Sunday, March 31, 2013

The World Without You/ Joshua Henkin/ 321 pages

The family of Leo Frankel was devastated by his death the year before. He was a journalist covering the war in Afghanistan, was captured and then executed. His public ordeal and death affected his parents, three sisters and widow differently. Now they are coming together for a memorial service and the unveiling of his tombstone. With the whole family staying in one house, old conflicts and new problems rise to the surface.


Saturday, March 30, 2013

The City of Devi / Manil Suri / 379 pages

The City of Devi by Manil Suri is a dark, humorously satirical, book set in Mumbai in the middle of the apocalypse.  It is part literary fiction, part suspense, part off-beat romance, multi-cultural and International – defying categorization and the stereotypes it pokes fun at.

The story is narrated by both Sarita, a Hindu searching for her missing, physicist husband on the eve of Mumbai’s destruction by Pakistan, and Jaz, a gay Muslim looking for his lover.  Their search takes them across a nearly deserted Mumbai, where they encounter bands of thugs, party-goers, and religious fanatics gathered to worship the Devi ma, patron goddess of the city.  What they find at their journey’s end promises to change both of their lives forever.

The City of Devi is an offbeat, dark romance tied up in mythology and suspense in modern day India. It may appeal to readers of apocalyptic fiction, romance, suspense, and literary fiction. But, is not for those who are easily shocked or offended. Similar works might include White Noise by Don DeLillo, Maximum City: Bombay Lost and Found by Seketu Mehta, and (at least for me, because it kept coming to mind as I read this book) Dracula by Bram Stoker.

Friday, March 29, 2013

Vanished/Irene Hannon/328 pgs.

Moira Harrison is a reporter for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. She gets lost, at night, on a stretch of road in Defiance, MO.  A woman jumps in front of Moira's car, resulting in an accident. A good Samaritan stops by to help, assuring Moira that he has called 911, and that he will check on the accident victim. Moira loses consciousness, and when she awakens, the good Samaritan is gone, the woman she struck is no where to be found, and no help is on the way. Moira places a 911 call, and when help finally arrives, she can't convince the officer that she had hit someone, and that a witness was around to help her. Refusing to let it go, Moira takes a friend's advice, and takes her story to Cal Burke, an investigator, and part partner of Phoenix Inc. Cal takes on the case, and the plot takes off from there. There is suspense, romance, and an over-all Christian feel to the story. The action takes place in St. Louis, St. Louis County, and St. Charles which adds to the "fun." I would recommend this to anyone interested in a mystery with Christian fiction overtones. It's an entertaining read, and the first in the Private Justice series.

Dualed/Elsie Chapman/292 pgs.

Imagine living in a world in which you have been replicated by another set of parents, and that the time will come when both you and your "Alternate" will be "activated," meaning "kill" or "be killed." This is the world in which West Grayer lives--the place's name is Kerth.  West narrates the story--her brother, Luc, and his friend, Chord, are the only family West has left. Chord becomes "activated," and so it begins. There is tragedy, action, and romance--a great YA read. I would recommend it to fans of the Hunger Games and Divergent. I am anxiously awaiting the sequel.

Loyalty in Death/J. D. Robb/538 pages

In this latest installment of the In Death series, Homicide dectective Eve Dallas comes against an enigmatic group of terrorists named Cassandra. With no clear motivation or demands, Cassandra feeds on the thrill of senseless killing and the calculated destruction of Eve's world.  Relying on her own brawn and brains, as well as that of her aid Peabody and her husband Roarke, Eve begins to unravel a mystery that began decades before.   J.D. Robb's combinations of mystery, suspense, and romance keep the fans of this series clamoring for more, and Loyalty in Death has equal amounts of each. While the passion between Eve and Roarke is as good as ever, the introduction of a new romantic element with secondary charachters certainly turns up the heat. Though the evil-terrorist-in-NYC theme has been done before, these beloved characters put up a good fight, and keep us glued to the pages.

There was only one jolting moment during the reading when there was a mention of the Twin Towers that had me looking to the copyright, but otherwise  a very reccomended addition to the series.

Learning to Swim / Sara J. Henry / 487 pages / First Book in a Series

Troy Chance is a freelance journalist specializing in sporting events.   She lives in Lake Placid and owns a house big enough to take in boarders.  They are all young men.  When Troy is returning home from viewing a play she needs to review, she sees a young boy dropped overboard from a ferry.  Without thought or hesitation, she jumps off her ferry and attempts to save him.  He tells her a wild story involving his kidnapping and his mother's murder.  He had been held captive for six months.  Troy wants to keep Paul, but, of course, knows this is impossible.  She returns him to his father and begins the investigation to find his kidnappers.  This is a gripping, heartrending mystery filled with tantalizing details and intriguing plot twists.

