What I've Read Lately - December

As I start this post, it is already the middle of the month and I have only gotten through two books so far.  We'll see how many I manage in the week after Christmas, because I don't see myself getting much reading done in the next week and a half.  Anticipating that this might be a relatively short review, I thought I'd offer the link to my Goodreads page that shows all of the books I've read over the entire past year (I didn't start doing these mini-reviews until after I had read about 50 books!).  I don't know if the link will actually work for someone not signed in to that website, but we'll give it a try:  My Year in Books: 2016


Anyway, here is what I managed to read in December:

I must say that I was disappointed by Dead River, by Cyn Balog. It started off nicely in the first chapter, kind of mysterious and intriguing, with only a minor point of annoyance that could be easily overlooked (I mean, what kind of parents let a six year old girl row a boat to an island in the middle of a river to go fishing all by herself?)  The annoyances come fast and furious after that (like, nauseating relationships, completely unrealistic time frames, etc. etc.), so much so that they totally distracted me from the main plot, which was mostly about ghosts, but then the author threw in this weird twist that morphed the story from one about ghosts into some strange fantasy-ish type thing (but still with ghosts).  This book was actually painful to read, but I kept plugging away because I thought . . . I don't know what I thought, that a horrible book with a good concept behind it would somehow get better?!?  Too bad I looked forward to reading this for like a year and a half before I finally got my hands on a copy! (Reading Level: ? /Middle Grade+)

Madame Tussaud's Apprentice, by Kathleen Benner Duble, is a nice bit of historical fiction.  It not only gives insight into the life of Madame Tussaud of wax museum fame, but also paints a picture of the French Revolution from the perspective of the royal family and the commoners.  This book is pretty simple reading, nothing spectacular like Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly (also about the French Revolution, which I read back before I started my blog, but you should check it out - I give a bit of a description in a previous post, here), but that book is probably for readers who are a bit older, and this one is great for the middle grades.  Overall, I would say this is an average 3-star book - I wouldn't rave about it, but it didn't annoy me either, which is always a good thing. (Reading Level: ? /Middle Grades)

The Night Gardener, by Jonathon Auxier, was pretty good.  It was shelved under teen fiction in the library, I guess because there were a few parts that were kind of scary as well as some violence.  It really read more like a juvenile fiction novel instead of young adult, though, and would probably be fine for anyone older than, say, eight (unless they were very sensitive or easily frightened).  It is a bed-time story type of story, you know, like Neil Gaiman and Kate DiCamillo write.  It has that certain feel to it, along with a nice dose of magical/supernatural/otherworldly goings on.  I didn't think it was anywhere as good as I'd heard it would be, but I don't really have any complaints about it either. (Reading Level: 4.9/Middle Grades)

I had Ghostlight by Sonia Gensler sitting on my shelf ever since October.  It was one of the horror books I had left over when I got sick of the genre.  When the month of December was almost at an end and this blog post had only a pathetic three reviews, I was looking for a book that I could finish in a day if I devoted several hours to it.  This one looked like it would be a good candidate, and it was.  It was shelved as juvenile fiction, which was the appropriate place for it.  It wasn't bad for a book intended for kids -  I didn't once consider putting it down and not finishing it (although I did do a few eye rolls here and there).  I was a bit disappointed that the story morphed from a Gothic-esque horror tale into a mystery (with just a tad - like half a page - of horror thrown back in near the end), but I would still recommend it as a good Halloween book for older kids. (Reading Level: 4.6/Middle Grades)


So, I actually managed to read another book in December, but I'm not going to include it here because I have another post all planned out for it, (which actually will also include a book I read in November and didn't include in that post either).    See you next year!

What I've Read Lately - November

So this list might be kinda long, because it actually covers half of October as well as November.  If you saw my last post, you'll know that I tried to read as many books from the 'horror' genre as I could, so I could give you some recommendations for Halloween reads.  Well, let me tell you, I can only read so many books in a row from the same genre before I say enough already!  (I still have three books left from that library run that I can't bring myself to read right now!)

So anyway, my October post covered less than three weeks, and the rest have to be lumped in with November.  So here goes:

Stone Field, By Christy Lenzi, was one of the best novels I've read in a long time.  It is set at the beginning of the Civil War, so if you like historical fiction I recommend it.  It is about a girl who doesn't really fit in with other people or the expectations of society, so if you like books with personal angst, I recommend it.  The girl meets a man who has amnesia, finds that he is her soul mate, and falls in love, so if you like romance, I recommend it.  The author did a wonderful job portraying the heroine's emotional struggles, allowing the reader to feel along with her, so if you just like good writing, I recommend it.  (By the way, this is apparently a retelling of Wuthering Heights, which I haven't read, but I did read a summary blurb about it and suspect that the story lines might part ways before it ends.  Just thought I'd mention it in case any of you care.) (Reading Level: ? /Upper Grades)

I really enjoyed Shallow Graves by Kali Wallace.  It was different.  And interesting.  It was about magic (a little bit), and monsters (quite a bit), and a girl who found that she had somehow become a monster (mostly).  It is kind of a murder  mystery, and kind of a horror story, and also a coming of age type of story, although I guess you could say it was more of a coming to terms type of story (still an identity crisis at the cusp of adulthood).  It has a lot of suspense and a little bit of action, and a fair share of quirky dialogue.  It would have made a perfect October pick - lots of Halloween-type stuff rolled up into a refreshingly unique package.  My only complaint is that we never get a definitive answer to the BIG QUESTION, but I guess that both is and isn't the point of the story (you'll understand if you read it), so I guess I'm okay with that and not complaining after all. (Reading Level: 4.9/Middle Grades+)

Charm & Strange by Stephanie Kuehn was a fantastic book.  The blurb on the front says it is "Twisted and twisting. Relentlessly compelling. A must-read."  I agree wholeheartedly.  I read it in a day and a half (over the weekend, when there was time) because I just could not put it down. Of course, the blurb I just quoted mentions that the book is compelling, which basically means it is a serious book about a serious topic, and due to the subject matter, I would definitely say that this one is for the more mature reader.  I am finding that I am at a loss for words to explain exactly what it is that makes this book so good (writing, plot, character development - everything, maybe?), so you will just have to take my word for it. (Reading Level: 4.1/Upper Grades)

