things are going round here. I'll keep you updated on my crafting and reading adventures as best I can, but posting might get spotty from here on out.

I hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas!

I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have To Kill You by Ally Carter

2010-12-18T08:03:00.000-08:00

I’d Tell You I’d Love You But Then I’d Have to Kill You by Ally Carter

The Gallagher Academy for Exceptional Young Women is a fairly typical all-girls school—that is, if every school teaches advanced martial arts in PE, chemistry always consists of the latest in chemical warfare, and everyone breaks CIA codes for extra credit in computer class. So in truth, while the Gallagher Academy might say it's a school for geniuses what they really mean is spies. But what happens when a Gallagher Girl falls for a boy who doesn't have a code name?

Cammie Morgan may be fluent in fourteen languages and capable of killing a man in seven different ways (three of which involve a piece of uncooked spaghetti), but the Gallagher Academy hasn't prepared her for what to do when she meets an ordinary boy who thinks she's an ordinary girl. Sure, she can tap his phone, hack into his computer, and track him through a mall without him ever being the wiser, but can she have a regular relationship with a regular boy who can never know the truth about her? Cammie may be an elite spy in training, but in her sophomore year, she's doing something riskier than ever—she's falling in love."

(summary from author’s website)

I guess this series has been out for several years, and I just barely read the first book in the series this summer. I really enjoyed the prep school to become a spy idea because it allowed for so many unique scenarios that gives the book its charm. It is very fun to watch Cammie try to navigate her way through having a boyfriend when she knows very little about the real world, and she thinks of everything from a spy’s perspective. My favorite scene is when she and her girlfriends are looking through her love interest’s trash to find out more clues about him. So funny!

This is a really fun and light read. Though, I think Cammie got off the hook too easily at the end when her mom found out about her sneaking out all school year long. That part kind of bugged me. Still this is a fun, clean read and I plan on reading the sequel sometime.

Ally Carter's Website

The Princess and the Snowbird by Mette Ivie Harrison

2010-12-11T13:30:00.000-08:00

The Princess and the Snowbird by Mette Ivie Harrison
"She is the headstrong daughter of the hound and the bear, heir to all her royal parents' magic and able to transform at will into any animal she wishes.

He is an outcast, a boy without magic, determined to make his way in the forest beholden to no one.

Though Liva and Jens are as different as night and day, from the time their paths first cross they are irresistibly drawn to one another. Each wrestles with demons: Liva with the responsibility that comes with the vast magic she's inherited, Jens with the haunting memories he's left behind. Separately, they keep a lookout for each other and for the immense snowbird whose appearances signify a dark event on the horizon.

When a terrible threat surfaces, Liva and Jens set out in an attempt to protect all they hold dear. Much is at stake—for while their failure could spell an end to all magic, their success could bring them together at last." (summary from publisher's website)

I have to admit that The Princess and the Snowbird was my least favorite of Harrison’s princess trilogy. As always I loved the author’s distinct, crisp prose, and how the story feels so much like a fairy tale. I also really like how her magic system is so connected to nature and animals. I still think this is a great little set of books that I would recommend to all those, who love fairy tales. I think my problem with the book was that it felt too much like the other two. One of the fun things about this trilogy is that the love stories are all unique, and have unexpected twists. But I felt like Liva and Jens’s love story wasn’t as exciting or original as the other two love stories.

Then there was the fact that I felt like the ending was a deus ex machina, and some of my questions weren’t answered. There is a stone in the book that leeches magic away from people, and it became clear that it would have to be destroyed in order for magic to survive. The book never shows us where this rock came from, how much of it there was, and how it could be destroyed. There are a couple of vague hints as to what happened, but they never really answered the above three questions.

I just sort of have to assume what I think happened really occurred, but I’m not really sure that I’m right about my assumptions. So, the lack of clarity on this plot point kind of annoyed me. The villain is really powerful and evil in this book, and I think part of the reason I didn’t like the story was because he was defeated too easily, and I wasn’t really convinced that the main characters could take him out. As a result of the villains wickedness this book is a bit more dark and sad than the first two also. I have to admit the negative view of human nature in this book sort of made me squirm a few times. I didn’t really like it.

The Princess and the Snowbird was still a pretty good read like the first two in the series with a magical fairy tale feel, and a gentle romance story, but the ending left me feeling a little bit let down. Perhaps, I built up my expectations too high, but plot line of The Princess and the Snowbird seemed weak in comparison to the other two books.

Mette Ivie Harrison's website

Ice by Sarah Beth Durst

2010-12-03T14:54:00.000-08:00

Ice by Sarah Beth Durst

“When Cassie was a little girl, her grandmother told her a fairy tale about her mother, who made a deal with the Polar Bear King and was swept away to the ends of the earth. Now that Cassie is older, she knows the story was a nice way of saying her mother had died. Cassie lives with her father at an Arctic research station, is determined to become a scientist, and has no time for make-believe.

Then, on her eighteenth birthday, Cassie comes face-to-face with a polar bear who speaks to her. He tells her that her mother is alive, imprisoned at the ends of the earth. And he can bring her back -- if Cassie will agree to be his bride.
That is the beginning of Cassie's own real-life fairy tale, one that sends her on an unbelievable journey across the brutal Arctic, through the Canadian boreal forest, and on the back of the North Wind to the land east of the sun and west of the moon. Before it is over, the world she knows will be swept away, and everything she holds dear will be taken from her -- until she discovers the true meaning of love and family in the magical realm of Ice.”

The novel Ice is another fairytale retelling of East of the Sun, West of the Moon. I’ve already read two other retellings of this tale, and wrote a post comparing the two different novels. What I really liked about Ice was that it the point of view character Cassie felt like an ordinary teenage girl. She felt distinctly modern, and not placed in some random unidentified historical period. Yet, despite the modern feeling of the characters and the setting the author still managed to make the story have that magical fairytale quality. I also really liked that Cassie was a very strong female character, and her incredible stubbornness gets her into a lot of trouble, but also gets her through some really hard situations. I also loved how the author created her own magical world around the fairy tale. Cassie’s polar bear is a magical creature called a munaqsri, who watches over the souls of all polar bears as they enter into and leave life. The author weaves the details about these creatures into the plot and they become an important part of the story.

I have to say that I this story had me hooked, flipping pages as fast as I could to get to the end, and the ending was one of the most satisfactory I’ve read in a long time. It was just so good plot writing wise; I thought the author did well tying all of the story threads together. Though, I can understand if the ending was unbelievable to some readers. Perhaps, storming an evil troll castle while in labor is a bit hard to swallow.

