Stacking the Shelves (#2)

 Stacking the Shelves hosted by Tynga's Reviews gives bloggers a chance to show what books they've added to their collection, whether they're purchased, borrowed, or gifted.

Happy Easter! Mine has been very relaxing. Listening to the Puerto Rican rain. This has to be the week of sequels, with the exception of a third book and a stand alone. I took some Barnes and Noble gift cards from my gracious Oklahoman students and found some really great reads.

One of the things I look at before I purchase a book is which authors recommend it. I hadn't heard of this, so it was a spur of the moment choice, but Simone Elkeles, Sarah Ockler, and Jennifer Echols have all given Miranda Kenneally high praise. Can't wait to read this romance!

 I LOVE Lauren Oliver. Can't wait to read

the last in the Delirium trilogy. The ending of 

Pandemonium was shocking!

 If you haven't checked out Article 5 yet,

it's a great dystopian. Love Chase and

Ember as a couple. The best thing about 

Simmons is she knows how to write an

action scene.

 Mafi has a way with words. It's like she paints

sentences. Still enjoy the strike through method

used by Juliette in Shatter Me. You really see what

she's thinking.

Jodi Meadows is one of my favorite

debut authors in the last 2 years!

Absolutely loved Incarnate. 

The music. Sam. Oh, Sam.

Looking forward to following more

of Ana's identity quest.

What did you get this week? Have a great holiday!

Read More

Review: The Probability of Miracles

Stats:
Publisher: Razor Bill
Release Date: Dec. 8, 2011
Page Count: 360
Would Appeal To: Sarah Dessen fans, Sara Ockler fans

Favorite Quotes:
"...she imagined a Rolf moment from The Sound of Music--the one where Rolf finds the whole family behind the tombstone in the abbey and hesitates, deciding whether or not he loves Liesl, before blowing that pansy-ass Nazi whistle. Did TYLER A WHOLE FOODS TEAM MEMBER, love her, or would he blow the whistle?"

"As Cam hugged her mother and walked back to her room, she realized she'd be spending the rest of her short life making other people feel better about the prospect of losing her."

"When he wasn't working at the restaurant, he wrote spare poems and made paintings that were quiet and clean, like whispers."

"At the end of the street the sharp white needle of the church's steeple poked into the sky as if heaven were a big balloon that needed to be popped."

Summary from GoodReads:
"Dry, sarcastic, sixteen-year-old Cam Cooper has spent the last seven years in and out hospitals. The last thing she wants to do in the short life she has left is move 1,500 miles away to Promise, Maine - a place known for the miraculous events that occur there. But it's undeniable that strange things happen in Promise: everlasting sunsets; purple dandelions; flamingoes in the frigid Atlantic; an elusive boy named Asher; and finally, a mysterious envelope containing a list of things for Cam to do before she dies. As Cam checks each item off the list, she finally learns to believe - in love, in herself, and even in miracles."

I'm going to deviate from my typical why you must read this/what bugged me review because I feel moved. Must be the Easter spirit.

This story is a snapshot of a dying girl's summer, the last few months that the doctors think she'll make it. She has her own flamingo list of mostly depressing things that she believes every teenage girl ought to experience. Her best friend Lily has her own flamingo list, but it's more positive. Lily believes that if Campbell just lives life, she'll check off all the items naturally.

Heartbreaking would be a great way to describe this book. I'd also add funny and uplifting. 

As I read this, especially the second half, I felt a smile on my face. I laughed several times and even teared up. The main character, Campbell, comes to life. It's one of those feel like you know her kind of books, like she's an actual person. She likes to use SAT words, but not obnoxiously so. Her dialogue with other characters is naturally hilarious. She's bold, not because she's dying, but because she's the kind of person who's got nothing to lose. It doesn't matter what others think of her. Despite the typical argumentative relationship with her younger sister, Cam will do anything to make her happy. Even though part of her pushes away love from others, Cam is constantly fueled by it.

Asher--swoon. Handyman. Football star. Knows his way around a boat. Master sneak-up artist. I went back to read her first romantic encounter with Asher again because the movements they make and the verbal exchange were so perfect. Asher's only flaw is he never wants to leave the town of Promise, where Cam has traveled because her mom and sister believe miracles happen there. As Cam falls for him and imagines what comes next for him, she can't picture him sticking around in the tiny Maine town where the dandelions are purple and flamingos appear mysteriously.

