Hm... I'm slipping! I thought I had skipped maybe 1 or 2 books, but come to find out I'm 4 behind now! Yikes! So I will just give a quick overview the books I've read in the last couple months.
"The Penny Tree" by Holly Kennedy - This was a rather true-to-life feeling story about a single mom and the trials she faces in going thru a divorce and raising 2 teenage boys on her own, 1 who is sick and 1 who has been acting out. One day a very romantic ad appears in the local paper - someone is looking for her. When she tries to contact the person, she has no luck and contacting the newspaper only tells her that the person who bought them wishes to remain anonymous and he will reveal his identity in 6 weeks' time, after the rest of the ads have run. Of the many possibilities of men she thinks it could be, her true secret admirer is someone you would never expect!
"The Monk Downstairs" by Tim Farrington - This was a really cute story about another single mom who rents out her basement as an apartment for a little extra income. She ends up renting to an ex-monk, fresh from the monastery and they, of course, fall in love. Very sweet.
"Jinxed" by Beth Ciotta - This was a pretty fun little novel. I wasn't too sure about it, because I bought it at the Dollar Tree, and there are typo's and stuff. But the story was quite amusing. Heroine Afia St. John is quite possibly the unluckiest woman alive. She was born on Friday the 13th, which her mother has never let her forget, and has been brought up to be superstitious and believing she is jinxed. Most people would agree. When she was 16 her father was killed in a freak rhinoceros attack. Her first husband died in bed with her when she was 22. Her second husband has also recently died (I don't remember the circumstances). And because of the wealth these 3 men have left behind for her, the magazines and newspapers refer to her as the Black Widow. But then her business manager runs off with all her money leaving her penniless and almost friendless. But, with the help of her godfather, unbeknown to her, she gets a job with a PI, who is actually being paid to babysit her and make sure she doesn't get into trouble. But he calls off the job when he realizes he's in love with her, then it's only a matter of convincing her that she is not bad luck or jinxed. You choose your own destiny.
"Confessions of a Shopaholic" by Sophie Kinsella - I won't lie, I didn't like Becky Bloomwood's character at all at first. I just wanted to shake her and yell "Have you no control?!" But then I realized that in my own way, I'm very much like her. She has this obsession with shopping that seems to be bigger than her. She's thousands of pounds in debt, and the thought of the state of her personal finances is enough to throw her into a panic fit, which usually results in more shopping to make her feel better. The way she justifies every purchase is just ridiculous sometimes... Anyway, the hilariously ironic part is that Becky's job is in finance journalism. She thinks she doesn't know anything about finances, because her own are such a mess and she keeps running away from them. But in the end, she (and everyone around her) realizes she knows a lot more about finances than she thought, and she finally grows up to face her problems. I really enjoyed it... looking forward to getting into the next one...
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
April 27, 2011
I haven't forgotten! It's just taking me a really long time to get thru my current book. But I will get thru it and hopefully move on very soon! :)
Saturday, April 2, 2011
Book Review: The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart
This was a really fun story, I totally enjoyed it. It had a very Lemony Snicket / Roald Dahl feel to it that was really magical and extraordinary and made you feel like anything is possible.
The story is about these 4 special children who take Mr. Benedict's crazy tests and end up joining his secret society to become spies. Their mission: to discover what exactly The Thing To Come is, and bring a stop to it. Reynie, the boy telling the story, is very bright with a knack for problem-solving and leadership. Sticky has an incredible memory. Kate is extremely resourceful and knows distances just by looking at them. Then there's Constance. Nobody really knows what her talent is, other than being obnoxiously negative and ornery. Her stubbornness does end up saving the day, but what makes her truly special doesn't come to light until the very end - surprise!
I can't really describe it much more than this without telling the whole story. The children go undercover to this private academy to solve Mr. Benedict's mystery. They find some other surprises along the way. And they have almost daily contact with Mr. Benedict and his crew across the river by using a flashlight to send Morse code messages. The messages sent back are always coded tho, so they always have to figure out what Mr. Benedict is trying to tell them, and then do it. They almost get caught a few times, but are ultimately successful.