Okay, so Erased, by Jennifer Rush, was nowhere near as good as the first book in this series, Altered (see my mini-review here).  Considering the first book was only a three star read, that's not saying much.  It was like the author sat around doing nothing for six months after she finished the first one and then said, oh heck, I have the draft for the second book due in three weeks, and she just threw a bunch of words at the paper and didn't do a whole lot to clean it up in the end.  If I had read this one first, I wouldn't have continued with the series.  I guess I'll still read the third and final part, seeing as how it is already sitting on my bookshelf, but I'm crossing my fingers that it will not be a waste of my time. (Reading Level: 4.3/Middle Grades+)

Mortal Heart, by Robin LaFevers, is the final book in a trilogy about girls who train to be assassins in the service of the god of death.  Although this installment had less action and adventure than the first two, it still had some, along with the mystery and intrigue and romance and personal soul-searching of the heroine.  I liked it.  It overlapped in time with the previous two books, and then continued the story with all three heroines coming together and the outcome of the underlying conflict finally being resolved.  If you like historical fiction and fantasy, then this historical fantasy novel is a good pick.  You should definitely read the other two first, though, or you will be frustrated and confused for a good portion of the story. (Reading Level: 6.4/Upper Grades)

The Graces, by Laure Eve, is a book about magic.  Well, not so much about the magic, as about the people with the magic.  It's kind of about witches, but not really, and it's definitely not the hokey kind of modern witch story I despise so much.  It's kind of a book about wanting to fit in, but the motivation behind it all is not to be popular.  There is an ulterior motive there, but I can't tell you what it is, because that would spoil the whole book.  It was pretty good.  Different from what you usually find, and interesting.  And that's always a plus, if you ask me. (Reading Level: ?/Upper Grades)

I waited a long time to read The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer, by Michelle Hodkin, because it has been checked out of the library ever since I heard about it (which is like more than a year, now).  I thought it was going to take a long time, because it is pretty darn thick, but it is a quick read, especially because it is one of those books that you have trouble putting down.  You know, the ones that keep you up reading past your bed time, even when you know you are going to regret it tomorrow.  The concept isn't entirely original (someone discovers they have a power), but it is done in an original way, and the banter between the heroine and her love interest is fun to read.  There are a few parts where a bit of revision would be helpful, and I didn't really care for the ending, but I guess there had to be some sort of conflict so we would pick up the second book in the series to find out how it all pans out. Which I will, of course. (Reading Level: 4.3/Upper Grades)

So I read the third book in the Altered series.  Reborn, by Jennifer Rush, was definitely better than Erased.  It had a better story line, and was told from the perspective of different characters.  It was kind of unbelievable in the time frame it was supposed to take place in, which is the kind of thing I find annoying (like, she could have just made the book longer . . .).  Now I'm trying to remember if the first book in the series was so much better than the second two, or if maybe I was just in a forgiving mood at the time.  Notice I say series and not trilogy, because it is very obvious after finishing this one that nothing has really been wrapped up and there will have to be at least one more part to the story. (Reading Level: 4.5/Middle Grades+)

I didn't get very far into The Death and Life of Zebulon Finch, by Daniel Kraus, before I put it back on the shelf.  It is a very thick book (642 extra- large pages), and I just wasn't in to it for some reason.  Which was very disappointing, because I really loved Kraus's previous novel, Rotters. (That was a super weird book about a family of grave robbers and it had an evil dwarf in it and everything - probably one of the most unique things I've come across.)  Anyway, I may pick it back up at some point, but we'll see.

This one is a last minute addition - I just finished it last night! I am a little bit conflicted about Drift & Dagger, by Kendall Kulper.  It is the companion book to Salt & Storm, which I really liked from beginning to end.  This book caught me in the beginning, came close to losing me in the middle, and totally redeemed itself in the end.  What did I not like about the middle?  Well, Salt & Storm was great historical fantasy, being basically historical fiction except for the fact that it involved actual witches with actual powers. And as much as the story was about these powers, it was more of a coming of age novel.  Drift & Dagger is also a wonderful coming of age story, this time with a male protagonist, but it focuses a lot on magic in general (it felt a lot like a steampunk novel but with magic instead of machinery), which isn't really the kind of book I enjoy.  I did say that it redeems itself in the end, though, so overall I guess I would say it was a great book. (You don't have to read Salt & Storm first, but I do recommend doing so, as it allows you to have those wonderful Aha! moments.) (Reading Level: 6.1/Middle Grades+)


So I guess this turned out to be not so many more books than usual after all (I had to take time off reading for a two week intensive stint of Halloween costume sewing), but that's okay, because it still gives you plenty to choose from.

The Quest for Creepy

It's that time of year again, (you know, almost Halloween) and with it comes the urge to read something nice and scary.  As I've mentioned before, though, horror books just don't seem to scare me for some reason.  So I decided a while back that I would just have to be satisfied reading books that would creep me out.

A couple of weeks ago I did a search for this type of book and headed off to the library to pick up the few selections that they actually had - I've got a ton of promisingly creepy titles on my want-to-read list, but for some reason hardly any of them are carried by any of the libraries.  What's up with that?! (I wonder who actually decides which books the libraries buy. . . .)

So here is the verdict on the latest round in my search for a good, creepy read:

I had to put a hold on The Poisoned House, by Michael Ford, because the only copy in town was in a library branch like 60 miles from my house.  Then, I had to hurry up and read it, because somebody else put a hold on it and I wasn't going to be able to renew it.  Then, I guess they changed their mind because this morning my library account said I could keep the book.  It's just as well for that other reader, because if they wanted something scary, or even creepy, this one wasn't. The book started out really good - by the end of the first chapter I was really optimistic. But then it took a turn and by that I mean it turned out to be less of a horror story and more of a historical fiction/ghost story with some family secrets and a bit of a mystery thrown in.  It was absolutely NOT a gothic novel, as the title implies.  Even though there was a ghost, there was nothing really wrong with the house itself. The book was an enjoyable enough read and had a couple of  really creepy/almost scary scenes, but overall, the scary vibe just wasn't there. (Reading Level: 4.9/Middle Grade+)