For a first time writer, Wendy Wunder truly understands that normal people have unique and crazy quirks. Nana gets angry to avoid being upset when her daughter and granddaughters leave. Little sis, tweeny-bopper Perry, hangs onto the hope that unicorns exist. Even Sunny, a baton twirling hippie, dances in the sand and drinks jug water by sticking her face under the spigot. All the characters had depth. I didn't truly hate anyone, although a certain French boy was annoying. Cam deals with her ups and downs gracefully. She goes through a gambit of emotions--embarrassment, denial, anger, hope, joy. 

I am not an animal person, but I appreciated the inclusion of animals in this book. From the St. Bernard puppy to Buddy the baby flamingo, animals in this book represent hope, friendship, and love. The vet in the book, Elaine, is honest and teaches Cam about the world in ways her mother never could. The saying, "It takes a village" comes to mind. So many characters are teachers in this book. Each leaves an imprint on Cam that gives her a new insight into living. Cancer doesn't have to take center stage all the time. 

This book will nestle its way into your heart. It had a bit of a slow start, but The Sound of Music references and Cam's snarky comments (and nicknames for people!) totally made up for it. The feather theme throughout, starting on the cover, was also a brilliant way to highlight events in the book.

Read More

Review: Dead to You

Dead To You

Stats:
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Release Date: Feb. 7, 2012
Page Count: 243
Buy Link: Amazon
Would Appeal To: Fans of Caroline B. Cooney's The Face on the Milk Carton, Sara Zarr's Sweathearts, anyone interested in psychology

Favorite Quote:
"She leans in for a hug, and I can feel her warm sigh down my shirt collar."

 Why You Must Read "Dead To You":

• Plot. We hear about abducted children all the time. But what happens when one returns to his family after several years? How does that person find a place in a family who has learned to go on, even if they're broken? Straight from the victim, McMann chronicles the hardships of re-establishing a place in a foreign world. 
• Nice flow. I'm usually obsessed with finding quotes, but this read so smoothly that I was completely absorbed in the story and forgot to look for them. Once you get into it, you won't be able to put it down, and it is such a quick read. 
• Ending! I had a slight hunch before the final punch came but had convinced myself it couldn't be right. Wow. Abrupt and powerful.
• Narrator. I love a good male point of view. This is totally realistic (speaking from a female's perspective-ha). So maybe I don't really know, but I often felt "A guy would think this." Ethan is confused after he was abducted from his own front yard at seven years old. He was kidnapped by Ellen, lived with her for years, until she left him at a group home. He lived homeless for a year before he reached out to his real parents. Everything he feels, from the hate toward his brother to his love for playing games with six year old Gracie to the intense yearning he has for his former best friend, is completely believable. McMann includes small details without going overkill on descriptions. The family dynamics in the book are great. Mama is the peacekeeper. Dad is the rule maker. Gracie is trusting. Blake can't get past the fact that his older brother would just go off in a car with strangers and is holding a grudge.
• Romance. There is a fabulous kissing scene. The intensity jumped off the page. It can be hard to make romance scenes stand out; this one is a winner!
• Message. This story really brings home the point of wanting to be needed and wanting to be loved. No matter what your life situation, you can relate to some emotion that is beautifully captured by the author. 

--BUY "DEAD TO YOU" HERE--

 

Read More

The Madman's Daughter

The Madman's Daughter by Megan Shepherd

Sixteen-year-old Juliet Moreau has built a life for herself in London—working as a maid, attending church on Sundays, and trying not to think about the scandal that ruined her life. After all, no one ever proved the rumors about her father's gruesome experiments. But when she learns he is alive and continuing his work on a remote tropical island, she is determined to find out if the accusations are true.

Accompanied by her father's handsome young assistant, Montgomery, and an enigmatic castaway, Edward—both of whom she is deeply drawn to—Juliet travels to the island, only to discover the depths of her father's madness: He has experimented on animals so that they resemble, speak, and behave as humans. And worse, one of the creatures has turned violent and is killing the island's inhabitants. Torn between horror and scientific curiosity, Juliet knows she must end her father's dangerous experiments and escape her jungle prison before it's too late. Yet as the island falls into chaos, she discovers the extent of her father's genius—and madness—in her own blood.

Inspired by H. G. Wells's classic The Island of Dr. Moreau, The Madman's Daughter is a dark and breathless Gothic thriller about the secrets we'll do anything to know and the truths we'll go to any lengths to protect. -Plot summary borrowed from Goodreads

I almost put this book down because of Juliet's character. I think it takes a really masterful writer to create a likable, believable heroine with backbone that still feels like an authentic 19th century young woman. Too often you see protagonists who are simply too modern, or too waifish, or, which is worse, the only Strong Female surrounded by dithering featherheads obsessed with fashion and fishing for husbands. Juliet tends to fall into this last group, which is a shame. Is it really so much to ask for characters who act with strength and integrity without feeling like 21st century transplants in corsets? *sigh* Anyway. She's not all bad- she is perfectly willing to take matters into her own hands, and is fairly capable and layered. I like that she's interested in science and anatomy, I just like it less that the author makes a huge deal out of the fact that it's so unusual and of course all the other characters are shocked and blah blah blah.