One last thing, the plot had very strong adventure elements, but also has moderate romantic elements that may make really conservative readers wary. The author only describes kissing, but Bear and Cassie are married, so some of the plot centers around them building enough love and trust to have a mature romantic relationship, and all that entails. Personally, I thought the author did this tastefully, and I really enjoyed how Cassie and Bear create a loving, balanced, and partner based relationship.

Visit the Author's website for more about Sarah Beth Durst and her books.

The Diamond of Darkhold by Jeanne Duprau

2010-11-26T07:25:00.000-08:00

Diamond of Darkhold by Jeanne DuPrau

“It's been several months since Lina and Doon escaped the dying city of Ember and, along with the rest of their people, joined the town of Sparks. Life above ground is hard. The winter storms have been fierce. Supplies are running low. Accidents and disease have taken a toll.

It's during this dark time that Doon finds an unusual book. Torn up and missing most of its pages, it alludes to a mysterious device, a piece of technology from before the Disaster. Doon is sure that the Builders of Ember meant for the citizens to find this device when they left the city. Together, he and Lina must go back to their old home and retrieve what was lost.”

So, I really loved The Diamond of Darkhold, not as much as I loved The City of Ember, or the People of Sparks, but it was really nice to revisit Doon and Lina, and go on another adventure with them. For me it was more similar to The City of Ember than the second book The People of Sparks. Once again Doon and Lina have to go on an adventure to discover another secret that the founders of Ember hid near the city.

That’s right you get to go back to the City of Ember, and I love how the story has that magical mixture of adventure and mystery. Of course a few things go wrong, but Doon and Lina use their resourcefulness and cleverness to survive their challenges, and that is why I love these two characters! They are so brave and smart. Oh, yeah, I remember the one thing that bugged me. The ending is so weird and random, like really random. It totally came out of nowhere. The ending doesn’t ruin the book for me because it seemed to be tacked on so randomly and strangely that I didn’t really consider it part story in the book. I think the author was just trying to put a hopeful end on the series or something. I don’t know. It was weird, though.

So, if you really enjoyed reading the City of Ember, and wish you could revisit The Diamond of Darkhold is an awesome read.

Visit Author Jeanne DuPrau's Website

Julie Berry: An Interview

2010-10-29T14:58:00.000-07:00

Secondhand Charm is your second book to be published by Bloomsbury. I find that each published book seems to have a behind-the-scenes scenes saga behind it. Are there any interesting or memorable stories about the creation of Secondhand Charm?

I’m afraid the process was sadly pedestrian. It looked like me gazing bleary-eyed at my laptop, scribbling in a single-subject notebook, and foraging for snacks. As for the initial inspiration, that was just lots of me driving back and forth to work in my minivan, musing. How about this? How about that? Charms. Good luck charms. Love charms. They’re kinda neat. Wonder if I could create a story that involved charms …

I often find that fantasy authors like to base the worlds in their novels off of time periods and countries that correspond to history. Were the details of your fantasy world based off of any particular time-period or country? The story seemed very 1800’s to me.

I used the 1780s as my target time period. I made sure that all the details of my world, and all the words used, existed in that decade. That window of time just appealed to me – the dress customs, travel, weaponry, cultural norms. They feel right at home. Perhaps I was a teenager there in a past life. (I’d better make it clear that I’m joking …)

In the book Evie discovers that she has a magical connection to a sea serpent, and that she really likes the ocean. Was Evie’s story inspired by particular love of the sea on your part or were there other sources for inspiration for the project?

I didn’t grow up near the ocean, and I’m not someone who spends loads of time at the sea. I sunburn just by thinking about sitting outside, I worry about my kids drowning, and I’m terrified of things in the water that can eat me. I think I’m more in love with the idea of the sea, with the creative landscape of it. Imaginatively, the sea is a place I love to be, from my childhood dreams of swimming with dolphins, to a later fascination with marine biology. I’d happily watch Discovery Channel programming about oceanic life for days on end if I had the time. Such power, such vastness, such a different world where things can navigate in three dimensions instead of two. The ocean with all her moods captivates me.

I must ask. Will there a sequel in the works for Secondhand Charm? If not, what project do you plan to work on next?

I confess, I never envisioned a sequel to Evie’s story. Other advance readers have asked me that question too, so it has me wondering. After finishing the story, I’ll ask you -- do you think there’s room for one?

Well without trying to be too spoilery I thought that where the villains ended up at the end of the book could lead to Evie having to face them again, and hence my curiosity about the sequel.

What is your favorite and least favorite part in the creation of a book?
Least favorite part: lack of sleep, and how my house disintegrates around me. It’s bad. Favorite part: the writing. And the revising. Right now I’m savoring the responses bloggers and reviewers have shared.

I wonder how many writers are a bit crazy like I am. As I write, I’m torn between loving what’s appearing on the page, and feeling certain it’s worthless drivel. Finally I throw up my hands in despair, proofread, and hand it over to my editor to let her deal with it. So every time I hear that someone has read Secondhand Charm and loved it, I’m thrilled, of course, but also a little bit astonished.

I noticed that you have started a series called The Splurch Academy for Disruptive Boys. Can you tell us a little bit about this series? Are they middle grade novels or graphic novels?

Yes, and yes! Splurch Academy for Disruptive Boys is a collaboration with my sister, Sally Faye Gardner, the illustrator. It’s the story of Cody Mack, fifth grader and expert troublemaker, whose parents and principal send him to a boarding school of last resort to try to fix his bad behavior: Splurch Academy, where eminent behaviorist Dr. Archibald Farley promises to reform Cody for good. Dr. Farley turns out to be a mad scientist vampire, and the faculty, a pack of shape-shifting kid-eating fiends. No one ever escapes alive. (This feels a lot like junior high to me.) Cody and his friends have to stay alert and crafty to save their skins from Farley’s sinister schemes, the first of which involves plungering boy brains out through ear canals and swapping them with the brains of trained rats. Good wholesome entertainment for reluctant readers everywhere. ;)

The series, which currently has four titles in the works, is a mix of early middle grade chapter book and graphic novel. It feels very “comic book,” but there’s lots of novel for kids to read as well. I know that many current series have played with different ways of integrating text, illustrations, and comic panels, but I think the recipe we’ve concocted with Splurch Academy is unique, and lots of fun. It’s a love note to my four disruptive sons, whom I holler at more than I should. I hope it’ll raise my stock value in their eyes. Series titles so far: THE RAT BRAIN FIASCO, CURSE OF THE BIZARRO BEETLE, THE COLOSSAL FOSSIL FREAKOUT, and THE TROUBLE WITH SQUIDS.