I found it to be a really fun, interesting adventure, and when I got to the end I realized that there are at least 2 other books about these extraordinary children and their adventures. If I ever come across them I would definitely get them! :)
Overall story rating: 9/10
Recommendation: anyone - it's quite big, though
The story is about these 4 special children who take Mr. Benedict's crazy tests and end up joining his secret society to become spies. Their mission: to discover what exactly The Thing To Come is, and bring a stop to it. Reynie, the boy telling the story, is very bright with a knack for problem-solving and leadership. Sticky has an incredible memory. Kate is extremely resourceful and knows distances just by looking at them. Then there's Constance. Nobody really knows what her talent is, other than being obnoxiously negative and ornery. Her stubbornness does end up saving the day, but what makes her truly special doesn't come to light until the very end - surprise!
I can't really describe it much more than this without telling the whole story. The children go undercover to this private academy to solve Mr. Benedict's mystery. They find some other surprises along the way. And they have almost daily contact with Mr. Benedict and his crew across the river by using a flashlight to send Morse code messages. The messages sent back are always coded tho, so they always have to figure out what Mr. Benedict is trying to tell them, and then do it. They almost get caught a few times, but are ultimately successful.
I found it to be a really fun, interesting adventure, and when I got to the end I realized that there are at least 2 other books about these extraordinary children and their adventures. If I ever come across them I would definitely get them! :)
Overall story rating: 9/10
Recommendation: anyone - it's quite big, though
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Book Review: The Reader by Bernhard Schlink
I found this to be a bit of a tough read. It's written in 3 parts, and part 2 really turned me off, so it took me a lot longer than it should have to finish. I've never seen then movie, but now that I've finished the book, I think it might be interesting. Someday. I'm gonna go out to rent it right now or anything.
So it's written in the voice of the main character, Michael Berg, looking back on this particular part of his life. The first part of the book covers how Michael met Hanna Schmitz. When Michael was 15 he fell ill with hepatitis on his way home from school one day. He threw up in the road, and Hanna rescued him, cleaned him up, and took him home. He was sick for months and when he finally was well enough to, his mother sent him to find the woman and thank her for helping him. He did, and went back a few more times, and they end up having an affair, despite her being more than twice his age. She frequently asks him to read to her, which he does, and it becomes an integral part of their relationship. He doesn't tell anyone about their affair, not even his closest friends. I'm not sure exactly how long it lasts, but not much more than a year. Michael starts to feel as if he's betrayed Hanna because he can't bring himself to tell anyone about her, and he starts to want to spend more time with his friends. Then one day, Hanna disappears. He's completely distraught and depressed, but does very well to hide it from him family and friends.
In part two he goes on to college and studies law, thinking that he'd like to be a lawyer. A particular concentration of their studies is war crimes and ex-Nazis and how they should have been or should be punished for their crimes, and part of the course involves sitting through an actual trial. At the trial Michael sees Hanna for the first time in years and discovers that she was a guard in the concentration camps. He sits through every day of the trial, and after hearing stories and putting some pieces together, realizes that Hanna is illiterate. He feels this should have some effect on her case, but doesn't want to speak to her in person, and doesn't feel he can speak to the judge on her behalf. She gets sentenced to life in prison, and he goes on to marry a classmate. They have a daughter, and get divorced a few years later because Michael is constantly comparing the women in his life to Hanna.
In part three, Michael starts reading the books he had read in school, but finds that he has to read them aloud to fulfill whatever need he can't seem to satisfy any other way. And he starts recording his readings and sending them to Hanna in prison. At one point he also writes a book and sends her the recording. He's stunned when she writes him a note thanking him. He never writes back, but continues sending recordings, and she continues sending short notes. Then he gets a letter from her warden saying that she will probably be released soon and since he is the only person Hanna has contact with on the outside, it would be nice if he could arrange for a place for her to live and work, etc and be a support to her when she's released, because reintegration into society after 18 years of imprisonment is difficult, but especially for someone who's had no contact with the outside. Michael does provide these arrangements, and then it comes time for him to go to the prison to see Hanna and speak to the warden in person. Seeing Hanna is a shocking experience for him - she has aged so. He's torn over his feelings for her. She's still his Hanna, and yet she's older, she did terrible things during the war, she did terrible things in her life to cover the fact that she was illiterate, but then she did make the necessary sacrifices to learn to read and write while she was in prison. And though he knows why she left, he never forgave her for abandoning him without explanation or saying goodbye. Finally, the day before he's to pick her up, he calls the prison to speak to the warden and does speak to Hanna. The next day when he arrives at the prison, he's told that Hanna hanged herself early that morning.