This Monstrous Thing, by Mackenzi Lee, is a steampunk re-imagining of Mary Shelley's Frankenstsein.  So I have two things to say here.  One, I haven't enjoyed about half of the steampunk novels I've read.  This one, however, falls solidly into the enjoyed category.  In fact, it would fall into the really, really enjoyed category of steampunk novels, if I had one (actually, I guess I do now).   It only took me two and a half days to read it, it was that good. (Okay, so it was over the weekend and the first two days of the fall break from school so NO responsibilities, but more so because I was so into it I didn't want to do anything else.)  And two, although the book wasn't scary, and I wouldn't really say it was creepy, either, it WAS really, really good, so you should definitely read it.  Besides, it did have a dark mood and tone, and it was kind of about Frankenstein's monster in a roundabout way, making it a great read for the Halloween season. (Reading Level: ? /Middle Grade+)

Yeah, so, Creed, by Trisha Leaver and Lindsay Currie, wasn't very good.  It was about these three teenagers who run out of gas outside some weird town that turns out to be inhabited by a religious cult.  I think it is supposed to be more of a thriller than a horror story, but I didn't find it to be scary or suspenseful.  It was kind of a mix between every (bad) horror movie out there and an episode of that t.v. show where the two sisters try to help other teenagers escape from that town in Utah that is run by the polygamist cult. (I can't remember what the show is called, but I saw an episode right before I read this book!)  Anyway, if I were you, I would skip this one and try something else instead.

So, Dead Reckoning, by Mercedes Lackey and Rosemary Edghill, is a western, steampunk, zombie story.  Now I don't usually think of zombie stories as really falling into the horror category, but apparently a lot of people do, so here it is.  I did not like this book.  In fact, I only managed to get a quarter of the way through it before I quit reading it.  Why?  Because it was just. so. boring.   It took me four days to even get as far as I did, because I just couldn't get into it.  (That might be a new record for apathy as far as a book goes for me -  I actually chose to watch t.v. before bed instead of reading last night. [gasp!])  I've read much better westerns, steampunk novels, and zombie stories.  This one just doesn't deliver in any of those categories.

I was actually pleasantly surprised by Cliff McNish's book, Breathe.  I was skeptical when I checked it out, because it is shelved in the juvenile fiction section of the library, not the YA section, and those books tend to be too simplistic for my liking.  This one WAS on the simple side (the characters were flat and boring), but the concept was fresh and interesting so it kept me reading.  Although this is mostly a ghost story, it does have parts that would be scary for a younger reader or for someone who gets scared easily when reading 'horror' stories (I'm sorry for the quotes - if you've followed my posts, you know how I feel about this particular genre).  And the ghost story is a good Halloween kind of ghost story, not the kind where there just so happens to be a ghost but it's not supposed to be scary.  So, I'd have to say that this is a good pick for a Halloween read.  (Reading Level: 4.8/Middle Grades)

The Mark of Cain, by Lindsey Barraclough, picks up four years after her first novel, Long Lankin, ends.  This is a long book, 486 pages, but it is very hard to put down.  It is well written, plenty creepy, a bit scary at points, and full of suspense.  In fact, this is actually the first book I've read in a LONG time that actually made me pause after turning out all the lights to go to bed!  Although you don't have to read the first book in order for this one to make sense, it would probably help you avoid having questions while you read, leaving you free to fully focus on the story.  So if you haven't read the first one yet, and you like reading horror novels, find a copy of both and enjoy a good, long, unsettling read. (Reading Level: ? /Upper Grades)

And the Trees Crept In, by Dawn Kurtagich, was weird, creepy, and yes, actually SCARY!  Finally, another book that delivers it all:  horror, mystery, suspense, and the paranormal all rolled into one.  This is not a book that you want to read at night...in the dark...all alone.  Especially if you live out in a rural place with no street lights.  And especially if you live in a creaky old house.  I wasn't too keen on the ending, but the author did do a very nice job with it - perfect pacing, well written, and it made sense and wrapped up the story nicely even if it was the type of ending that I wish authors would avoid unless absolutely necessary.  Oh, and when you read this, because it is really good so you definitely should, pay special attention to the little book entries.  I was halfway through the book before I realized what the author was doing, and it is a very clever and effective part of the story! (Just a note - the book is probably not appropriate for most readers younger than high school.) (Reading Level: ? /Upper Grades)

So there you have it:  a handful of books to help you get in the Halloween spirit.  I have a couple more on my shelf, but since we are already almost half way through October, I'll go ahead and send this your way so maybe you'll have time to read one or two yourself in the next couple of weeks. Enjoy!

What I've Read Lately - September

For some reason, I chose a bunch of really long books to tackle this past month.  So I only finished about 5 of them.  Here they are:

This was a 400+ page book.  I was really busy with other stuff while reading it, so it took me like a week and a half to finish it.  Which was a bummer because the book was hard to put down.  For an in-depth review, see my post here.

The Heart of Betrayal, by Mary Pearson, is the second book in a trilogy. Although they are shelved as Science Fiction/Fantasy, these books, set in a medieval-type fictional realm, have a little bit of everything: romance, action-adventure, mystery, and intrigue.  I found the first book to be a bit confusing, due to the alternating chapters told by unnamed characters, but by the last third of the first book that is all cleared up so there was nothing in this one to distract from the 470 pages of great writing, great plot, and just overall greatness of the book. (Not quite to the level of awesomeness, so no 5 stars here, but I definitely recommend you read this one.)  Can't wait to read part 3! (Reading Level 5.5/ Upper Grades)

After two long books in a row set in relatively similar time periods, I was ready for something different.  Luckily, I had an Egyptian themed book on my shelf. Reawakened, by Colleen Houk, was only 391 pages, but the print is unusually small (It actually had 16,546 more words than the The Heart of Betrayal!) and a reading level that is higher than normal (Can you believe 6.0 is higher than normal?  If you don't believe me, check out my book list pages and see for yourself!), so it seemed like a much longer book.  Of course, the fact that I wasn't really in to it didn't help matters any.  I found the writing too boring and the plot too predictable to enjoy the book.  I wouldn't say it was bad.  It was okay, but just not my cup of tea.  I won't be reading part 2. (Reading Level: 6.0/Middle Grade+)

I had been waiting to read Blackhearts, by Nicole Castroman, for months, because it was always on hold at the library.  I finally snagged a copy, and I must say that it was not worth the wait.  Want to know why?  I tell you all about it in the same post where I review VIII (see above).