We’ll, end with one last random question. What is your favorite thing about fall?
Sweaters! And apple crisp. I make a mean apple crisp, and an even meaner apple pie, when I can find the time. But now that I’ve hit my metabolism-squelching mid-thirties, sweaters may be the only innocent fall pleasure left to me.

Thanks for the inverview. It was fun! Secondhand Charm has been out in the stores for several weeks now. I hope some of you readers will take a chance to pick it up this fall season.

Airman by Eoin Colfer

2010-10-15T16:57:00.000-07:00

Airman by Eoin Colfer

So, ever since reading Leviathan I’ve been really interested in the Steampunk genre. Aided by this booklist on Gail Carriger’s website, I’ve been exploring this genre more. Airman by Eoin Colfer takes place during the later half of the 1800’s and focuses a lot on man’s quest for flight. This books is told in a narrative style that draws you into the story, and makes you wonder exactly how much of this story is true or false. I found the style charming because it made the setting and world of the characters feel more real. The plot centers around a young boy Connor, who lives on the Saltee Islands, barren wastes of rock off the coast of Ireland, whose only source of income are its numerous diamond mines.

The Islands have recently crowned a new king, a man of science and progress, who is determined to make the lives of his subjects improved through the discoveries of science. Connor’s father is the king’s friend and the commander of his defensive wall. So, Connor spends much of his youth roaming the castle with Princess Isabella, and his teenage years being tutored in the arts of science and self-defense by the eccentric French airman Victor Vigny. Connor and his tutor are obsessed with creating a machine that will allow men to fly, but in the midst of their planning and preparations Connor discovers a plot against the king.

As the only witness to an assassination he is thrown into infamous Saltee prison, and left to believe that even his family thinks that he committed the crime himself. As Connor adjusts to the harsh realities in prison he must use the skills that Victor taught him to both say alive, and to escape. Covering his prison walls with sketches and diagrams of flying machines Connor is determined to fly away from his prison cell.

I think one of the strengths of this book is the setting. It seems so real and the Saltee Islands and its inhabitants have a character all their own. I really enjoyed reading about this little Island and one comes away from reading the book feeling like it was a real place. I also admired Connor’s character. He was really brilliant, but he still was likable because he had to struggle so hard to survive. His time in prison is dark, and a little bit violent, but the author manages to make prison bearable for him in a realistic way, and show how his character grows. Connor manages to use his wits to not only survive prison, but do so with some of his morals intact. I like the fact that though he was threatened with violence that he found a way to win over his enemies without killing them and even making them into friends. This makes his character all the more likable and admirable. This will really appeal to boy audiences, as it has clever flying machines, sword fights, and the thrill of a great adventure story. Overall, this book was a satisfying and enjoyable read.

Eoin Colfer's Website

Boneshaker by Cheri Priest

2010-10-08T16:15:00.000-07:00

Boneshaker by Cherie Priest

Briar Wilkes has left her past behind the huge walls that were constructed to protect the old city of Seattle. When people ask her about her husband and how he caused the blight she keeps her mouth shut. She hasn’t even told her fifteen-year-old son the truth of everything that happened all those years ago when her husband’s huge drill opened a vein of poisonous gas deep under the earth. There is nothing left behind those huge walls that were built in order to keep the gas, and the creatures it created contained.

There is one problem with this plan. Her son wants to prove his father’s innocence, and so he sneaks under the walls and into the city. Only then does Briar discover that some of the old settlers are still living inside the city walls, underground, hiding from the rotters— gas eaten corpses that hardly resemble humans any more. So Briar makes a decision to go in after her son, and get him out before they both end up dead or worse.

So, I picked up this book because I read about it on Scott Westerfeld’s blog, and because I’m becoming more and more interested in the steampunk genre. It really is so much fun, and my husband is right when half of the fun is the alternate history aspect of the genre. This story takes place way out west when Washington is still a territory and the Civil War is going on. This story feels like a cozy old western with wicked villain and super cool guns, only it’s infested with zombies. So, I really enjoyed this story, although it was a little violent and the author seemed to like to describe people dying in detail. I skipped paragraphs that described how people died so I can’t tell you how bad it was.

The setting is also unique as the people who live inside the walls have to pump clean air into sealed off buildings, and underground so they can live. The author plays with historical timeline a bit so that Seattle has its old landmarks, and feels like an extra creepy ghost town. I also thought it was interesting that the author put a whole group of Asians in the underground city, and showed how they kept the city supplied with air, and some of the story dealt with the prejudice against them during that historical period. It was really refreshing to read a book that had so many different types of people and characters. It really made the world feel more authentic, and almost every single character was unique and memorable in some way.

There is a moderate amount of swearing; it wasn’t overwhelming, but there are curse words scattered throughout the novel. I really didn’t like one of the main characters as much after the ending, and so that sort of ruined some of the novel’s appeal for me. Still it was an enjoyable read.

Visit Cheri Priest's websitefor more information on the book and its sequels.

Steampunk Challenge

2010-10-08T14:21:00.000-07:00

Several weeks ago I put a challenge icon up in my sidebar. I slighly late in posting about it, but it is still October right? So, it is all good in my book! The steampunk reading challenge is hosted by the Bookeeper.

The main purpose of the challenge is to spend October 2010-October 2011 discovering more about the steampunk novels that exist out there. I find this quite funny as I had already decided to make the month of October an unoffical steampunk month for myself. Earlier in the year I read Airman by Eoin Colfer and Boneshaker by Cheri Priest. Both of those reviews will be posted this month and tomorrow I will be running to my nearest bookstore to purchase Behemoth by Scott Westerfeld. I am SO EXCITED to read this book. I can't wait until it is in my hot little hands. So happy it is a three day weekend.

Other novels/authors I'm interested in trying out:

Behemoth by Scott Westerfeld
The Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare
Sapphique by Catherine Fisher
Airborn series by Kenneth Opal

It also may be interesting to read the classics:
The Time Machine by H.G. Wells
Twenty thousand leagues under the sea by Jules Verne.

So, we will see where the year takes me. Steampunk here I come!