The story gets wrapped up by Hanna leaving all her money to a concentration camp survivor and Michael finally learning to let go of her.
Overall story rating: 7/10
Recommendation: 17+ for mature content
So it's written in the voice of the main character, Michael Berg, looking back on this particular part of his life. The first part of the book covers how Michael met Hanna Schmitz. When Michael was 15 he fell ill with hepatitis on his way home from school one day. He threw up in the road, and Hanna rescued him, cleaned him up, and took him home. He was sick for months and when he finally was well enough to, his mother sent him to find the woman and thank her for helping him. He did, and went back a few more times, and they end up having an affair, despite her being more than twice his age. She frequently asks him to read to her, which he does, and it becomes an integral part of their relationship. He doesn't tell anyone about their affair, not even his closest friends. I'm not sure exactly how long it lasts, but not much more than a year. Michael starts to feel as if he's betrayed Hanna because he can't bring himself to tell anyone about her, and he starts to want to spend more time with his friends. Then one day, Hanna disappears. He's completely distraught and depressed, but does very well to hide it from him family and friends.
In part two he goes on to college and studies law, thinking that he'd like to be a lawyer. A particular concentration of their studies is war crimes and ex-Nazis and how they should have been or should be punished for their crimes, and part of the course involves sitting through an actual trial. At the trial Michael sees Hanna for the first time in years and discovers that she was a guard in the concentration camps. He sits through every day of the trial, and after hearing stories and putting some pieces together, realizes that Hanna is illiterate. He feels this should have some effect on her case, but doesn't want to speak to her in person, and doesn't feel he can speak to the judge on her behalf. She gets sentenced to life in prison, and he goes on to marry a classmate. They have a daughter, and get divorced a few years later because Michael is constantly comparing the women in his life to Hanna.
In part three, Michael starts reading the books he had read in school, but finds that he has to read them aloud to fulfill whatever need he can't seem to satisfy any other way. And he starts recording his readings and sending them to Hanna in prison. At one point he also writes a book and sends her the recording. He's stunned when she writes him a note thanking him. He never writes back, but continues sending recordings, and she continues sending short notes. Then he gets a letter from her warden saying that she will probably be released soon and since he is the only person Hanna has contact with on the outside, it would be nice if he could arrange for a place for her to live and work, etc and be a support to her when she's released, because reintegration into society after 18 years of imprisonment is difficult, but especially for someone who's had no contact with the outside. Michael does provide these arrangements, and then it comes time for him to go to the prison to see Hanna and speak to the warden in person. Seeing Hanna is a shocking experience for him - she has aged so. He's torn over his feelings for her. She's still his Hanna, and yet she's older, she did terrible things during the war, she did terrible things in her life to cover the fact that she was illiterate, but then she did make the necessary sacrifices to learn to read and write while she was in prison. And though he knows why she left, he never forgave her for abandoning him without explanation or saying goodbye. Finally, the day before he's to pick her up, he calls the prison to speak to the warden and does speak to Hanna. The next day when he arrives at the prison, he's told that Hanna hanged herself early that morning.
The story gets wrapped up by Hanna leaving all her money to a concentration camp survivor and Michael finally learning to let go of her.
Overall story rating: 7/10
Recommendation: 17+ for mature content
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Book Review: I Am Number Four by Pittacus Lore
Ok, first off, I LOVED this book, AND movie. I saw the movie first, which I would almost recommend because you enjoy the movie, but then the book is that much better because it's got different stuff and more info. And I really don't want to spoil it for anyone, so I will really try to give the most basic of descriptions...