"Some people you can erase as if they were characters on a canceled TV show, but others are with you forever."

"Sometimes you know you've made the right decision, simply because of how hard it it."

Marked / Kristin Cast / 306 pages / First Book in a Series

House of Night #1
Zoe Redbird has been marked.  The half moon mark appeared on her forehead during high school one day and broadcast to all that she was a fledgling vampire.  "The mark is a stupid thing that makes it impossible to fit in."  Her stepfather disowns her and insists that she transfer to the vampire school - the House of Night.  Zoe discovers that she has unusual affinities and is able to experience all the elements when a circle is formed.  Is she destined to become the next high priestess?  Will Aphrodite and her Dark Daughters allow it?  Can Zoe maintain a friendship with her "normal" friends?  This is an unusual, interesting take on the vampire craze.

Into the Wilderness / Sara Donati / 752 pages / First Book in a Series

This first book in the Wilderness Series is an epic adventure and history lesson all in one.  When Ms. Middleton leaves her aunt in England in 1792 to join her father and brother in a mountainous village in upstate New York, she is chagrined to learn that her father has already made plans for her future.  He wants her to marry the local doctor, Richard Todd. Todd will forgive some money owed him by Judge Middleton and he will secure title to Wolf Mountain.  Unfortunately, Ms. Middleton does not love Dr. Todd, wants to teach school, and falls in love with Nathaniel, a man straddling both white and Indian cultures.  This is an awesome story of the tenuous relations that existed between the settlers and the native Americans, the inherent goodness of man, and the incorrigible depths to which some humans sink.

The Tale of Emily Windsnap / Liz Kessler / 208 pages / First Book in a Series

Emily Windsnap Series, Book 1
"Can you keep a secret?"  This is how The Tale of Emily Windsnap begins, and the secret is a big one, life-altering and past elucidating.  When Emily takes swimming lessons, she panics as her legs refuse to move.  They actually fuse together to form a tale...and she becomes a mermaid.  She discovers that her missing dad is merman and he is imprisoned for falling in love with her non-mermaid mom.  Emily rescues him, defies King Neptune, and secures a future for her family.  This wonderful story takes on the feel of melodrama complete with a dastardly villain capable of eliminating unwanted memories.

Meet Kaya , an American Girl / Janet Shaw / 74 pages / First Book in a Series

Kaya, An American Girl, Book 1
Kaya, Nez Perce for "one who arranges rocks", wants to be a great horsewoman. She brags that she and her horse are the fastest and can beat any horse and rider.  For this she earns the nickname Magpie.  When she rescues a friend from drowning and others recognize this selfless act, they cease to use this nickname.  In the Nez Perce tribe when one child misbehaves, they are all punished, or switched.  This taught the children what one person does affects the safety and well-being of all.  In the "Looking Back" section, we learn that Lewis and Clark were the first white men to be seen by the Nez Perce.  In 1805, they save the lives of the starving explorers.  The Nez perce were excellent horsemen.  The horses brought to North America by the Spanish explorers in 1500 changed their way of life.

The Adventures of Captain Underpants, The First Epic Novel / Dav Pilkey / 121 pages / First Book in a Series

"George and Harold were usually responsible kids.  Whenever anything bad happened, George and Harold were usually responsible."  Harold loved to draw and George loved to make up stories so the boys spent hours and hours in their tree house writing and drawing their own comic books.  Because "most super heroes look like they're wearing underwear", they created a superhero who really is flying around in his underwear - Captain Underpants, who fights with wedgie power.  After being videotaped pulling pranks at a football game, the boys are blackmailed into good behavior by Principal Krupp.  They decide to hypnotize him and steal the video.  While he is hypnotized, they turn him into Captain Underpants...and the fun begins.  This JGN is clever, entertaining, and sure to appeal to kids...of all ages.  I especially liked page 79...The Warning for the Extremely Graphic Violence chapter.

Wings / Aprilynne Pike / 294 pages / First Book in a Series

Laurel Sewell is dreading attending her fist public school.  She has been home schooled by her mom who believes it is time for Laurel to join the school system.  Laurel's sophomore year is made much easier by David and his friends.  He becomes her confidant as a giant flower begins blooming out of her back.  She discovers that she is not human, but a faerie.  The trolls want her family's land and are killing her father to get it.  Tamani, a faerie guard and would be lover, risks his life to help Laurel and save Avalon from the trolls.  At first, I was really wondering why this book was catalogued YA.  It seemed much more appropriate for a younger crowd.  Perhaps the dueling romances alone would cause this YA designation, but the "sex is for fun" talk between Tamani and Laurel would require it.