The Secondhand Charm by Julie Berry

2010-10-01T06:47:00.000-07:00

The Secondhand Charm by Julie Berry

The end of school looms before Evie and her friend Priscilla, who have both fought for the highest grades and honors in school. They both feel too young to start families, and Evie has long held the dream of attending the university to become physician like her parents. The villagers consider Evie lucky because of her unusually good health and skill in helping others during childbirth and illness.
Then shortly before the traditional feast of St. Bronwyn a herald appears to announce that the king himself will be visiting their celebration. Soon the town is abuzz with repairs and preparations. One town member even manages to invite a troop of gypsies from which Evie buys a few good luck charms. Perhaps that is why her skill is called upon when one of the king’s men falls ill with a fever. Evie is able to heal him, and either as a result of her new gypsy charms or the good deed, the king offers her and Priscilla chance to study at the university in Chalcedon.
As Evie sets out for the capital with her friend Priscilla and her old neighbor Aiden, who is returning to finish his apprenticeship to a stonemason, she discovers that not even a lucky charm can protect her from unsafe travelling conditions. After several mishaps she ends up sailing to Chalcedon on a ship, and finds that she has an almost magical attraction to the sea. She soon discovers that this feeling is more than newfound awe, and discovers that she has an ancestry that she never knew about before, an ancestry, which includes her having a powerful sea serpent as her companion.
Last year Julie Berry’s debut novel Amaranth Enchantment came out, and this year she publishes her next novel Secondhand Charm, a story about a girl who stumbles upon her magical powers unexpectedly. The discovery of her powers helps her to make friends in high places, and soon she discovers that someone is plotting against the king. Evie must come up with a plan to stop the plotters from succeeding, and save the king.
I really enjoyed this little fantasy novel. It was a quick read with a strong action plot, though the author sneaks in Aiden, who was very crush worthy, as a romantic lead. I really liked the sea serpent twist in the story, and thought it was interesting to see Evie getting used to her new serpent friend. One of my biggest complaints was that I wished the story had lasted longer! I would have loved more details about her sea serpent. The only other thing was that I found it odd that Evie took the big reveal about her ancestry at the end pretty easily. I would have thought that she would be more upset about finding out the truth about her mother.
Overall, this story drew me in from the first page with the line, “And what were fish eyes between friends?” and kept me interested until the very last page. The ending is satisfying and yet leaves the possibility open for a sequel. Since I wanted to read more about the world and Evie’s sea serpent powers I would very much love to see one.

Visit Julie Berry's website

The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan

2010-09-26T20:04:00.000-07:00

The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan
"Since their mother’s death, Carter and Sadie have become near strangers. While Sadie has lived with her grandparents in London, her brother has traveled
the world with their father, the brilliant Egyptologist, Dr. Julius Kane.

One night, Dr. Kane brings the siblings together for a "research experiment" at the British Museum, where he hopes to set things right for his family. Instead, he unleashes the Egyptian god Set, who banishes him to oblivion and forces the children to flee for their lives.

Soon, Sadie and Carter discover that the gods of Egypt are waking, and the worst of them--Set--has his sights on the Kanes. To stop him, the siblings
embark on a dangerous journey across the globe--a quest that brings them ever closer to the truth about their family, and their links to a secret order that has
existed since the time of the pharaohs."

So I was really excited to read this book! It is like Percy Jackson but Egyptian style. I enjoyed reading it, but didn’t like it as much as I did the original Percy Jackson series. Part of the reason is that I didn’t know much about Egyptian Mythology and so I didn’t have as much fun recognizing the Egyptian gods as I did Greek and Roman myths and gods. The other part is that I think the author had to do a lot of work to set up the background of the Egyptian Mythology and that sort of slowed down the action a bit, notice it is longer than The Lightening Thief. I felt like I was always having something new introduced and explained to me. The author did do a good job with incorporating the info into the story it was just that there was a LOT of it. The characters were interesting, though, sometimes I felt like Sadie was a bit off. In the end I thought it was a good book with a solid plot. I was totally hooked into what was going to happen at the end. The reader just has to have some patience to deal a lot of introduced background info. I’m wondering if the next book will be a lot more fun to read now that the world and a bunch of the characters have been set up in the first book.

I am really happy that I have a fun fiction book about Egyptian Mythology to recommend to my Latin students though.

Rick Riordan's Website

Just One Wish by Jannette Rallison

2010-09-10T17:00:00.000-07:00

Just One Wish by Jannette Rallison

Annika’s main goal in life is to keep her little brother’s spirits up because he has cancer, and cancer patients need to stay positive. The problem is that he wants to meet Teen Robin Hood, but it shouldn’t be too difficult to convince a Hollywood actor to come help a boy with cancer, right? Especially, if her little brother only has a week until he goes into surgery.

Turns out that contacting Hollywood actors is a little more complicated then she thought, but that doesn’t stop her. She would travel to the ends of the earth to fulfill her little brother’s wish. Driving four hours to a movie set in California isn’t going to stop her. It is the sneaking onto the movie set that is the hard part, but Annika has got that handled until Mr. Teen Robin himself decides to throw her in jail. Can she convince this arrogant teenage star to help her brother, and let her go free before it is too late?

I finally got this book at the library. Finally! This one has been on my to-read list since it came out. I think I actually put it on hold at the library last summer, but then I started my first year of teaching and it went off of the read list until life returned to sanity. So, I’m really happy to say I loved this book. I was hooked from the very first chapter, and couldn’t put the book down after that. I really sympathized with Annika’s determination to bring hope into her little brother’s life. I also loved her hilarious capers across a Hollywood set. I couldn’t put this book down and finished it in one day. That hasn’t happened to me for a long time. I was so immersed in the story I didn’t put the book down for hours. I highly recommend Jannette Rallison to anyone who loves a clean romantic comedy.

Jannette Rallison's website

Signed books: LDS Storymakers Conference

2010-09-08T15:04:00.000-07:00

These three got signed at LDS Storymakers Conference that I went to in 2009. I love Janette Rallison. She is such a sweet lady when you meet her in person and she writes funny, clean books! Lisa Mangum gave a ton of ARC of her new series out at the conference and we all got them signed. The second book is out now. Recovering Charles was a freebee in our conference bag. I don't think Jason Wright attended that conference, but I appreciated the signed book anyway.