These Shallow Graves, by Jennifer Donnelly was 480 pages.  480 extra large pages (giving it a thousand more words than Reawakened).  I got through this one so much faster, though, because I had trouble putting it down.  Not so much at first, when I thought it was going to be another Victorian-era-girl-bemoans-the-fact-that-women-have-no-rights story.  It turned out to be more of a rich-Victorian-women-are-trapped kind of story, but that was okay because this was actually a murder mystery.  And a darn good one at that.  Once again, Jennifer Donnelly doesn't disappoint. (Reading Level: 4.7/Upper Grades)

So I guess September was pretty much Historical Fiction Month.  Next month is going to be (hopefully) scary stories, in the spirit of Halloween.  I'll let you know how that goes.

Read This, Not That: The Mystery Within History

I love a good mystery book.  But that's not what I am going to talk about today.  No, today I am going to talk about historical fiction.  Because, you see, there is almost always a mystery involved when you look into history.

When I used to teach social studies, I would always tell my students that when they studied history, they had to think like a detective.  They had to look at as many sources as they could to get the best possible picture of what really happened.  I also warned them, though, that in the end we usually end up with a whole new set of questions.  So the process starts all over again.  Because the study of history is, after all, a circular pursuit.  Unfortunately, sometimes we exhaust all of our resources and questions still remain unanswered.

This past month I read two novels that attempt to explain a mystery behind a well-known historical figure.  The first was BLACKHEARTS, by Nicole Castroman.

The pirate Blackbeard was known for striking fear into the hearts of even the bravest sailors.  But once, he was just a young man who dreamed of abandoning his rigid life to chase adventure in faraway lands.  Nothing could stop him - until he met the one girl who would change everything.  - excerpt from book jacket

As you can see, this novel is about Blackbeard.  In the author's note at the back of the book, Castroman explains that very little is actually known about the pirate until the last few years of his life.  She mentions that what we do know is that he could read and write, which means that he was educated, which means that he was born into a family of means.  The mystery here is what might have caused such a man to leave his life and become a pirate in the first place, and Castroman's answer is that it was a woman.

I liked the premise.  But I didn't like the book.  For a number of reasons.

Let's begin with the plot.  This was not a rip-roaring adventure.  In fact, there was nothing even remotely 'pirate-y' about it.  Wouldn't you think that a story about a pirate should have some piracy?  Nope.  Of course there was an accusation of piracy, but that was quickly cleared up and wasn't even a significant part of the story.  This book was actually a romance, and not a very good one at that.  It was very predictable for about, oh, 96 percent of the thing.  I mean, it was so predictable, I knew everything that was going to happen so long beforehand that I could have written this book.  Only the ending was a surprise.  I actually really liked the ending, as it was pretty much the only interesting part of the story.  Unfortunately, it was rushed, unlike the rest of the book which seemed to drag on forever.

Now for the characters.  The story is supposed to be about Blackbeard, but it isn't, really.  It is actually about a girl named Anne, who falls in love with him and he with her.  She would have been an interesting character if, well, if this had been a better book.  But that really doesn't matter, because the book isn't even supposed to be a book about her.  It is supposed to be about him.  And even though he figures prominently in the story, he seems like a secondary character.  I didn't like that at all.  In fact, I feel cheated.

What can I say about the writing?  I didn't enjoy it.  Remember how a couple of paragraphs ago I said that I could have written the book?  What I meant was that I could have written the book when I was in seventh grade.  Seriously.  It was very simplistic.  Here is an example of some paragraphs from the story:

Once Anne returned to the kitchen, she set the pot in the hearth.  It would take some time for the water to boil.  She looked around for Ruth, but the girl was nowhere to be found.

and ...

He pierced a potato with his fork and chewed with vigor.  How dare she stand there and look back at him like that?  He could feel the judgement of everyone, himself included, and found he was on the defensive.

That's about how long the sentences and paragraphs are in this book.  Yawn.  Combined with the predictable plot and boring characters, the writing makes for a story that is just. not. interesting.   (I'll let you know if I come across a better pirate story, because now I am going to have to go looking for one.)

I almost put this book down several times, and now I wish I had.  Because instead of wasting my time, I could have been reading a book that I just couldn't put down, like the one I recommend you read instead of this one:  VIII, by H. M. Castor.

Hal is a young man with extraordinary gifts:  astonishing warrior skills, sharp intelligence, and a fierce sense of honor and virtue.  Though his older brother will be the next king of England, Hal knows that he is also destined for greatness - even if his father wishes he would disappear.

But even as his future unfolds in front of him, Hal is haunted by the ghosts of his family's violent past.  As Hal embarks on a journey to absolute power, he will have to embrace his demons in order to become one of the greatest and most terrible kings the world has ever known. - excerpt from book jacket

Hal, is of course, Henry VIII.  You know, the infamous king known for having all his wives put to death.  The burning question that H. M. Castor wants to answer is, why?  Why did someone with so much potential turn into such a horrible tyrant?

Castor, who is a historian as well as author, drew upon the extensive historical records of the king's life and times in her attempt to explain what might have happened as he was growing up that would lead him to commit the ruthless and sometimes contradictory actions later in his life.

So let's follow the pattern from the first half of this post and talk about the plot first.  The story begins when 'Hal' is six years old and continues until his death.  It is a long book, but the pacing is just right. About a third of the book is devoted to Henry's early years, and Castor paints a vivid picture of what they might have been like, from the interactions and relationships with his family members, to formative events in his childhood. As the book moves through his life, it selects more such events and interactions to highlight. All with one purpose in mind:  Develop the character.

And boy does Castor develop the character.  No flat, static character here.  This book does a remarkable job of getting into Henry's head, of displaying his emotions in all of their raw glory, be they elated, sorrowful, frightened, or downright disturbed.  I haven't come across many books that succeeded in getting inside a character's head as well as this one.  You will fall in love with him from the very beginning, and later, even when he is at his worst, you will empathize with him and pity him instead of hating him.  In fact, you will find it hard to even have more than a mild disapproval for his terrible actions.