I couldn't get into the romance either. Don't get me wrong, plenty of the scenes were quite swoon-worthy and a bit more exciting than plenty of other books, but the love triangle aspect felt cliche and Juliet spent far too much time vacillating between the two guys.

There are plenty of things Shepherd gets right though, including lots of truly horrifying sciences of science gone mad, heart pounding escapes, and a few reveals I hadn't scene coming (others you'll hear like a herd of elephants on parade through the jungle, but that's another matter). I cared more about the characters as time went on, too. All in all there are enough aspects of this book to recommend it, especially for those looking for something creepy and romantic with Victorian trappings.

This is not really Steampunk, but would very probably be enjoyed by fans of The Girl in the Steel Corset, Something Strange and Deadly, The Iron Thorn or especially The Masque of the Red Death, with its 19th century setting, mad science, and Thrilling Gothic Aspects. Plus, H.G. Wells is often credited as one of the pioneers of Steampunk, so, maybe it's not far off after all.

Read More

The Madness Underneath

The Madness Underneath by Maureen Johnson

After her near-fatal run-in with the Jack the Ripper copycat, Rory Devereaux has been living in Bristol under the close watch of her parents. So when her therapist suddenly suggests she return to Wexford, Rory jumps at the chance. But Rory's brush with the Ripper touched her more than she thought possible: she's become a human terminus, with the power to eliminate ghosts on contact. She soon finds out that the Shades—the city's secret ghost-fighting police—are responsible for her return. The Ripper may be gone, but now there is a string of new inexplicable deaths threatening London. Rory has evidence that the deaths are no coincidence. Something much more sinister is going on, and now she must convince the squad to listen to her before it's too late. -Plot summary borrowed from Goodreads

Unusually for many series installments, our protagonist, Rory, has rather a lot of consequences to wade through- not the least of which, coping with the trauma of a violent attack that occurred at the end of The Name of the Star. I really like that Johnson took the time to deal with these issues, it adds another layer of believability. That being said, looking back, this one does suffer a bit from middle-of-the-series-itis. The reveals weren't as big as they could have been, there wasn't much romantic sparkage, and there was a great deal of set-up for the next book. And why, oh why did we only get one appearance from Alistair, the 80s punk ghost who haunts the literature section of the library?! Love him! Miss him! Need more of him!

Still, I love Rory and the world she inhabits (although I will admit that, when the book dragged, I got a bit distracted pretending that this was taking place in the Being Human UK, and that Rory might bump into Annie or Mitchell at any moment). I'm excited to read the next book, The Shadow Cabinet, in 2014.

Read More

Following Fiction

The other day I came across two really fascinating articles about how we, as readers and viewers, assimilate fiction into our daily lives. Please take a moment to check them out here and here, as they are both fun and enlightening reads.

The gist of both is that people tend, consciously or otherwise, to incorporate the things we love from fiction, in many ways for many reasons. Some of it is pretty straightforward- "Gee, Legolas looks like he's having fun with that bow, maybe I'll archery a try!" Or "everyone looks better in a greatcoat, maybe I should get one." Another reason is to participate in the culture of a show/book/movie/video game/radio play, to identify yourself to other fans. "Hey, that girl is wearing an 'I'm a Slayer, ask me how!' button! I think I'll go say hi."

Other reasons go a bit deeper. As one author suggests, "maybe it’s a little bit about courage. About reinvention. About taking charge of yourself, and becoming the person you want to be. When you drink Earl Grey, maybe you feel as though you’ve gained some of Captain Picard’s enlightened perspective. When you take archaeology classes, maybe you’re certain that you could be the one to discover Tannis."

I love that idea. It reminds us that our love for fiction is a cycle. We identify with the characters we like because we see ourselves in them and/or aspire to be more like them. I love the character of Liz Lemon on 30 Rock, for example. I can see myself in her devout nerd love, her casual wardrobe, her obsession with food and her sometimes crippling overthinking. To follow the cycle, I aspire to her success, her feminism and her ability to do her own thing.

When I started thinking about this idea, I found so many examples in my own life. In high school, while sharing a Tolkien obsession with friends, we learned to write in Cirth, the runes of Middle-earth, to pass notes. I picked a prom dress that wouldn't have looked out of place at Netherfield Park or Pemberley. When it came time to choose a career, I'd be lying if I claimed my choice of "librarian" had nothing to do with Sunnydale's own action librarian, Rupert Giles, or that my personal folklore collection isn't at least partially because I have a fear hope that one day I may need to look up how to defeat a _________ . 