Princess of Glass by Jessica Day George

2010-09-03T11:16:00.000-07:00

Princess of Glass by Jessica Day George

"Hoping to escape the troubles in her kingdom, Princess Poppy reluctantly agrees to take part in a royal exchange program, whereby young princes and princesses travel to each other's countries in the name of better political alliances—and potential marriages. It's got the makings of a fairy tale—until a hapless servant named Ellen is tricked by a vengeful fairy godmother into competing with Poppy for the eligible prince. Ballgowns, cinders, and enchanted glass slippers fly in this romantic and action-packed happily-ever-after quest from an author with a flair for embroidering tales in her own delightful way." (summary from Author's website)

Princess of Glass is a sequel to Princess of the Midnight Ball, which was a retelling of the twelve dancing Princesses. I was interested when I first picked it up if it would be a sequel that would merely take place in the same world created in the book Princess of the Midnight Ball or if it would be another fairy tale retelling. At first it seems that the book doesn’t really relate to any fairy tale, until we meet Elanora, and then slowly the plot weaves into a Cinderella retelling, in which the Godmother really is a nasty witch with a hidden agenda.

George manages to make the fairy-tale fresh by telling the story from a different point of view, and adding a few of her own clever plot twists. I enjoyed reading this engaging tale, but I felt like the witch was defeated a bit too easily. There really wasn’t much detail on how exactly everything ended up fairy tale perfect at the end, but still it was really fun to read. If you love retold fairy tales or just a fun princess story you should totally give this one a shot.

Visit Jessica Day George's Website

Signed Books: Jessica Day George

2010-09-01T12:30:00.000-07:00

Another book signed at the Provo Children's Book Festival. Dragon Slipper's had won the Whitney Award the year before, which I had checked out from the library and enjoyed reading. So, at the Festival I bought Dragon Flight and got it signed by Jessica Day George. I included a picture I took after she signed my book. Ah, I miss Provo sometimes, because they have so many cool author's that do lots of signings in the area.

Announcement!

2010-08-31T13:09:00.000-07:00

So, I have news. Good news.

I'm pregnant.

Yea!

I am very excited. I am about ten weeks along, and we had our first ultrasound today. It was very cool. The little tyke was wiggling around and we got to see its heart beat. Everything was normal and the baby looked healthy.

We are thrilled.

I'm due April 1st and I have been feeling great.
I really can't ask for more.

Signed Books: Brandon Sanderson

2010-08-26T14:24:00.000-07:00

I have to admit, that having the entire Mistborn Trilogy signed by Sanderson in my possession makes me feel pretty cool. Of all collection of signed books this little set it the one I prize the most. These all got signed during my Provo days when Sanderson was just getting his start in the writing world. Well, by the time Mistborn three came out he was a pretty big name. The first one I gave to a friend to get signed, as they took his writing class, and I just handed them the book and asked them to get them signed for me. The third one I stood in line for a couple hours to get signed after a 10 hour work day. Yeah, I'm nerd or a geek or a psycho fan. Noticed that it is numbered. I got Alcatraz signed at the Provo Children's Book Festival. I think it is funny that it is upside down.

Censorship

2010-08-25T15:52:00.001-07:00

So, there has been a hoopla about Ellen Hopkin's being disinvited from coming to the Teen Lit Fest hosted by Humble School District. As I actually teach in this district and have worked with librarians in this district. I'm getting kind of annoyed about some of the things that people are saying about us.

First off, we have excellent librarians! Excellent! On my campus my librarian is brillant and helpful to students. I have mentioned her in passing on this blog. She is the one that lets my borrow all the awesome ARCs, and gets books into the hands of our teenagers. She reads and reccomends challenging literature to the students. As in I've seen her encourage students to read books that deal with the topic of gay teens, poloygamy, and even specifically Ellen Hopkin's books.

I am totally all about clean reads on this blog. I believe strongly that our kids need to read clean books as well as nasty ones. They should be able to choose and my blog is about making it easier to find and to read clean books. I really do think that some topics are totally inappropriate to read about because I think they are spiritually and emotionally damaging. This opinion is strongly tied to my religious beliefs.

I think too often that people get so gung ho about non-censorship that the idea gets across that anything and everything is appropriate for everyone. I strongly believe that this is not true. Children, espeically elementry children, should be protected by the adults in their lives from inappropriate information. Studies have show that exposure to information that is not developmentally appropriate for kids can leave permanant detremental effects on how they develop heathly relationships later in life.

I also strongly believe that pornography in all of it's forms is never ever appropriate in any setting for anyone of any age. It sickens me that is form of filth has become so prevasive in our society, and access to it is so easy. It is an addictive behavior that destorys marriages, and as a result the use of pornography directly impacts the lives of innocent children who have to suffer through the pain of divorce.

It angers me that we will expend our efforts, time, and money to perserve the environment, but that the evil institution of slavery still exists. And it's largest form is that of sexual slavery and prostitution. Yet, we support these forms of entertainment that objectify and denigrate the human mind, body and spirit. When are we going to stand up for these victims and say enough is enough? It is time to stop this plague of fiflth and banish it from our society.

That being said. I do believe very strongly in the freedom of choice, especially for teens. I often do not approve of the things my students choose to read, but there must be a choice. There has to be a choice or the students would no longer have the power to choose what type of people they want to become, and if they do not get to make those choices then our existence is worthless. Our society of formless. We are no better than tools, or keyboards, or shovels moving dirt around.

So, I accept that there will be books I disagree with. That there needs to be books that I disagree with. I admit I've read some, and by doing so I've formed an opinion of what I think is right and wrong. Each person has to make the journey on their own. But all form of entertainment, experience, and substances that cause addiction take away our freedom to make these choices and they are harmful and dangerous: to family, to friends, to teachers, to students, to schools, to government, to nations, to humanity as a whole.

Some censored and challenged books could fall into this catagory. I think most YA books do not.

Somtimes I just feel like someone needs to stand up and say that some forms of entertainment and recreation are just as bad as censorship or worse. They take away our freedom, our humanity, our compassion, and turn the user into a slave. I'm going to be that person today. That is my stance on censorship. We have to be so careful, sometimes we are so weak as humans and we choose exactly that which is most harmful to us.

From what I've heard of Hopkins writing (and I won't read her books. Think....clean reads.) I think that she tries to show the dangers of addiction and how they can destroy lives, the dangers of viewing ourselves and others as objects. I am saddened that the teenagers will not have the chance to meet her at the festival this year, as her experiences are relavant to their lives and choices they have to make at this time. She could be a great asset to them at this time.

But I am more saddened that the festival was cancelled this year. I am saddened that students had to be the ones that lost out in this battle. I am most especially worried that this controversy will stop festivals from happening in the future, because that would lead to more voices being silenced. The Humble Teen Lit Fest has hosted challenged and banned authors before, and I would be disappointed if this situation took out the Festival in one fell swoop, and no authors were heard from in the future.