So now for the writing.  Amazing.  I don't want to be like one of those movie trailers that gives away all the good parts, but I am just so excited about the writing that I have to share some of my favorite lines:

My grandmother stands in the middle of all this commotion, her yellowish face edged by a white wimple, her bony hands resting on her plain black gown.  She dresses like a nun, but you do not forget for a moment she is the mother of the king.

I've heard my grandmother say that my  mother's parents married for love.  She says it like she's picking up a dirty, stinking rag.

In one smooth movement she stops him . . . yanks his arm out in front of him, and cuffs him across the head.  I wince, as if she's hit me, too. 

I watch them and think of Compton's confidence.  I pick through his words carefully, like counting out coins.  I often do this with things grown-ups say.

My mother looks down at me, her eyes hidden in shadow.  The room is dark, the fire damped for the night, one lonely candle casting a pool of yellow light across my pillows. . . . My mother's shadow stretches itself across the floor and runs straight up the wall, like spilled ink running the wrong way.

I prod it.  For a moment, staring stupidly, I can't think.  There is something horrible about how solid this thing is - I sense that, even before I register the curl of straw-colored hair at the collar, even before I see that it is a person: a boy, bigger than me, folded over, face down, inside the trunk, with his forehead to his knees.

I mean, can't you just see it?  And hear it?  And imagine what he was thinking?  And feel what he must have been feeling?  I am going to buy this book.

One last thing that I didn't mention yet ('cause my paragraphs just wouldn't flow right when I tried to add it in there), is the fact that the author weaves in some unexpected elements.  Like the tale of the two princes in the tower of London (the brothers of Henry's mother!), the superstitions of the day, and some supernatural/psychological stuff (you never know which it really is, so you're left to believe whichever one makes the story more enjoyable for you - very smart).  These give a fascinating twist to the story, making it NOT your average historical fiction.  Not by a long shot.

I think I am very glad that this author decided to take all of that history rattling around in her head and put it to good use in this book.  If you like historical fiction or even just fantasy set in the Middle Ages, you should definitely pick this one up.


Rating:  5 Stars
Reading Level: 5.2
Age Appropriate: Middle Grades +
Page Count/Word Count:  422/ 92,829
Genre:  Historical Fiction
Keywords:  Renaissance England, royalty, family relationships

Tragic Endings

There are a lot of things that will make or break a book, and the ending is one of those things.  Sometimes the author writes an ending that is absolutely perfect, in the sense that it is the perfect ending.  You know, happily ever after, exactly what you wanted and all that.  And then there are those tragic endings. 

Really, there are two types of tragic endings.  The first is the type of tragic ending that occurs when you have a perfectly good book, maybe even an awesome book, and the author goes and rushes through the ending or writes a conclusion that makes absolutely no sense.  Or, how about one that is just plain stupid?  I've come across all of those and it really is tragic. (For example, see my posts here and here.)  I mean, if the whole book was no good, it really wouldn't matter if the ending was no good too, right?  But to take something the reader is really enjoying and mess it up in the end is just, well, messed up.  Tragic.  

The second type of tragic ending is the type that actually ends in tragedy.  That gut-wrenching, heart-breaking tragedy that makes you say No! What?  It is absolutely NOT the ending you wanted, because you have become invested in the character and wanted everything to turn out happily ever after even though you could tell that it wasn't very likely and it would take a darn good author to write such an ending that was actually believable.

I don't like tragic endings.  But I don't like stupid endings either, and I've come to realize that sometimes the tragedy is necessary for a book to make the impression the author wants to make.  To inspire a different set of feelings, ones that move the reader to feel empathy and compassion, and maybe even anger.  To make us think twice and maybe motivate us to make a difference.

Now, I wouldn't want to read a tragic novel everyday (or even every month, because they tend to be so, so sad!) But once in a while is good.  Important even.  In the past few months, I have read two novels with tragic endings that really made an impression on me.  They were both fantastic books, despite the fact that they didn't turn out the way I wanted them to.


The first book is Half Lost by Sally Green.

"You've been away a long time, were you lost?
"I was wounded, not lost."

Nathan Byrn is running again. The Alliance of Free Witches has been all but destroyed. Scattered and demoralized, constantly pursued by the Council’s Hunters, only a bold new strategy can save the rebels from total defeat. They need the missing half of Gabriel’s amulet—an ancient artifact with the power to render its bearer invincible in battle.But the amulet’s guardian—the reclusive and awesomely powerful witch Ledger – has her own agenda. To win her trust, Nathan must travel to America and persuade her to give him the amulet. Combined with the gifts he has inherited from Marcus, the amulet might just be enough to turn the tide for the Alliance and end the bloody civil war between Black and White witches once and for all…

This is the conclusion to the story that began in Half Bad, which I reviewed here.   If you've read my earlier post, you will know that the hero of the story, Nathan, is a character that you quickly become invested in.  The second book in the trilogy continues the themes set forth in the first one, and as you read the final book, you are hoping that Nathan will finally get a break.  That everything will turn out all right, because gosh darn it, he deserves that!  But alas, there is no happily ever after.

Now, before you get mad and say You didn't warn me that there would be a spoiler, I have to say that (aside from the fact that the title of the post kinda warns the reader) the ending was actually quite surprising.  It was absolutely NOT what I was expecting at all. (I could never in a million years have dreamed up what Sally Green came up with, so of course it was completely unexpected.)

I've looked over quite a number of other reviews for this book, and I don't think I came across a single one that liked the ending.  When I first finished the last page (and dried my tears because, yes, it is so, so, sad!), I was also like, I hate that ending! Why did she end it like that?!  Because to be honest, the ending was a bit strange, and I didn't really get it at first.  But as I thought about it over the next hour or so, I realized that the ending was, in fact, perfect. It actually made a lot of sense, especially if you thought back to the conversations Nathan had with Ledger.  It really made a whole lot more sense than a happily ever after ending, given everything that had happened up until that point.  And it left the story on a bittersweet note, with a sense of hope that, in time, everything could be all right after all, and as long as there is hope, all is not lost.

Rating:  4.5 Stars
Reading Level: 4.6
Age Appropriate: Upper Grades
Page Count/Word Count:  340/81,665
Genre:  Action/Adventure, Coming of Age, Fantasy, Paranormal/Supernatural
Keywords:  witches, friendship, self-discovery, *

The second book I read is The Storyteller by Antonia Michaelis.