So, the story is about this group of 9 children from planet Lorien (who look like humans, but definitely are not) who were sent to Earth 10 years ago, each with their Cepan guardian, when Lorien was attacked by the Mogadorians (aliens from a different planet). The plan was that they would go to their space station to wait until it was safe to return, but the Mogadorians destroyed the planet and everything on it, so they were forced to come to Earth. Before they left, each child was given a number, and a charm was put on them so that should the Mogadorians ever find them, they had to be killed in numerical order. The only way the charm could be broken was if 2 or more of them were together, so they had to spread out and never make contact. And each time one is killed, no matter where they are, the others know because they painfully receive a circular scar on their leg. The first 2 have died years ago, and you see the third die right at the beginning of both book and movie. The main character is Number Four, so he and his Cepan (and father figure), Henri, know that he is next and that they must keep moving, keep changing identities. They've never stayed anywhere for more than 6 months. So after Number Three dies, they move to Paradise, Ohio, and Number Four takes on the new identity of John Smith.
Paradise, Ohio is where everything changes for Number Four (John). He starts to develop his Lorien Legacies - super powers - he meets and falls in love with Sarah Hart, he makes a best friend in Sam Goode (whose father was an alien enthusiast who disappeared years ago), an initial enemy in Mark James (police chief's son, football star, and Sarah's ex-boyfriend), and a pet Beagle who he names Bernie Kosar. Mark is pretty mean to John at first, but not so much after John throws him and his friends around in the woods one night. John eventually has to tell all 3 of them his secret, which is extremely dangerous, but turns out to be helpful when the Mogadorians finally find them.
But with the Mogadorians also comes Number Six, who is a great help, but also opens all the other Loric children up to be killed if the Mogadorians find them. Together they are stronger, but for the ones who aren't with them, it could be fatal. Four and Six's powers are different in the book from the movie, so I won't say what they are. The (intense) battle scene at the High School is also different, so I won't go into much detail there either, at this point. But the ending is the same - Four and Six defeat the Mogadorians. I also wouldn't want to completely spoil the ending for those who haven't seen/read it yet, but Four and Six do have to leave Paradise in the end.
Now for the author. Pittacus Lore, what a strange name, and so close to the name of the planet, you might say. Cool, you might say. Well, Pittacus Lore is the authors' (James Frey and Jobie Hughes) pseudonym, and also a character in the book. He is not mentioned in the movie, and only once in the book. But the back of the flyleaf reads:
Overall story rating: 10/10
Recommendation: 13+
So, the story is about this group of 9 children from planet Lorien (who look like humans, but definitely are not) who were sent to Earth 10 years ago, each with their Cepan guardian, when Lorien was attacked by the Mogadorians (aliens from a different planet). The plan was that they would go to their space station to wait until it was safe to return, but the Mogadorians destroyed the planet and everything on it, so they were forced to come to Earth. Before they left, each child was given a number, and a charm was put on them so that should the Mogadorians ever find them, they had to be killed in numerical order. The only way the charm could be broken was if 2 or more of them were together, so they had to spread out and never make contact. And each time one is killed, no matter where they are, the others know because they painfully receive a circular scar on their leg. The first 2 have died years ago, and you see the third die right at the beginning of both book and movie. The main character is Number Four, so he and his Cepan (and father figure), Henri, know that he is next and that they must keep moving, keep changing identities. They've never stayed anywhere for more than 6 months. So after Number Three dies, they move to Paradise, Ohio, and Number Four takes on the new identity of John Smith.
Paradise, Ohio is where everything changes for Number Four (John). He starts to develop his Lorien Legacies - super powers - he meets and falls in love with Sarah Hart, he makes a best friend in Sam Goode (whose father was an alien enthusiast who disappeared years ago), an initial enemy in Mark James (police chief's son, football star, and Sarah's ex-boyfriend), and a pet Beagle who he names Bernie Kosar. Mark is pretty mean to John at first, but not so much after John throws him and his friends around in the woods one night. John eventually has to tell all 3 of them his secret, which is extremely dangerous, but turns out to be helpful when the Mogadorians finally find them.
But with the Mogadorians also comes Number Six, who is a great help, but also opens all the other Loric children up to be killed if the Mogadorians find them. Together they are stronger, but for the ones who aren't with them, it could be fatal. Four and Six's powers are different in the book from the movie, so I won't say what they are. The (intense) battle scene at the High School is also different, so I won't go into much detail there either, at this point. But the ending is the same - Four and Six defeat the Mogadorians. I also wouldn't want to completely spoil the ending for those who haven't seen/read it yet, but Four and Six do have to leave Paradise in the end.