I have to say that dislike the idea of a boycott in this instance because it takes opprotunities away from the students. I would have liked much more to see something done along the lines of Aprilynne Pike's suggestions.

this world we live in by Susan Beth Pfeffer

2010-08-20T10:56:00.000-07:00

this world we live in by Susan Beth Pfeffer

It has been a year since the world ended. It has been a year since a catastrophic asteroid hit the moon and knocked it out of its natural orbit. The seas heaved, volcanoes erupted, and the world went mad. Miranda and her family have survived a long, cold winter in Pennsylvania. The spring and summer come slowly, and Miranda’s father returns with her step-mother Lisa, and their child, Gabriel. With them comes several other people, including Alex and Julie Morales. Miranda and Alex develop feelings for each other, but Alex’s plans for the future are pulling them apart. Can their love survive in this world that is so torn apart?

I could not put down the two previous books in this series and this book was no exception. This post -apocalyptic novel will hold your attention to the very end. This World We Live In reverts back to the journal style that makes Life as We Knew It so compelling. I am amazed at how perfectly the author keeps Miranda’s voice consistent and real. In fact it was drawn so completely back into this world that it was hard for me to stay there, because the situation they are in is so dark. Yet, once again there is comfort in how Miranda’s family draws together and supports one another. The ending of this book was really dark, and I disliked it. I was mad at Miranda for days afterward. She finally gives into despair and does something so horrible that I don’t know how she could stand to live with herself. It really was painful to read. This one really makes you think about deep moral issues such as, our responsibility to help others in need, under what circumstances it is better to live or die, and what we will do for those we love.

I’m getting all sad again just writing this review. I don’t know if I can really recommend this one. All I can say is that it will not leave you untouched.

visit Susan Beth Pfeffer's blog

The 13th Reality:The Blade of Shattered Hope by James Dashner

2010-08-13T07:50:00.000-07:00

The 13th Reality: The Blade of Shattered Hope by James Dashner

"Things have changed for Atticus Higginbottom. After the near catastrophe in the Fourth Reality, Tick’s being homeschooled in the fields of science, trying to master the mysterious Chi’karda. But just as he begins to make progress, Mistress Jane reappears, now hideously scarred and much more powerful. She has tapped into the universe’s darkest secret to create the Blade of Shattered Hope, and in her quest to attaia Utopian Reality for the future of mankind, she’s ready to risk billions of lives—including those of Tick’s parents and sisters—to set her plan in motion. Her vengeance knows no bounds. When rumors begin to circulate about the secret scientific experiments taking place at the Factory, Tick and his friends Sato, Sofia, and Paul are faced with their most dangerous task yet. And they must not fail; the entire universe could cease to exist." (summary from publisher's website)

This is the third book in James Dashner’s 13th Reality series, and his troop of characters have to save the world from Mistress Jane again. One thing that I didn’t really like about this book was that it was kind of a downer. It doesn’t seem like Tick has fun being a Realitant anymore. He is always scared, or stressed out, or being exposed to bad things. It seems the experience of being a Realitant is really negative and so I don’t know why the characters continue being them. I mean they get to help people and stuff, but there isn’t much to balance out the horrible parts. At least in the Pendragon series you get to see some really cool settings and places, and meet some really awesome new friends. The Blade of Shattered Hope didn’t seem to have much of that balancing magic, and so I didn’t find it as fun to read.

I think this book did much better at having an interesting beginning, as the action starts out right away. There were some parts during the book that I got bored, and put the book down for a while, but I wanted to finish reading the series, and so I continued to read. I got to say that Sato has turned into a really cool character. I think he is one of my favorites. He turns into a real hero in this book, I think. Dashner also managed to slip in another riddle, keeping up with the tradition of the previous books. I was totally surprised, but then was surprised that there was only one riddle. I thought it would have been cool if there were more. It was also interesting to see that Tick’s family got more involved in this book, and it looks like they will be more involved in the next book too.

So, for me this was an okay read. It hasn’t been my favorite read of the summer, but it still had some pretty cool scenes, and some cool character moments.
The series Website
James Dashner's Blog

Signed Book: James Dashner

2010-08-12T20:06:00.000-07:00

Shadow Mountain gave out a huge number of copies of the 13th Reality to kick off the series, and I got a copy from Dasher when I ran into him at the LDS Storymakers conference. I wasn't attending, but by odd happenstance my family was staying the weekend at the same hotel the conference was taking place at. It was pretty funny.

Pocket of Guilt by Dora Lee Thompson

2010-08-06T14:48:00.000-07:00

Pocket of Guilt by Dora Lee Thompson

"The Schulz family, all members of the Mormon church, is trying to survive in Germany, during and after WWII. When Hitler invades Poland and the war officially begins, the family is quickly feeling its strain, as they have less and less food to eat. Anna Schulz often stands in line for hours, only to find the market shelves empty. This becomes the least of her worries though, when, one by one, the men of the Schulz family head off to defend their country. The story follows Dieter, the middle son, just 10 years old when the war begins, as he learns to cope with the war around him. Read about his stubborn streak and spontaneity, and how it gets him into trouble, how he defies Hitler's law by giving aid to a Jew and subsequently finds himself in the biggest trouble of his life, and what happens when he has to decide between loyalty and love. Will Dieter ever be able to forgive himself for all of the things he has had to do to survive the war, or will he have to live with his guilt forever?"

I enjoyed reading Pocket of Guilt for the most part, but there were more than one instance in the book where the author made it pretty obvious that this was her first book. I think she tried to tell too much story in one book, and the story would have been more enjoyable as a series. There are many story lines in the book, and many of them aren’t fleshed out very well. I would have loved to see a trilogy here. One book could have dealt with the beginning of Nazi persecution against the Jewish population and how Dieter and his father tried to help them. An entire other book could have been written on Dieter’s new addiction to stealing food and other items to avoid starvation and his path to redemption. Another volume could have dealt with how Dieter got Leo, an orphaned Jewish boy to safety in the middle of a huge war, and without catching the notice of a nasty Hitler Youth bully.

As the book stands it has all three of the above plot lines plus three romance stories, and other little side trips. The most developed character is Dieter, but we also get points of view from his family. I felt like some of these points of view were inserted randomly just so the author could get more historical information put into the book, which made a lot of scenes feel forced. There is also a scene where the author inserts a biography of Adolf Hitler that sounds like it comes from a 21st century textbook rather than a teenaged Hitler youth giving a report to his classmates.