The Ring of Rocamadour / Michael Beil / 299 pages / First Book in a Series

The Red Blazer Girls #1
What a pleasant find!  The Red Blazer Girls - Sophie, Margaret, and Rebecca work together to solve the puzzles and the mystery of the lost ring of Rocamadour.  An elderly lady asked for their assistance in locating the ring and her estranged daughter and granddaughter.  The Red Blazers are part of their Catholic school uniform and the clues are found in the church.  "Are the Red Blazer Girls the modern day equivalents of Nancy, Harriet, and Scooby?"  You be the judge!

Meet Molly, an American Girl / Valerie Tripp / 74 pages / First Book in a Series

This is the first book in the Molly (American Girl) series.  Molly's father is away fighting in World War II and Molly's family has planted a Victory Garden to do their part for the war effort.  Molly hates the turnips produced from the garden and is told by the housekeeper that she must sit at the table until she eats them all.  (This scene brought back unpleasant childhood memories when I, too, was still sitting at the table until bedtime trying to finish disagreeable food.) 

Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle / Betty Macdonald / 118 pages / Frist Book in a Series

This is the first Mrs. Piggle Wiggle book.  "Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle live in an upside-down house and smells like cookies.  She was even married to a pirate once."  Best of all, she knows everything about children.  She considers misbehavior an ailment and, in a day when spanking was the preferred method of discipline, she devised cures for each ailment that did not involve corporal punishment.  Every neighborhood should have a Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle!  What a great way to model good behavior and illuminate and eliminate misbehavior!!

Dinosaurs Before Dark / Mary Pope Osborne / 68 pages / First Book in a Series

Magic Tree House #1
When a student asked me if we had any Jack and Annie books in the library, I did not at the time know that he was searching for Magic Tree House books.  Book 1 features seven-year-old Annie and 8 1/2 year old Jack as they find the Tree House in the woods near their home in Frog Creek, Pennsylvania.  The tree house is filled with books.  While looking at a book about dinosaurs, Jack wishes he could see a pteranodon and one magically appears.  The tree house begins to spin and Jack and Annie are magically transported back in time 65 million years.  They encounter a triceratops, an anatosaurus, and a tyrannosaurus rex...and a gold medallion marked with the letter "M".  Books are magic.  They really can take you any where, any time.

Meet Kirsten, an American Girl / Janet Shaw / 74 pages / Frist Book in a Series

Kirsten Larson and her family journey from Sweden to Minnesota in search of a new life in America circa 1854.  After the long sea voyage, they realize that they must leave most of their belongings behind as they are not able to procure a wagon for the final stretch of the journey.  They must walk.  This is an excellent piece of historical fiction detailing the hope, determination, and good will with which immigrants faced hardships.

Cut Throat / Lyndon Stacey 422 p.

Ross Wakelin, a talented American showjump jockey, journeys to England to train and show the horses at Oakley Manor where he encounters the mysterious murder of a top-flight international star Bellboy, winner of the Hickstead Derby.  Intrigue, conspiracy, extortion, danger all appear in this mystery that will satisfy Dick Francis readers.

Read-alike for Dick Francis

Through the Fire / Diane Noble 248 p.

Kate and Paul Hanlon pull up to their new home in Copper Mill just in time to see Paul's pastorate church collapse in flames.  As Kate seeks to find out who set the fire; she makes friends, receives threatening phone calls, counsels the jailed self-professed arsonist, and practices her Christian faith.

First in the Mystery and the Minister's Wife series

2012 MO Book Challenge Final Results

It's Official....we got 2nd place in the 2012 State Book Blogging Challenge!

Okay, so Second place is respectable, and we did work really hard; so I am not going to whine and cry (much).  And ,Oh how the mighty have fallen!  It looks like 2011's winners Springfield Greene County have fallen off a cliff and ended up in 8th place.  I guess it is a tad petty and bad of me to feel so smug and secretly giddy about that.  However, this does mean war, and I think we need to redouble our efforts and get more of our co-workers reading and more importantly POSTING!
As Abby Lee Miller would say,
 "Second Place is the First 
and Biggest Loser"

Here are the final results:

River Readers           1      
St Charles City-County Library District (SCCCLD)        2      
UCPL            3      
JCL Reads               4      
JoplinLoves2Read                5      
SCC Library Reads               6      
STLCC Reading the Dream 7      
Quickwitlitniks         8      
MOSL Book Challenge     9    

Rising Tide / Jeff Shaara 536 p.