A good girl.

A bad boy.

A fairy tale that's true.

A truth that is no fairy tale.

It begins the day Anna finds the child's doll on the floor of the student lounge.  When it's claimed by Abel, the school drug dealer, Anna becomes determined to learn more about this mysterious boy with the military haircut and deep blue eyes.  She follows him after school and discovers a secret: Abel is caring for his six-year-old sister Micha, alone.  Anna listens in as he tells her a fairy tale, the story of a little orphan queen pursued by hunters across the oceans for the treasure she carries: her pure diamond heart . . . . But when people Abel has woven into his tale turn up dead, it's Anna whose heart is in danger.  Is she in love with a killer?

The novel is part murder mystery, part romance, and part coming of age (ish - Anna has a lot of angst, but I'm not sure it is ever resolved in the end like a typical coming of age story).  As for the mystery, the author gives just the right amount of hints as the story unfolds to keep the reader guessing, while sometimes thinking that they know exactly who the culprit is, but then changing their mind and thinking it is someone else, but then going back to their original suspicions, and so on and so forth.  All without being the least bit frustrating.  

Now, this book was originally written in German, so it has a sort of strange rhythm to it (I've noticed the same thing in other books translated from German - especially the parts that are dialogue - the writing sounds kind of stiff and overly formal), but after a while it isn't really noticeable, so don't let it put you off from finishing it. Because it is definitely well worth the read.

This is how the book begins:

BLOOD.

There is blood everywhere.  On his hands, on her hands, on his shirt, on his face, on the tiles, on the small round carpet.  The carpet used to be blue; it will never be blue again.

The blood is red. He is kneeling in it.  He hadn't realized it was so bright . . . big burst droplets, the color of poppies.  They are beautiful, as beautiful as a spring day in a sunny meadow ... but the tiles are cold and white as snow, and it is winter.

The entire first chapter continues in the same way.  It is awesome (in the sense that it is like - wow), and awesome (in the sense of being awe-inspiring and yet a bit fearful), and it immediately had me hooked.  The author uses this stunningly descriptive language of such a horrible scene and mixes it with stream of conscious thoughts to create an achingly vivid picture of the pain and anguish that this 'he' is experiencing.  So you know by the end of this three-page chapter that this is going to be a highly emotional story.  And not emotional in a good way.

This is another heartbreaking novel that made a huge impression on me.  It is a haunting story, not in the sense of ghosts, but in the sense that it lingers in your mind.  For days and days after I finished reading it, I couldn't stop thinking about it.  Let me warn you - do not read this book if you are already feeling a bit down.  And don't read it if you are faint of heart (is that saying left over from the Victorian era, or what?).  It tackles serious issues in a serious way, and I would have to say that it is hands down the most agonizing and poignant novel I have ever read.

This book is gritty, and horrible, and terribly tragic.  But that is what makes it such an intensely powerful, thought-provoking story.  And we should all read one of those every once in a while, so we can remember to count our blessings and not forget to try and make a difference for those who can't.


Rating:  4.5 Stars
Reading Level: 4.7
Age Appropriate: Upper Grades (only!!)
Page Count/Word Count:  402/ l15,503
Genre:  General/Realistic Fiction, Mystery, Romance
Keywords:  brothers & sisters, friendship, murder, abuse

You Know You're Passionate About Books When . . . .

I've discovered that I'm not happy unless I am creating something.  I don't mean all the time, because OF COURSE I'm happy when I'm reading and doing other things that I enjoy, but overall, if I'm not periodically making something, or being creative, I get this itch to do just that.  Several months ago, I got that itch.  It was too hot to make a garden (my garden was currently dying), I had vowed that the fourth mystery I made for my son would be the last (talk about a three month intensive project each time!), my scrapbooking supplies were in such disarray that I was loathe to tackle a new page, and nobody wants (actually, it's more like nobody NEEDS) to eat any of the delicious goodies I could bake.  What to do?

Well, at about the same time, I was reading a creepy kind of book and I thought, I'm tired of using these dumb library receipts for my bookmarks.  Wouldn't it be cool if I had a creepy bookmark to go with this creepy story?  So I started looking online to see if I could find one, and I ended up on Etsy.  I didn't find a creepy bookmark that I liked, but what I did find there was intriguing:  people were making and selling bookmarks that looked like jewelry.  They had ribbons with charms on the ends.  And crystal beads.  They were beautiful.  But they weren't particularly cheap.  Okay, they were pretty cheap, but apparently I'm even cheaper, because I said to myself, hey, I can do that!

I didn't immediately tromp off to the craft store to get supplies.  I decided to look into the box that held a bunch of clues from past mysteries I had made, and I found an old pendant that had belonged to my great great aunt.  It was just costume jewelry, and it was old and worn, but I thought it would be cool to use it on a bookmark, since I certainly wasn't ever going to actually wear it and what good was the keepsake piece doing me sitting there in a box in my closet?!?!

So THEN I tromped off to the craft store to get the needed supplies.  Here is what I came up with for my very first handmade bookmark:

After that, I remembered that I had this really cool locket watch, which is meant to be worn as a necklace, but got in my way whenever I tried so I never wore it.  And I thought, hmmmm.  I bet THAT would make a really cool bookmark.  So that was my second one (see below).

Then I saw a pendant that I liked, and since I don't wear pendants, I said, BOOKMARK!  And then I got the idea, wouldn't it be cool to have a different bookmark for each genre I was reading?  Or even a different one for each time period a story takes place in?  I pretty much lived in the craft stores for the next two months:  I don't have a good bookmark to use with fairy tale books . . . craft store!  Now I need something for the Victorian era . . . craft store!  Greek mythology . . . craft store!  You see how it goes.

My husband thinks I'm crazy.  I was replacing one bookmark for another as I was switching books the other day, and he said, you have more than one bookmark?  He just doesn't get it.  I guess if you aren't passionate about books, you wouldn't understand.