The book is only 300 pages long, but felt much longer, because of how many story lines the book contains. With that being said I really felt like I came to know Dieter and his family, and I cared about what happened to them. It was interesting to read a book from the point of view of and LDS family in Mannheim, Germany during WWII. The advantage of the book all being one novel is that we get to find out what happens to Deiter and his family. We get to see the family at their highest and lowest points, and we get to see them slowly recovering after the war also. The timeline of the book covers from the beginning of the war to the end of the war, and a little bit after during the American recovery.

So, I felt like too much happened in this book, but that the characters were interesting, the story told from a unique angle, and most of the writing was enjoyable. So, this is not a perfect debut, but still an okay read.

Visit Dora Lee Thompson's website

Spells by Aprilynne Pike

2010-07-30T12:29:00.000-07:00

Spells by Aprilynne Pike

"Six months have passed since Laurel saved the gateway to the faerie realm of Avalon. Now she must spend her summer there, honing her skills as a Fall ...more Six months have passed since Laurel saved the gateway to the faerie realm of Avalon. Now she must spend her summer there, honing her skills as a Fall faerie. But her human family and friends are still in mortal danger--and the gateway to Avalon is more compromised than ever.

When it comes time to protect those she loves, will she depend on David, her human boyfriend, for help? Or will she turn to Tamani, the electrifying faerie with whom her connection is undeniable?" (summary from Author's Website)

So, surprisingly I really liked Tamani in this book. I remember not really liking him in the first book, but he is growing on me. Alas, David still hasn’t won me over much. I thought that Laurel’s summer in Avalon was fun to read about because we got to learn more about the mythology and culture of fairies in her world. I had wished there was more of this in the first book, and hope for more of it in the sequels. The details of the Avalon world made the this book have just a bit more of that magical feel that I was wanting from the first book. I thought it was interesting to see how Laurel’s mom reacted to her being a fairy in this book, and thought it was cool that Pike would include Laurel’s parents as pretty major minor characters in the book. I ‘m glad they are not completely forgotten like the majority of fantasy fiction.

I’ve noticed that a common complaint about the first book was that the fairy’s enemies—trolls— aren’t very well developed and kind of show up randomly. I’m afraid this book is pretty much the same. There are still a bunch of evil trolls wandering around trying to get into Avalon, and randomly attacking Laurel and her friends. There are some more interesting developments in the conflict with the trolls in that we get the feeling that they have an larger evil plan going on, and that there are professional troll hunters out there, but other than that they show up, make life hard for Laurel, get beat up and disappear. Hopefully, we get to learn exactly what these troll villains are up to in future books. Also, Tamani gets a super- secret mission for the next book. I have to admit I’m curious to find out what he is planning to do.

Something that bugged me about this book was the amount of making out done by David and Laurel. Laurel’s mom is always reminding them to stop. It was really annoying and I wish the author hadn’t included so much of that in the book. It got old really fast. So, really this book is not squeaky clean in that regard.

So, when it comes down to it I guess my feelings regarding this book are kind of mixed. There were a few things that I didn’t like about the narrative, but I still had an enjoyable time reading it for the most part. I had a hard time putting the book down once I started.

Aprilynne Pike's website

Signed Books: Online Contests

2010-07-28T12:08:00.000-07:00

Below are three books that I won in random online contests over the few years that I have been blogging. One was a Valentine's Day giveaway. The other two I don't remember how or exactly where I got them, but all the authors sent the books signed. Julie Bellon sent hers with a nice handwritten note. It was a very nice touch. My Reviews for All's Fair and Don't you Marry the Mormon Boys. I still haven't finished reading Dawn's Early Light. I did like the characters in Dawn Early Light, even if they were a bit stereotypical, especially in the beginning. Later on in the book the characters take unique and surprising paths that I wasn't expecting, but the plot didn't grab me a whole lot. I really can't put a finger on why I haven't finished the book yet. Maybe I'll try to pick it up again.

How to Find Clean Books: Book Reviews

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

How to find clean books: Book Reviews
Another method of finding clean books is to read book reviews. There are a number of blogs and websites dedicated to finding clean reads. I’ll guess this post will be an annotated link list.

Clean Read Blogs/websites
The most recent website I’ve found that helps readers find clean books is Squeaky Clean Reads.

I really like the lay out, it is clean, simple and easy to navigate. It has books lists in a format similar to good reads, and looks like the site will host giveaways, which is always nice. My favorite feature is that it has a list of clean reads for book clubs. I’ve found some of the most offensive books I’ve read have been book club books. Why do book clubs always read such nasty and depressing books most of the time? So, I think it is really helpful for that at the very least. I guess the only weakness to this site is that the ratings are based on reader’s votes. So unless a lot of people go over and participate in rating books some books won’t have any information on them. So, this site is only good as its participants. So go and explore the site and rate away.

The Literate Mother

Focuses on children’s and Young Adult Literature. Started by a mom, who was concerned with what her kids were reading, and so she started a website. Has a lot a recent releases.

Good Clean Reads
Book Review blog. Hasn’t updated for a while, but it has lots of archives.

Library of Clean reads
Book Review blog. Still very active. I never really followed this one because I never found book reviews on books I was interested in.

Rated Reads
This site was started by an experienced newspaper book reviewer. Has a lot of variety and also contains reviews of recent releases.

Homespun Light
Originally, “Deliciously Clean Reads”, the author moved the blog over to a new blog “Homespun Light.” The site doesn’t focus exclusively on book reviews anymore and focuses a lot of homeschooling, creative kid projects, and occasionally has a book review of a new clean read. I read His Majesty’s Dragon by Naomi Novik because of a review on this blog, and now I have read the entire series. Yea! For the discovery of new series. Links to the archive are on the upper left corner.

Blogs with rating guides:

Also, many more blogs than those listed above will have content ratings on the bottom, so many that they are too numerous to list, but they are nice to have around. Some of them have random numbers right in a row at the bottom of the post. (example: 2.1.3.) I don’t tend to like these very well because usually the numbers mean different things on different blogs and so I get confused and have to read a million ‘guide to ratings’ posts and it annoys me. I much prefer for content to be rated in words lists (example: violence:1 Swearing:2 sexual content: 2 etc.). Susan at Bloggin’ ‘Bout Books gives her books movie ratings, which is nice and understandable.