Now for the author. Pittacus Lore, what a strange name, and so close to the name of the planet, you might say. Cool, you might say. Well, Pittacus Lore is the authors' (James Frey and Jobie Hughes) pseudonym, and also a character in the book. He is not mentioned in the movie, and only once in the book. But the back of the flyleaf reads:
"Pittacus Lore is Lorien's ruling Elder. He has been on Earth for the last twelve years, preparing for the war that will decide Earth's fate. His whereabouts are unknown."I like it. Can't wait for the second book of the series - The Power of Six!!!
Overall story rating: 10/10
Recommendation: 13+
Monday, February 28, 2011
Vocabulary: Week 9
Week 9 is upon us. I don't know if I'm actually learning the definitions of these words, but I have attempted to use some in conversation... must make more of an effort!
In any case, the word I have chosen for the week of February 27 is:
In any case, the word I have chosen for the week of February 27 is:
"Febrile: marked or caused by fever; feverish."I think I should be able to remember this one... :)
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Book Review: The Curious Case of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon
To quote The Miami Herald and The Daily Telegraph, "Astonishingly captivating...fierce and ingenious," and "Heart-in-the-mouth stuff, terrifying and moving. Haddon is to be congratulated for imagining a new kind of hero."
The story takes place in Swindon, England, and is written in the voice of Christopher John Francis Boone, a 15 year old boy who has extraordinary math and physics skills, and a perfect memory. It never says he is Autistic, just that he has behavioral problems, but that is the idea I get from the descriptions of his preferences and behavior.
So, in the beginning, Christopher discovers that his neighbour's poodle, Wellington, has been murdered with a garden fork in the middle of the night. And Mrs. Shears (the owner) thinks that Christopher did it, because he's a bit different and she found him holding the bloody dog in her yard. So the police come and speak to Christopher but he doesn't understand the questions and when the police officer tries to pull him up off the ground, Christopher hits him, which earns him a "caution," which haunts him for the rest of the book. Christopher decides that he's going to discover who killed Wellington, so he looks at all the likely suspects, and starts talking to various neighbours, even tho he doesn't like talking to strangers. And he decides to write this book, which will be a murder mystery.
In his detecting, an elderly lady neighbour tells Christopher that his mother, who he believes to have been dead for 3 years, never did die, she had an affair with Mr. Shears and they ran away together. But Christopher is not affected by this information because his father told him his mother was dead, and his father wouldn't lie to him, so he believe the affair happened before she died.
When Christopher's father happens upon the book, he discovers that Christopher knows the truth about his mother, and he becomes very upset, hits Christopher, and takes the book away. Christopher ends up finding his book in his father's closet among piles of letters addressed to Christopher. After reading them, he realizes that they're from his mother, and it finally sinks in that Mother is still alive and living in London.
Not long after this, Father tells Christopher that he was the one who killed Wellington. Because after Mother ran away with Mr. Shears, Father didn't know how to tell Christopher what had happened so he told him she'd died and it was just easier to keep on lying. In the meantime, Mrs. Shears became a close friend and would sometimes stay with them, and Father thought that someday she might like to live with them permanently, but she ended up caring more about her dog than she cared about them. So he'd killed the dog. Knowing that his father was a "murderer" and a liar made Christopher very frightened to be near him, so he decided that he couldn't stay there any longer. At first he was going to ask Mrs. Shears if he could stay with her, but she wasn't home and the elderly neighbour wanted him to talk about the situation with his father, so he ended up running away, deciding that he was going to find his mother in London.
The rest of the book more or less details Christopher's difficult and strenuous journey to London and shows how he was able to use the skills and knowledge in his possession to find his way around train stations and London itself. He stayed with Mother and Mr. Shears for a few days, but he and Mother eventually went back to Swindon because things weren't going very well anymore with Mr. Shears. Once home, Christopher is able to take his Maths A level exam, which he has been looking forward to for a long time and didn't think he'd be able to do while he was in London. He gets an A grade on the exam, and Mother gets a little apartment near Father's house. Father makes Christopher promise to work on their relationship by agreeing to spend a certain amount of time with him every day, and in return Father will do things to show Christopher that he can trust him again. Father buys Christopher a dog, which he names Sandy, and life starts to get back to normal for Christopher.