Locket Watch: My Most Versatile Bookmark	My Third Bookmark: Victorian Era	My Everything Uncanny Bookmark
Seashells from My Trip to Greece Inside	Just a Simple Bookmark to Take on Vacation	Pressed Flower Inside from a Camping Trip
My New Fairy Tale Bookmark	Supplies for a Medieval / Fantasy Bookmark	Where I Keep My Bookmarks

What I've Read Lately - August

August was another productive month for me (Well, as far as reading goes. Not so much for cleaning out my pantry and finishing the repainting of the bathroom.)  By using the little bits and pieces of time that I didn't feel were long enough to accomplish a big project, I was able to knock ten more books off of my to-read list.  Here's what I thought about them:

The first book I finished was Drowned, by Nichola Reilly (who, it turns out, is actually Cyn Balog, which makes for a nice mess when you are trying to actually find a copy of the book in the library).  I'm a bit torn about this one.  It is advertised as being an end-of-the-world-as-we-know-it type book, but it actually approaches the topic in a completely unique way.  I liked that.  But it seemed to take forever for the story to go anywhere.  I didn't like that.  Once it finally went somewhere, it was pretty interesting, (thumbs up) but the end left the reader kind of hanging - it was like it was left open for a sequel, but (due to certain plot developments) a sequel would probably be more like a stand-alone than a sequel (so thumbs down).  I guess I would give it a about three stars and say, go ahead and read it - it's interesting and unique enough to not be a waste of time. (Reading Level: ? /Middle Grades+)

The Ocean at the End of the Lane, by Neil Gaiman, was a quick read, but a perfect gem.  It is told by a man who is remembering a time when he was a  little boy and became involved with some uncanny happenings with the not-quite normal family down the lane.  Wonderfully written, it has that bedtime story feel that I am going to be publishing a post about (hopefully very) soon.  Plus, it deals with that uncanny stuff that I just looooove.  (I think I'll write a post about that, too, because I've got a decent list of great books I can recommend on the topic.)  Back on subject, definitely read this book.  You can probably finish it in a weekend, as long as you don't have friends texting you every other minute or bored little three-year-olds wanting your attention. (Reading Level: 5.3/Upper Grades)

How to Hang a Witch was written by Adriana Mather.  If you paid attention in your history (and maybe literature) classes, you would recognize the author's last name.  It is the same last name as the Reverend Cotton Mather, the Salem clergyman at the time of the historic Salem witch trials.  I figured the coincidence was just too much, and that the author just HAD to be an actual descendant.  She is.  Which was enough to get me super interested in the book.  After reading it, though, I am no longer all that excited about it.  The concept was interesting, the writing was pretty good, and the climax would probably make a good scary movie.  So why am I just sort of ambivalent about it?  Maybe it's because the teenagers were just too, well, teenage-ish (which I found kind of annoying).  Maybe it's because the love triangle thing was kind of silly (and at times, annoying).  Maybe because I didn't think it was supposed to be a scary book, but then it tries to turn into one, but doesn't actually scare me after all  (maybe I'm just really hard to scare with the written word.)  But hey, I've probably got unrealistically high standards for what I'd go rush out and buy (you know, a four or five star book), so you might really enjoy this one. (Rading Level: 4.2/Upper Grades)

Wicked Girls, by Stephanie Hemphill, is another book about the Salem witch trials.  I actually had this one sitting on my waiting-to-read shelf for weeks and weeks before I read it.  This is because the first time I sat down with it I noticed what I had not noticed when I checked it out from the library:  it is a novel in verse.  I don't usually care for books where the ENTIRE thing is verse, and I wasn't really in the mood at the time to try another one out.  So I put it back on the shelf and left it there for, like I said, WEEKS.  When I had run through all of my renewals (I know, I told you it was weeks!) and I was going to have to turn it in within a few days, I said to myself, you know, I will kick myself if I've had this sitting here all this time and I turned it in without trying it and missed out on a good book.  So I read it.  And I really liked it.  It went pretty quickly since, being written in verse, there is a lot of empty space on each page not filled up with words.  It took me a little while to get into it, because it was hard to remember which girl was which when it wasn't really a conventional story.  Notice I say conventional, because after a while you see that it IS a story, one that moves along chronologically and develops the characters and reveals the motivations behind their actions.  Which is one of the things I liked so much about the book - it offers an entirely new, yet surprisingly plausible, theory as to why the girls made such outrageous accusations.  You should definitely give this one a try. (Reading Level: 4.7/Upper Grades)

Altered, by Jennifer Rush, is pretty much what you would expect to get when you look at the cover: four guys, genetically altered to be superior specimens of the species.  One girl.  All five of them tangled up in mystery and intrigue and running for their lives.  Absolutely nothing deep, but overall believable enough and well written, so it is quite entertaining and a relatively quick read to boot.  It is the first of a three part series, with at least the first two already out, so give it a try.  (Note:  There are at least eight other book out there with exactly the same title.  If you pick up the wrong one, I am not responsible if the book is absolutely horrible and you don't enjoy it at all.) (Reading Level: 4.4/Middle Grades+)

Evil Librarian, by Michelle Knudsen, was one of those books that takes a few chapters to find its groove.  Or maybe I was just in the wrong mood for it at the beginning.  I read the first two or three chapter in one sitting and I was like, this author is trying to be funny, but she is SO not.  The next day I read some more, and I was like, this author is actually really funny.  Why did I not think so yesterday?!  I guess this book might fall under the category of humor, but it's got plenty of other stuff going for it, too.  I really liked it. Not just the funny parts, but the fact that it had some intrigue and romance and some not-so-evil demons doing evil stuff.  (I mean, they're demons, so they're evil, but they're just doing what demons do, and not being particularly evil as far as demons go.  You'll see what I mean when you read it.) (Reading Level: 5.4/Middle Grades+)

I had Deadly, by Julie Chibarro, on my to-read list for ages, but it was never in the library branch I was going to.  I finally managed to pick it up, and regretfully, it wasn't worth the wait.  I am a really big fan of historical fiction, but this one just didn't do it for me.  Not the writing, not the pace, not the characters, not the way the author tried to address the whole Victorian Era oppression/under-appreciation of women and their intellect.  It was simple, and boring, and it annoyed me to no end that in the author's note about the actual Typhoid Mary case, she doesn't explain anything about typhoid fever, like exactly what is it, and do we have a vaccine now, and did anyone ever figure out how a person could transmit it if they never came down with any symptoms themselves (this was a big part of the story, gosh darn it!)  Anyway, if you don't have a lot of time to read, you should skip this one and read something else.  There are plenty of historical fiction books out there that deal with epidemics. (Reading Level: 6.4/Middle Grades)

Okay.  I know I said I made it through ten books this month, but I am tired of typing and the other three aren't especially great, so I don't feel the need to tell you to hurry up and get down to the library or bookstore or your friend's house (or wherever you get your books from).  Nor are they especially awful, so I don't feel the need to warn you away from wasting that precious time that could be spent on reading something better (heck, or even ironing laundry in the case of some books I've read).  The titles will show up on my book lists at some point in the next six months or so, depending on how long it takes me to update those things.