So, I don’t do ratings. Why don’t I do ratings you ask? Mostly, because I’m lazy. I try to warn people about content that could be offensive in the post itself, but really I don’t want to label books. I like it when other people label books, but I don’t like to do it myself. Also, part of me feels weird putting a content label on a book. I feel like I’m judging it, and while I have the right to judge books for myself. I feel uncomfortable putting such obvious labels on books for others. There is some content that I feel is wrong to put in a book, but in some cases it comes down to style and taste. So, I always feel that my ratings wouldn’t really add anything really useful to my reviews. I worry in fact that they would be harmful. This is why I avoid labels, and take other peoples labels with a grain of salt. Sometimes they can be too conservative and other times too liberal for my tastes. So while ratings are a good guide stick they aren’t 100% reliable.

What do you guys think? Do you like ratings or no? How much do you rely on them when you are thinking about reading a book?

Princess for Hire by Lindsey Leavitt

2010-07-23T13:29:00.000-07:00

Princess for Hire by Lindsey Leavitt

Desi Bascomb knows that she had the lamest job ever—standing in front of a pet store dressed as a groundhog—but at least she has her anonymity. That is until her ex-best friend reveals her identity in front of Hayden, the boy she likes, in the most humiliating way possible. It has been a bad day, but her boss assures her that the fish is in the backroom is magical and if she makes a wish everything will get better. Yeah right.

Several days later Desi is contacted by Meredith, a princess agent, and discovers the sweet life. Apparently, Desi has enough MP (magical power) that when she applies special Egyptian Makeup “royal rouge” she takes on the appearance of any princess who needs her services. Desi thinks that living life as a princess substitute (hey even princesses need vacations!) will be great, but the job is full of unexpected difficulties. She hadn’t expected rude older sisters, preforming African tribal rituals, and trying to deal with old love interests. Doing all this without betraying that she really isn’t the princess is one hard deal, but Desi knows she can be good at this business and make a difference to the girls that she is helping. That is if the agency will give her a chance to prove that the choices she has made are right.

I don’t think I would have picked this book up if I hadn’t read Susan’s review at Bloggin' 'bout Books. She said she really enjoyed it, but I was thinking that cover is really pink and girly. So when I saw this book at the library I decided to pick it up and give it a try. I was really surprised because I was immediately drawn in by Desi’s charming and funny voice. Perhaps, the magic is a little bit unbelievable, a critical reader will probably have to suspend their belief a bit, but the idea is fun, magical, and enjoyable to read about. My favorite scene is when Desi takes her first practice assignment and substitutes for an actress who is a princess on a sci-fi show in which the main characters are bugs. So Desi is signing photos dressed as an inelegant caterpillar and gets proposed to by a crazy guy dressed as a wood louse. It was so hilarious! Each substitute job has its own fiasco to deal with as Desi learns the ropes. I think this really does have the potential to be a charming and popular series among young teen girls. So, if you are looking for a bit of magic and a laugh this would be a good one to pick up.

Visit Author Lindsey Leavitt's website

Also, Check out this awesome post at Cynsations. There is video of Lindsey Leavitt reading from Princess for Hire and an author interview.

Full Sail by Beverly Pierce Strobel

2010-07-21T07:43:00.000-07:00

Full Sail: A 21st Century Spiritual Cruise on Board the Mayflower by Bev erly Pierce Stroebel

So, I must admit that I didn’t really like Full Sail, though I did find some parts of it interesting. My first impression was that it was a social history of Puritan religion and how it affected U.S. institutions, law, and traditions today. In short I was expecting a more academic approach to the topic. Full Sail truly is more of a daily spiritual devotional guide than history.

The author has spilt up the chapters into logbook entries that correspond to major historical landmarks made by the Puritans, who sailed over on the Mayflower. Each chapter starts with a scripture, a wake-up call and briefing. The “wake-up call” usually involved famous, interesting, and on-topic quotes by historical leaders, writers, and figures. The “briefing” would introduce the topic the author wanted address through the lens of the puritan experiences and then turned into a social commentary on how the nation incorporated these values or ideas, and how the issues apply to the present day. Some of these briefing topics included: education, law enforcement and court systems, liberty, land, language, and literacy.

Many of the topics were treated rather superficially without much detail. The author quoted other people more often than I would have liked. I would have liked to hear more of her thoughts and opinions expressed.

I found a few of her "briefing" essays really interesting. I enjoyed reading the author’s essay on marriage. The essay focused a lot on how Christ has a marriage like relationship with those who are believers. It was an interesting comparison and fascinating to read.

After opening this way the author would list “Free Time” options where she encouraged readers to do service, ponder a certain theme, or some other activity that would incorporate the topic into devotional participants lives.

After free time was a “last briefing” in which the author includes hymn that applied to the topic and prayers. I’m really not a fan of written prayers, and so didn’t really like this section. I most especially didn’t like this section when it included a “cruise bonus” which 90% of the time was a scene from a screenplay, which was obviously the author’s pet project. These things were occasionally really difficult to read through. The dialogue was so fake, and writing often hit the reader over the head with an obvious theme. Really, it just wasn't something I was excited to be reading. A few scenes weren’t that bad, but most of them were pretty hard to get through, and there were a few that I gave up reading at all in order to move on to the next topic. There is a decent short story about teddy bears that was a nice break from screen plays, though.

Other points along the daily devotional could include a “cruise library visit,” which was a list of recommended books on the topic the author was addressing. Each chapter also included the introduction of each generation of the author’s ancestors. So, the book has a very strong Family History bent to it, and includes basic information on doing genealogical research. The author also repeats about four different times that her ancestor Mary Chilton was the first woman to set foot on Plymouth Rock, according to family oral traditions. I think she does a very good job at introducing the history and background of her ancestors and I found this to be rather interesting. Perhaps, because it was personal to the author and it becomes obvious how much research she had done to recreate the history and lives of these people in her mind. In fact, the main character in her screenplay excerpts is none other than Mary Chilton.

Each devotional ends with “covenant and dedications” which includes positive affirmations about the topic discussed, and a “night watch,” which included a list of scriptures to read.

I don’t think I would really recommend Full Sail to anyone I know, but it is a book that contains a lot of information. There is a large bibliography on Mayflower topics, including a reading list of books for children and young adults on the topic. A section on Genealogy resources, marriage resources, a list of information and organizations devoted to messianic Jews, a list of ministries, volunteer organizations, and humanitarian aid services are also included in the appendix.

The book has a lot of resources and talking points for those that are interested in presenting American themed spiritual discussions/lectures/sermons. It could also be a useful resource for those that are specifically interested Mayflower Pilgrims’ Family History. I don’t think I quite fit in the author’s target audience, but I hope I gave enough information about the style and format of the book so that those interested can make better decisions on purchasing it.

Bring it on communications send this book for me to review.