Jeff Shaara conveys World War II battles in the style as he did with his American Civil War series, weaving personal stories about Eisenhower, Rommel, Montgomery, Patton, Clark and the front-line soldiers, while telling of the Allies drive to force the Nazi out of North Africa and Sicily.

First in World War II novels series

Borrower of the Night / Elizabeth Peters 244 p.

Vicky Bliss, art historian, seeks the Tilman Riemenschneider jeweled shrine, hidden for centuries in an old German castle; and, encounters hauntings, secret passages, and danger on her quest.

First in the Vicky Bliss mysteries.

Thursday, March 28, 2013

Thje Husband List / Janet Evanovich & Dorien Kelly / 309 pages

Fluff..it's just fluff.  A fast read.  Light historical romance.  I just couldn't care about the characters though....impoverished & snobbish English nobility, wives & daughters of robber barons who view marriage as a business deal, salt of the earth hard-working & wealthy Irish businessmen, and a few crusty,trusty servants.  I will have to say those people knew how to spend money though. 

Mad River / John Sandford / 387 pages

Sandford writes a hair-raising thriller that features one of his more interesting characters, Virgil Flowers.  Flowers is an investigator for the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension and struggles with many personal issues and ethical dilemmas in this story of a trio of teenage Bonnie & Clyde type characters wreaking havoc in rural Minnesota.  Yes, it's action-packed and violent and funny at times but it also raises some interesting questions about the nutcases out there...both on the right and wrong side of the law.  Virgil is a character you'd definitely like to go fishing with.  Recommended!

Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Sleepwalker/Karen Robards/10 cds

Officer Micayla Lange wakes up to find a burglar in her Uncle Nicco's home
while she is house-sitting. She finds Jason Davis robbing her Uncle but when some
photos of her Uncle Nicco found in his safe implicate him in a murder both Jason and Micayla
find themselves on the run from his men. Jason can't believe his luck that a good looking female 
cop catches with a briefcase of stolen money. At the same time Micayla doesn't know
whether to arrest Jason or trust him to help her escape from the men trying to kill them
both for the money. A lot of chase scenes, adventure and romance in this book but it is not
one of my favorite Robard books. I listened to this book on audio and the narrator -Kate Rudd
did a great job in my opinion. If you like Robards romantic suspense you might also like Linda
Howard and Sandra Brown.

The Bride's House/Sandra Dallas/ 372p


This story begins in the 1880's in a Colorado mining town and ends during the late 1970's . It spans three generations of ladies who all at one point live in "The Bride House". The house means something different to each one.  I love Sandra Dallas's characters in this book and found myself really wanting to find out the fate of each bride. The ending was a surprise to me and others in our book club. I would also recommend other books by Sandra Dallas including The Persian Pickle Club.

Not For Parents Great Britain Everything You Ever Wanted to Know/Janine Scott/93 pages

What a great book about another country.  Not really a travel guide, and not really good for researching reports, but filled with fun facts about Great Britain arranged in an entertaining fashion.  Makes me want to read the others books in the series.  The pictures and graphics are up to date and intriguing to today's contemporary student.  No old looking line drawings or photographs that look like they are from another generation.

Did you know there is a law on the books that forbids kids to fly a kite in the metropolitan areas of Britain? Or the British have a sport called trainspotting that is similar to bird watching?   Trainspotters keep a journal of all the different trains they have seen.  Or that golf was invented in Scotland and Mary, Queen of Scots was an avid player.  Other popular facts include J.K. Rowling, author of the Harry Potter series, the Loch Ness Monster and James Bond.

a + e 4ver/i. mercy/214 pages

This was a graphic novel.  While I'm not a big fan of graphic novels, I read it because it was on 2 top ten lists for Young Adults in 2012.  It's hard for me to judge the book because this is not a title I normally would have picked up, but wanted to read some titles on the "Best of" lists.  I'm glad I did read it, though, because I need to know what is out there and can do Readers Advisory for those teens looking for something simliar.  However, I had to ILL this book as it is not in our system.

Fortress / Gabrielle Lord 91 p.

