Another YA! This one is nominated for the 2011-2012 Gateway Award. This is the love story of Grace and Sam. For Grace, it was love at first sight when she saw Sam for the first time...as a wolf in her backyard. Strange? Okay. But after all of the funky things that have been written for YA lately, I can buy it. When Grace sees Sam as a boy, the love is magnified...but then she realizes that Sam is running out of time to be a boy!
There, that's my summary. I liked this book, I guess. It was a page-turner, which is what I needed after trying to read some heavier stuff this summer while my kids run around and ask questions and watch iCarly. I need something a little easier. This is certainly easy. As a YA reader, I was glad that there wasn't a love triangle in this book. Those get sooooo tiresome. Yes, the heroine is so beautiful (but she never realizes it, of course) that she has multiple men who would lay down their lives for her. Yawn. Not in this book. The main characters only have eyes for each other. However, the absentee/oblivious parents were present. That's kind of a bummer...
I would pick this book up if you need something for a car ride or the beach (if you are so lucky)...
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Bonus post-Books that stuck with me
After spending an hour in a bookstore with another reader friend (shout out Chris!), I thought I would blog about some books that I've read in years past that really stuck with me. The books that I still think about or that I would still recommend today after years of stagnation in my mind. Because some of them were read so long ago, the descriptions might be lacking...
Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides-This book was a fantastic look into a family of recent immigrants who moved to Detroit to find work in the auto industry. Really good stuff about what life was like for them as Detroit grew...and then faded. Oh, and the main character is a hermaphrodite.
Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe-I read this MANY years ago, but this is what I remember. This is the story of a village in Africa that is "invaded" by missionaries. The author does an amazing job of showing the similarities between the tribe's "pagan" religion and Christianity.
Life of Pi by Yann Martel-When I recommended this to Chris last night, I realized that you really shouldn't know anything about the book before you read it. It is fantastic. But if I tell you what it's about, chances are you won't pick it up. It's worth it!
A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini-I think of the author's two books, this one was my favorite because it deals with female friendship. The Kite Runner is definitely worth reading, but if I had to choose again, I'd pick this one.
People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks-I love this book because of the way it is written. This is the story of a Jewish book of prayers and the woman who is trying to find its history through the tiny fibers she finds in the creases of the pages. Each fiber tells a different story in the life of the book and the life of a persecuted religion. But instead of being a "woe is me" story about the tragedies of Jewish history, there is hope in these pages of cooperation and peace and understanding between religions.
Let me know if you've read any of these or if you have a book to add!
Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides-This book was a fantastic look into a family of recent immigrants who moved to Detroit to find work in the auto industry. Really good stuff about what life was like for them as Detroit grew...and then faded. Oh, and the main character is a hermaphrodite.
Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe-I read this MANY years ago, but this is what I remember. This is the story of a village in Africa that is "invaded" by missionaries. The author does an amazing job of showing the similarities between the tribe's "pagan" religion and Christianity.
Life of Pi by Yann Martel-When I recommended this to Chris last night, I realized that you really shouldn't know anything about the book before you read it. It is fantastic. But if I tell you what it's about, chances are you won't pick it up. It's worth it!
A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini-I think of the author's two books, this one was my favorite because it deals with female friendship. The Kite Runner is definitely worth reading, but if I had to choose again, I'd pick this one.
People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks-I love this book because of the way it is written. This is the story of a Jewish book of prayers and the woman who is trying to find its history through the tiny fibers she finds in the creases of the pages. Each fiber tells a different story in the life of the book and the life of a persecuted religion. But instead of being a "woe is me" story about the tragedies of Jewish history, there is hope in these pages of cooperation and peace and understanding between religions.
Let me know if you've read any of these or if you have a book to add!
Book 26-A Secret Kept by Tatiana de Rosnay
Boooooooooooooooooooooooooo. What a waste of time. I listened to this book the last month of school and then had to find time to be in the car alone to finish it this summer. First off, it's a story about a Parisian man, but the guy who read it on the CD was a pompous English man. Yuck. It made my skin crawl to listen to him...especially during the sex scenes, which were pretty explicit. Secondly, it was a bad book. I read it because I was looking for something light to listen to in the car and I had already read Sarah's Key by the author. Mistake.
This is the story of a Parisian man with old family secrets that he spends the length of the book trying to discover. No big crescendo of plot. No real character development. I would NOT recommend this book.
This is the story of a Parisian man with old family secrets that he spends the length of the book trying to discover. No big crescendo of plot. No real character development. I would NOT recommend this book.