Besides, in the amount of time it took me to read those ten books, I added more than 30 to my want-to-read list.  (It's like one step forward, two steps back!)  And, when I'm blogging, I'm not reading, and if I'm going to have anything to write about, I'd better get to those other books on my waiting-to-read shelf.  Right?

This is what my waiting-to-read shelf currently looks like!

What I've Read Lately - July

July was a big reading month for me.  My son was off school, so life was just all-around less hectic, and I had a lot of free weekends.  I even took a trip to the library in the neighboring city to check out the list of books that I'd been wanting to read, but are held by neither my own city's library system nor any of the branches in my county system.  Some of these titles had been on my to-read list for a very long time, so I was eagerly anticipating the reading enjoyment I would soon to be experiencing.  Alas, although July was a big reading month in terms of quantity, in terms of quality it was just about the worst month EVER.  Which was really sad, since I had so much time to read and all that.

So here's a rundown once again of the good, the bad, and the ugly, if by ugly we mean it is so incredibly bad the library needs to get it off the shelves to make room for something better (Now I know why the other two library systems didn't carry those books . . . .)

The Plague, by Jennifer Dahme, was the first of the set that I sat down with.  I thought the book sounded really interesting - girl looks so much like the princess that she lives at the castle and acts as her stand-in.  Then the princess dies of the plague and said girl is forced to take her place and continue with the plans of her arranged marriage.  Hmmm.  This is a young adult novel, but it reads like a juvenile fiction book.  A BAD juvenile fiction book.  It was like, girl does this and then does that and then says this and then goes over there and then thinks some small thought and then does this and then her little brother does this and then he does that and she says this and then the little brother does that and then something else bla bla bla.  It was very simplistic and very boring and why does the story have so much about the little brother if it is supposed to be a young adult novel?  I abandoned it by about Chapter 3.

Banished, by Sophie Littlefield, is about a neglected, white trash kind of teenage girl who discovers that she has the power to heal, and even bring people back to life.  And then her mysterious long-lost aunt shows up, and they are attacked by these thuggish assassin types, and there is a long buried secret and running for their lives and all that good stuff.  Should have been a great book.  And it was, a really good book in fact, until about the last 20 percent, when it got kind of stupid and unbelievable (like the super stupid and totally unbelievable ending) and that just ruined the whole thing for me.  Another perfect example of a book running off the tracks and ending up a trainwreck.  (Reading Level: 5.5/Upper Grades)

Ask the Dark, by Henry Turner, was a good one.  Here's the blurb from the book cover:

Billy Zeets has a story to tell.
About being his neighborhood's prime suspect for vandalism, theft, and other kid's bloodied noses.
About missing boys, butchered bodies, and a mysterious, elusive killer.
And about what happens if a boy who breaks all the rules is the only person who can piece together the truth.

The book is nicely paced, interesting, and a quick read.  Still appropriate for upper middle grades despite the subject matter. (Reading Level 4.9/Middle Grade+)

What can I say about Stray, by Elissa Sussman?  I wanted to like this book.  I really did.  And I should have, too, because it goes and puts a unique twist on fairy tales, and I really like that kind of thing.  It is about a royal girl who doesn't control her magic and so she has to become a fairy godmother and serve a different royal girl who is doing a better job of controlling her own magic.  Sounds like an interesting concept, but reads about as interestingly as the words I just typed.  The characters were flat, the plot was flat, the story was slow and at times confusing.  The entire thing was completely underdeveloped and, as I think back about it now, just plain awful.  I could barely finish it and, needless to say, will not be bothering to read the next book in the series.  I don't even care what happens to the heroine, not one little bit (which about says it all). (Reading Level 5.6/Middle Grades+)

Look at that picture there.  The Book of Bad Things, by Dan Poblocki, should have been awesome.  And it might have been awesome if I were twelve years old.  Or ten.  I don't know.  I just can't read most juvenile fiction anymore.  It doesn't have enough depth to keep me interested.  And even though this book was shelved under teen fiction, it is most definitely NOT a young adult novel.  I only had to read two chapters to figure that out.  And I only had to read two chapters before I said, This book is not for me, and quit reading it. (Reading Level 5.4/Middle Grades)

Blackwood, by Gwenda Bond, is a book I had been wanting to read for ages.  It is about the mystery of Roanoke, and seeing how I love history and really enjoy a good mystery, I was really looking forward to this one.  Well, it was just a mediocre book.  It had some very unique and interesting concepts, but it also had its share of unbelievability (you know, stuff that makes you say, what - really?  That is so stupid.)  Anyway, if you don't read very much you might enjoy this one.  Or you might not.  It was definitely better than some of my other July picks, but I am still waffling on whether I really want to recommend it or not.  (Reading Level: ? / Middle Grade+)

I actually had Ashfall, by Mike Mullin left over from a June library trip, but I read it in July so I will talk about it here.  The book is about a teenage boy who goes looking for his family after the fallout from a massive volcanic eruption basically ends life as we know it.  He meets some people along the way, and goes through harrowing experiences and barely survives over and over again.  The book is kinda cheesy at times.  Not just the dialogue, but also the plot.  I mean, how much trouble can this guy get into?  How many critical injuries can he sustain, and then survive?  It is pretty unrealistic at times, but it is action packed and full of suspense.  And it is actually a pretty quick read considering how thick the book is.  So if you like post-apocalyptic literature told from a boy's perspective with lots of harrowing survival stuff going on, you should give it a try.  (Reading Level 5.0/Upper Grades)