A rural outback teacher with her twelve students are kidnapped and held for a million dollar ransom by a gang of ruthless criminals.  Sally Jones keeps her head and uses what she has to keep her charges safe.  She foils the gang when they all escape from a remote cave; only to get back into their clutches as they seek asylum in a farm house.  The homicidal psychopath leader goes crazy when they escape a second time and Sally Jones must face him again to keep her students safe.

Totaled / Frances Rickett and Steven McGraw 119 p.

A head-on crash with a drunken driver leaves eighteen-year-old Christopher Reilly in a coma with massive brain injury.  His family prays for a miracle.  His brother, Frank, is more pray to God, but keep pulling for shore kind of a Catholic.  Frank becomes the big mover and shaker behind his brother's care.  He postpones his career so that he can spend hours daily working with his brother.  And inch by inch, Chris does come back.  A testimony to the bond between brothers; loosely based on Emmett and Steven McGraw's life.

Ike and Mamie / Lester David and Irene David 107 p.

The Douds were well off financially.  When Mamie Doud married Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1916 he was only a soldier and a poor one at that.  In their 53 years of marriage, they dealt with the tragic loss of their first born, their many army-ordered separations, and, rumors of Ike's affair with a young woman (which this book squelches).  Mamie learned to thrive with Ike's situations be it little money, poor base housing, and the separations.  After he died, she mourned him.  When a state of Ike was placed in front of his Gettysburg campus office, Mamie told Steve Neal of the Philadelphia Inquirer, "I always speak to him when I pass it." A study of marriage that is a tribute to these two.

Tuesday, March 26, 2013

The Unwanteds/Lisa McMann/390p/2013-14 Mark Twain Nominee

Kirkus Reviews called this book "The Hunger Games meets Harry Potter," which is of course why I HAD to  read it, although I wasn't really expecting it to live up to such an auspicious tag line. I think what I got was more The City of Ember stands behind Harry Potter in line at the grocery store--which is pretty high praise, as I quite liked the City of Ember. This is a really fun picture of what might happen if one of those horrid future dystopian worlds and a, yes, slightly Hogwarts-ian fantasy world existed in the same place and time. I would recommend this to fans of the above alluded books, as well as Lois Lowry's dystopian novels (The Giver, et. al.). It's a 2013-14 Mark Twain Nominee, so expect everyone to be looking for the second book "Island of Silence" after they've finished this one. I'll be reading that one next!
-Julie

Better Than Chocolate/Sheila Roberts/391 pages/First in a series

Samantha Sterling is trying to save her family's company, Sweet Dreams Chocolate Company, but the previous president, her step-father Waldo, nearly drove it into the ground. Now that Waldo has died, Samantha can take over and try to save it.

This is first in the series "Life in Icicle Falls." I love my cozy mysteries, and I was 50 pages into this before I realized it was a romance novel! I kept waiting for someone to be killed by drowning in a vat of chocolate, but it just wasn't meant to be. The places and characters are very similar to Joanne Fluke's Hannah Swensen series without the crime, of course. Overall, it was pretty boring. I'm glad I haven't been sucked into another series.

Monday, March 25, 2013

Sweet Talk/Susan Mallery/378 pages

This is the first book of the "Bakery Sisters" series.  World-famous concert pianist Claire Keyes returns home to help her twin sister who is recovering from surgery.  The twins were separated at a young age and they (and their younger sister) need to re-establish their relationships.  Claire also becomes involved with her sister's close friend which adds another situation that they must deal with.  This book was good enough to make me want to read the next title in this series.

SPY THE LIE/by Philip Houston/258 pages

SPY THE LIE by Philip Houston, Michael Floyd, and Susan Carnicero with Don Tennant is a non-fiction book written by former CIA Officers to teach you how to detect deception and lies.  One of the basic techniques is to listen and look at the same time.  Apparently this is stressful to our brains but with focus it can be accomplished.  They also talk about the wrath of the liar and how the deceptor talks themselves up to sound good and couldn't possibly have done something as is suggested!!  The book actually covers true excerpts from cases like O.J. Simpson and other true scenarios.  I found the book very enlightening!  A must read!  Enjoy!

At Play in the Promised Land / Diane Noble / 200?

     First, there is no book  copy in our system and it is the 3rd in a series.  It is a Christian series set in California in the late 1800's to early 1900's.  In this book, the character is Juliette Rose Dearborne who is an aspiring actress.  She has 5 younger sisters and two brothers.  The plot involves losing her parents and caring for her sisters as she strives to become an actress.  The Christian message is about finding God's purpose for your life and how to follow his direction instead of your own.  Juliette deviates a lot.
     Much of the story is improbable, but it is still quite interesting.  There is, of course, romance.  The "right" guy vs. the "wrong" guy.  Learning what is truly important in life like family.  The side story is the father and one son becoming lost in the Amazon and being captured by a tribe.  All in all, quite interesting.  I am now listening to the 2nd book.