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Book 25- Lies by Michael Grant
This is the 3rd book in a YA series that is slightly Stephen King-ish.
In the series, everyone over the age of 15 disappears from the town of Perdido Beach in one moment. As the remaining children struggle to survive, some of them start developing X-Men-like powers.
I really enjoy this series. The first book especially is really hard to read because the author doesn't shy from talking about really horrible stuff, like dead children and child on child violence. But the story is so fascinating. Yes, there are some funky things that happen in the book, but it's worth the ride.
In the series, everyone over the age of 15 disappears from the town of Perdido Beach in one moment. As the remaining children struggle to survive, some of them start developing X-Men-like powers.
I really enjoy this series. The first book especially is really hard to read because the author doesn't shy from talking about really horrible stuff, like dead children and child on child violence. But the story is so fascinating. Yes, there are some funky things that happen in the book, but it's worth the ride.
Book 24-The Lonely Polygamist by Brady Udall
I finished this book last week, but I needed to simmer on it for a while before blogging about it.
This is the story of Golden, a polygamist with four wives. The family is in shambles and this is their story.
It took me a long time to get into the book. I HATED it the first 40 or so pages and almost put it down, but I suffered through it. I think this would be for people who enjoyed The Corrections or other books where the characters make horrible decisions and are just generally not really good people. Not exactly my cup of tea, but I am glad that I finished it. The fourth wife was a really good character and I would rather have had the entire book center on her.
This is the story of Golden, a polygamist with four wives. The family is in shambles and this is their story.
It took me a long time to get into the book. I HATED it the first 40 or so pages and almost put it down, but I suffered through it. I think this would be for people who enjoyed The Corrections or other books where the characters make horrible decisions and are just generally not really good people. Not exactly my cup of tea, but I am glad that I finished it. The fourth wife was a really good character and I would rather have had the entire book center on her.
Monday, June 6, 2011
Book 23-The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebeeca Skloot
Yum! I love non-fiction books with a good "plot." This book was amazing.
This is the story of Henrietta Lacks, who died in the 50s of cervical cancer (and probably radiation poisoning). The doctors took some of her cancer cells to try and grow them in a lab, something that they had been doing for years, with disappointing results. But lo and behold! Henrietta's cells grew like gangbusters! Over the years, scientists used her cells to test vaccines, the atomic bomb, and even the effects of space travel on human cells. But this is only half the story. The other half of the story is the beautiful relationship the author developed with Henrietta's children: specifically her only living daughter, Deborah.
While labs are selling vials of HeLa cells for hundreds of dollars, Henrietta's children and grandchildren struggle with poverty.
I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys really interesting non-fiction. Like Devil in the White City or Outliers...
This is the story of Henrietta Lacks, who died in the 50s of cervical cancer (and probably radiation poisoning). The doctors took some of her cancer cells to try and grow them in a lab, something that they had been doing for years, with disappointing results. But lo and behold! Henrietta's cells grew like gangbusters! Over the years, scientists used her cells to test vaccines, the atomic bomb, and even the effects of space travel on human cells. But this is only half the story. The other half of the story is the beautiful relationship the author developed with Henrietta's children: specifically her only living daughter, Deborah.
While labs are selling vials of HeLa cells for hundreds of dollars, Henrietta's children and grandchildren struggle with poverty.
I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys really interesting non-fiction. Like Devil in the White City or Outliers...
Book 22-Matched by Ally Condie
This is a young adult novel that my friend gave me to read. I think there is already talk of making a movie of the trilogy...and Ally's only written the first book!
This is the story of a distopian society where all choice is taken away. The powers that be have used statistics to pick which people will be happy together (and make the best babies), what job each person would be best at, when people should have babies, etc. Anyone with an independent thought is labelled an aberration and kicked out of "the good life."
This follows the typical YA format in that there is a heroine who has two guys who are in love with her and she has to choose between her best friend and the guy who makes her heart go flutter.
I enjoyed the book as entertainment. It was a quick, easy read and I will probably read the other two books in the trilogy once they come out. BUT it was not nearly as awesome as the Hunger Games.
This is the story of a distopian society where all choice is taken away. The powers that be have used statistics to pick which people will be happy together (and make the best babies), what job each person would be best at, when people should have babies, etc. Anyone with an independent thought is labelled an aberration and kicked out of "the good life."
This follows the typical YA format in that there is a heroine who has two guys who are in love with her and she has to choose between her best friend and the guy who makes her heart go flutter.
I enjoyed the book as entertainment. It was a quick, easy read and I will probably read the other two books in the trilogy once they come out. BUT it was not nearly as awesome as the Hunger Games.
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