The closing paragraphs are so touching, and I just have to quote them:
Overall story rating: 9/10
Recommendation: 15+ for some language and content
The story takes place in Swindon, England, and is written in the voice of Christopher John Francis Boone, a 15 year old boy who has extraordinary math and physics skills, and a perfect memory. It never says he is Autistic, just that he has behavioral problems, but that is the idea I get from the descriptions of his preferences and behavior.
So, in the beginning, Christopher discovers that his neighbour's poodle, Wellington, has been murdered with a garden fork in the middle of the night. And Mrs. Shears (the owner) thinks that Christopher did it, because he's a bit different and she found him holding the bloody dog in her yard. So the police come and speak to Christopher but he doesn't understand the questions and when the police officer tries to pull him up off the ground, Christopher hits him, which earns him a "caution," which haunts him for the rest of the book. Christopher decides that he's going to discover who killed Wellington, so he looks at all the likely suspects, and starts talking to various neighbours, even tho he doesn't like talking to strangers. And he decides to write this book, which will be a murder mystery.
In his detecting, an elderly lady neighbour tells Christopher that his mother, who he believes to have been dead for 3 years, never did die, she had an affair with Mr. Shears and they ran away together. But Christopher is not affected by this information because his father told him his mother was dead, and his father wouldn't lie to him, so he believe the affair happened before she died.
When Christopher's father happens upon the book, he discovers that Christopher knows the truth about his mother, and he becomes very upset, hits Christopher, and takes the book away. Christopher ends up finding his book in his father's closet among piles of letters addressed to Christopher. After reading them, he realizes that they're from his mother, and it finally sinks in that Mother is still alive and living in London.
Not long after this, Father tells Christopher that he was the one who killed Wellington. Because after Mother ran away with Mr. Shears, Father didn't know how to tell Christopher what had happened so he told him she'd died and it was just easier to keep on lying. In the meantime, Mrs. Shears became a close friend and would sometimes stay with them, and Father thought that someday she might like to live with them permanently, but she ended up caring more about her dog than she cared about them. So he'd killed the dog. Knowing that his father was a "murderer" and a liar made Christopher very frightened to be near him, so he decided that he couldn't stay there any longer. At first he was going to ask Mrs. Shears if he could stay with her, but she wasn't home and the elderly neighbour wanted him to talk about the situation with his father, so he ended up running away, deciding that he was going to find his mother in London.
The rest of the book more or less details Christopher's difficult and strenuous journey to London and shows how he was able to use the skills and knowledge in his possession to find his way around train stations and London itself. He stayed with Mother and Mr. Shears for a few days, but he and Mother eventually went back to Swindon because things weren't going very well anymore with Mr. Shears. Once home, Christopher is able to take his Maths A level exam, which he has been looking forward to for a long time and didn't think he'd be able to do while he was in London. He gets an A grade on the exam, and Mother gets a little apartment near Father's house. Father makes Christopher promise to work on their relationship by agreeing to spend a certain amount of time with him every day, and in return Father will do things to show Christopher that he can trust him again. Father buys Christopher a dog, which he names Sandy, and life starts to get back to normal for Christopher.
The closing paragraphs are so touching, and I just have to quote them:
"{Talking about his Maths A level grade, and that he's going to take the Further Maths for A level exam next year...} And I'm going to pass it and get an A grade. And in two years' time I am going to take A-level physics and get an A grade. And then, when I've done that, I am going to go to university in another town. And it doesn't have to be in London because I don't like London and there are universities in lots of places and not all of them are in big cities. And I can live in a flat with a garden and a proper toilet. And I can take Sandy and my books and my computer. And then I will get a First Class Honors degree and I will become a scientist. And I know I can do this because I went to London on my own, and because I solved the mystery of Who Killed Wellington? and I found my mother and I was brave and I wrote a book and that means I can do anything."
Overall story rating: 9/10
Recommendation: 15+ for some language and content
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)