A Conspiracy of Alchemists/Liesel Schwarz/338 pgs.

The author classifies this book as "historical fantasy and science fiction." It is also called "steampunk." However it's classified, it's a great read! This is book one in the Chronicles of Light and Shadow. The year is 1903, and the main character, Elle Chance is an airship-pilot. She has traveled to Paris to collect some cargo to transport to her home country, England. The cargo is "unusual" to say the least--and that's where the story takes off! Unknowingly, Elle is the newest "Oracle" in a time of Warlocks, Shadows, and Nightwalkers. Only Elle can keep balance in the universe; as a result, there is danger, adventure--and a bit of romance. I can't wait for book two in this entertaining series! I would definitely recommend it to anyone who has enjoyed A Discovery of Witches.

Saturday, March 23, 2013

Robert B. Parker's Fool Me Twice / Michael Brandman / 274 pages

I apparently have issues.  I'm not so sure about continuing a series once the author has passed away.  While I enjoyed reading the Jesse Stone novels by Robert B. Parker, there seems to be something missing in the continuation of the series by Brandman.  They are definitely quick reads with the same quirky characters but I feel like it's just the potatoes with the meat missing.  Rest in peace Robert B. Parker.

Friday, March 22, 2013

Mistakes Were Made / Stephan Pastis / 294 pages / First Book in a Series

Timmy Failure #1
The notebook paper format featured on the cover along with a post-it note saying "'Timmy Failure is a winner!' - Jeff Kinney, Diary of a Wimpy Kid." is absolutely guaranteed to appeal to Wimpy Kids fans.  The book begins with a "prologue that story-wise is out of order."  Timmy Failure - originally spelled Feyleure, is the founder, president, and CEO of Failure, Inc., a detective agency.  This book is the historical record of his life as a detective and he polar bear partner, Total.

The Trap Door / Lisa McMann / 190 pages

Infinity Ring Book 3
Dak, Sera, and Riq have once again used the Infinity Ring to travel in time.  This time they return to the US circa 1850 and attempt to wrest control of the Underground Railroad from the SQ.  Riq "wanted so badly to help fix everything so all the hard work and pain and suffering of his ancestors wasn't for nothing."  But what will happen if they fix this break?  "How could he risk messing with history without knowing what the consequences" to his family would be?  "Maybe the only way Riq could be sure that his family history remained intact was to sabotage the mission."  Mistaken for a runaway slave, Riq is captured, auctioned, and depends on his friends for rescue.

"That was the best thing about history, after all:  the opportunity to learn from the mistakes of your past."

"Without communication there can be no collaboration."

The Whole World's Crazy / Jimy Gownley / 168 pages / Frist Book in a Series

Amelia Rules #1
Amelia says her parents are crazy (recently divorced), her friends are crazy (Reggie has a secret identity).  Everybody is crazy but her.  She's normal.  At least she thinks she is.  Reggie Grabinsky has organized his friends to for GASP - Gathering Of Awesome Super Pals - Captain Amazing, Kid Lightning, Princess Powerful, and Ms. Miraculous (The Mouth - poor Rhonda).  Amelia and her friends deal with bullies, difficult teachers, and T.R.A.M.P - Teaching Respect and Anger Management in Preteens.  I'm not sure that I could recommend this book for fourth graders - the age of the characters, but I definitely laughed out loud several times, despite a few questionable frames.

"Just because your home is broken...doesn't mean you have to be."

Meet Kit, An American Girl / Valerie Tripp / 74 pages / Frist Book in a Series

Meet Kit, an American Girl, Book 1
Margaret Mildred Kitridge ( Kit) live in Depression era Cincinnati.  Kit aspires to be a newspaper reporter and often greets her father with a self-published broadside when he comes home from work at night.  When her father loses his job, Kit's family turn their home into a boarding house to make ends meet.  Kit must surrender her bedroom.  This first book in the Kit, American Girl series has an excellent "Looking Back" section that details facts about the Great Depression.  It is a quick, easy read sure to inspire young readers.