While we're on the subject of his great and mighty Whedonness, even the way I express myself is a result of the fiction I've absorbed. I defy anyone to OD on Joss and/or the great Amy Sherman-Palladino and not come away speaking too quickily, snarkily, and mainly in pop-culture metaphors, or to immerse themselves in British television and not pick up a slew of interesting new words, as well as a fondess for hyperbole, absurdity, sarcasm and a well-phrased insult (or maybe that's just down to Richard Curtis and Jeremy Clarkson?)

There are just so many ways, small and large, that fiction has had an impact on my life. On the small scale, the first three drinks I ever ordered at restaurants were an Appletini, a Seabreeze, and a White Russian (double bonus points to anyone who can name the sources for those). On a larger scale, there are things I've borrowed that have had a noticeable impact on my life. I'm so grateful to Scrubs and, later, Community for championing the fun and importance of imagination as an adult.

Even my moral compass and worldview have been shaped, partially, by fiction. Doctor Who reminds me of the importance of bravery, wonder, exploration and compassion. Firefly- loyalty, doing the right thing because it *is* the right thing, not because of religion or society. And, ok, I may not be great. But I'm pretty good. Well, I'm alright. 

As you can see, I had a blast excavating my own experiences with fiction for this post. What impact has fiction had on your life?

Read More

Unspoken

Unspoken by Sarah Rees Brennan

Kami Glass loves someone she’s never met . . . a boy she’s talked to in her head ever since she was born. She wasn’t silent about her imaginary friend during her childhood, and is thus a bit of an outsider in her sleepy English town of Sorry-in-the-Vale. Still, Kami hasn’t suffered too much from not fitting in. She has a best friend, runs the school newspaper, and is only occasionally caught talking to herself. Her life is in order, just the way she likes it, despite the voice in her head.

But all that changes when the Lynburns return.

The Lynburn family has owned the spectacular and sinister manor that overlooks Sorry-in-the-Vale for centuries. The mysterious twin sisters who abandoned their ancestral home a generation ago are back, along with their teenage sons, Jared and Ash, one of whom is eerily familiar to Kami. Kami is not one to shy away from the unknown—in fact, she’s determined to find answers for all the questions Sorry-in-the-Vale is suddenly posing. Who is responsible for the bloody deeds in the depths of the woods? What is her own mother hiding? And now that her imaginary friend has become a real boy, does she still love him? Does she hate him? Can she trust him? -Plot summary borrowed from Goodreads

In Unspoken, Brennan does an amazing number of things amazingly well. The mystery and romance were intriguing, the setting was perfect (what sensible reader wouldn't want to go wandering through a gothically named and potentially cursed English village?), and the characterizations & dialogue were superb. I love Kami's detective instincts, her determination, and her snark. I love her pathologically lazy and seemingly bitter best friend (whose brother, similarly lethargic, is forever leaping out at them from unexpected places to test their self-defense training). I love her family, especially her father:

“Why are you putting on lip gloss, my daughter?” Dad asked. “Trip to the library? Trip to the nunnery? I hear the nunneries are nice this time of year”
…
“Is this true, Kami? Are you going out on a date?” Dad asked tragically. “Wearing that? Wouldn’t you fancy a shapeless cardigan instead? You rock a shapeless cardigan, honey.” 

Really, the dialogue in this just rocks. When other books could have been bogged down in melodrama or a well-worn romance, Unspoken zips along feeling all fresh and fun.

“Hark,” he said, his tone very dry. “What stone through yonder window breaks?”
Kami yelled up at him, “It is the east, and Juliet is a jerk!”
Jared abandoned Shakespeare and demanded, “What do you think you’re doing?”
“Throwing a pebble,” said Kami defensively. “Uh… and I’ll pay for the window.”
Jared vanished and Kami was ready to start shouting again, when he reemerged with the pebble clenched in his fist. “This isn’t a pebble! This is a rock.”
“It’s possible that your behaviour has inspired some negative feelings that caused me to pick a slightly overlarge pebble,” Kami admitted.” 

It's not all snark and games though. There is a very real threat in the village right from the early chapters, and a sense of an increasing feeling of foreboding pervades the story as it builds to its end. The romance is believable and interesting, even if I wasn't wild about the object of it all the time. Even side characters get a fair shake, and I am nearly as interested in what will happen to Kami's friends Angela and Holly.

October 10th, 2013 and the sequel, Untold,  can't come soon enough.

Read More