Dracula Madness / Mary Labatt / 96 pages / First Book in a Series

A Sam & Friends Mystery Book 1
Jenny misses her best friend Sarah who recently moved.  The new neighbor's don't have a daughter but they do have a dog.  Jenny is asked to walk the dog, Sam, and discovers that they can communicate.  They can read each other's thoughts.  Together they solve the mystery of the spookiest house in town and the reclusive Mr. McIver.  This Graphic novel is done in black and white, but the illustrations are spacious, detailed, and fun.

Hold Fast / Blue Balliet / 274 pages

"Trouble was a muddy, bad-news word, a sound that disturbed.  It stuck in your mouth like gunk from the street clinging to the bottom of your shoe."  Trouble had come to Early's family.  Her dad, Dash, has disappeared.  Before his disappearance, he had taken a side job besides his job as page at the Chicago public library.  He had been categorizing old books and had hidden money in an old set of encyclopedias stacked and tied with police tap and used as an end table in the Pearl family apartment.  Early had seen him hide it and he had made her promise not to tell Summer, her mom.  Now that Dashiel has disappeared, should Early break her promise and tell?  "With her signature love of language and sense of mystery, Blue Balliet weaves a story that takes readers from the cold, snowy Chicago streets to the darkest corners of the public library, on an unforgettable hunt for deep truths and a reunited family."  Blue Balliet's books are all excellent reads...Hold Fast may be the best yet!

"Reading is a tool no one can take away.  A million bad things may happen in life and it'll still be with you, like a flashlight that never needs a battery.  Reading can offer a crack of light on the blackest of nights."

"You never get bored if you can read."

Who Cloned the President? / Ron Roy / 74 pages / First Book in a Series

Capital Mysteries #1
This book was written before White House tours were discontinued due to budget difficulties.  KC and Marshall join the last tour of the day in an effort to save President Thornton.  KC believes he has been cloned as he appeared on TV signing documents with his right hand and lacking his usual cheerfulness and outgoing personality.  Marshall thinks KC's plan will make them fourth grade felons...and he will lose all his spiders...  Who Closed the President? features interesting presidential facts and illustrates the importance of reading, researching, and keeping up with current events.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Greg Heffley's Journal / Jeff Kinney / 217 pages / First Book in a Series

The insanely popular series is difficult to keep on library shelves.  Kids love Jeff Kinney's realistic portrayal of hapless Greg Halpern as he recounts his harrowing, hope-filled, destined-to-doom experiences in middle school.  Friendship, bullies, difficult big brothers and moldy cheese with nuclear cooties are all to be found within the sketch-filled diary.

One for the Money / Janet Evanovich / 310 pages / First Book in a Series

Stephanie Plum Series Book 1
Stephanie has lost her job as department store lingerie buyer.  Her car has been repossessed and most of her furniture and small appliances have been sold to pay the rent.  Stephanie is determined to make it on her own.  She takes a job as a bounty hunter.  Her first assignment is to bring in Joe Morelli, a cop accused of murder...for a $10,000 reward.  Stephanie and Joe have a past...and a present...and a future?  The New York Times Review calls Stephanie Plum "a girl with Bette Midler's mouth and Cher's fashion sense."  One for the Money is a roller coaster ride of humor, murder, abuse, and neighborhood loyalty. 

Gorilla City: The First Amazing, Astonishing, Incredible, & True Adventures of Me! / / 130 pages / First Book in a Series

Charlie Small Book 1
Charlie Small's journal was found washed upon the shore at Lancaster, England.  He is either 8...or 400, depending on if you are counting time here or in Gorilla City.  He went on an adventure and never came home.  He speaks gorilla and had an amazing steam-powered metal rhinoceros for a friend.  Did the tremendous storm cause this cataclysmic adventure?

The Tower Treasure / Franklyn W. Dixon / 214 pages / First Book in a Series

The Hardy Boys #1
Frank and Joe are on their first case.  With advice from their famous detective father, Fenton, they determine to find out who stole Chet's car and who stole the tower treasure.  Could it be the same man?  Published in 1927, the Hardy Boys remain topical and relevant and engrossing reads in 2013.

The Hidden Stairs and the Magic Carpet / Tony Abbot / 80 pages ? First Book in a Series

The Secrets of Droon Book 1
This awesomely illustrated book combines elements of Harry PotterThe Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, and Star Wars.  What a ride!  Eric and his friends, Julie and Neal, are resigned to cleaning his basement.  Under the steps leading down to the basement is a hidden storage place that is dusty and old...but it contains a mysteriously appearing and disappearing rainbow-colored staircase that leads to the land of Droon.  The friends battle the evil Lord Sparr and rescue Princess Keeah.

Dark Horse / Rumer Godden 115 p.

Dark Invader was a washout on the racecourse so his owner sold him to a businessman in India.  In Calcutta, he thrived.  He was set to win a big race when a brutal jockey causes him to bolt.  To the nuns, where he takes shelter, he is a gift from God which the wiley mother superior uses to support her work among the very poor.

Vermilion / Phyllis A. Whitney 146 p.

Lindsay Phillips is drawn to Arizona by an anonymous letter that promises her the truth about her father's death.  She is afraid to go because of her growing attraction to her brother-in-law, what she may learn about the mother she never knew, and the vindictiveness of her half-sister.   But her alter ego, Vermilion, gives Lindsay the courage to go.  Lindsay's coming stirs up terror.  What fun to rediscover an established author.

HOLD ME CLOSER, NECROMANCER/Lish McBride/342 pages

HOLD ME CLOSER, NECROMANCER by Lish McBride is one of my favorite books.  I listened to it on audio to liven up my commute to work and enjoyed the listen.  Even though it's about a necromancer it's very funny with moments or wicked intensity as well. Unlike some undead type books this one isn't all about zombies.  There are the undead, sure, but also a harbinger, werewolves, witches etc. It's a great read or listen for older YA and adults. Enjoy!

Thursday, March 21, 2013

The Fire Chronicle / John Stephens / 437 pages

This is the second book in the Books of Beginning series in which three children must recover 3 books created centuries ago by wizards.  In the first book, The Emerald Atlas, older sister Kate finds the book that controls time.  In this book almost 13 year old Michael finds the Fire Chronicle which controls life.  Exciting, well-developed characters, many elves, dwarfs, trolls and wizards and bravery, compassion, love and wit help the children to succeed in their quest.  Lots of action and cliff-hanging suspense keeps the reader turning the pages.  Recommended for middle grade readers.

The Walking Dead: No Way Out Vol. 14 / Robert Kirkman / 135 pgs

The safe little community that the crew has been holed up in gets surrounded and overrun by Zombies.  Sometimes I think the author has new people join the story just so there are more people to kill off.  As the writer says "no one is safe".  After 14 volumes the zombie attacks are getting a little monotonous; this one ends on a cliff hanger though.

Divergent / Veronica Roth / 384 pgs. / First in Series / 2013-2014 Gateway Nominee



(From Publishers Weekly)
This is a riveting and complex story of a teenage girl forced to choose, at age 16, between her routinized, selfless family and the adventurous, unrestrained future she longs for. Beatrice "Tris" Prior lives in crumbling dystopian Chicago, where citizens are divided into five factions—Candor, Abnegation, Dauntless, Amity, and Erudite—depending on their beliefs, passions, and loyalties. When Tris forsakes her Abnegation family to become one of the wild, fearless Dauntless, she must confront her deepest fears, learn to trust her fellow initiates, and guard the ominous secret that she is actually a Divergent, with the strengths of multiple factions, and is therefore a target of dangerously controlling leaders.

Definitely a page turner.  Recommend to all fans of the Hunger Games trilogy.

Zoo/James Patterson & Michael Ledwidge/416 pgs

 

(From Booklist)

Something unnatural is causing normally placid animals to savagely attack humans all over the world. First, it begins with animals in the wild, like lions, elephants, and dolphins; then moves into neighborhoods, with raccoons, rats, and bats; and then finally into our homes, with man’s best friend becoming man’s worst nightmare. This animal violence catches the scientific establishment by surprise, except for Jackson Oz, a biologist who had been predicting these attacks for years but had been labeled a crackpot and mocked by his colleagues. The savage attacks quickly escalate to the point where martial law is imposed and people huddle inside fortifications to hide from what were once cute and fluffy fellow mammals but are now preternaturally alert and vicious monsters. Unfortunately for humans, the solution to nature’s onslaught may be one that is equally as unacceptable.

Good fun with an interesting theory on why animal behavior has begun to change.  May make you second guess why your cat or dog is looking at you that way. . .

THE ZONE: A DIETARY ROAD MAP/Barry Sears/286 pages

THE ZONE diet breaks things down into blocks of proteins, carbs and fats. One of our patrons is currently planning his blocks for this diet and shared this book with me.  Many newer books have similar info presented in a new way.  Basically: you are what you eat.  Enjoy!

Wednesday, March 20, 2013

Pie/Sarah Weeks/183 p/2013-14 Mark Twain Nominee


Don't read this on an empty stomach, unless you have a slice of pie nearby! This is a delightful '50s era "mystery" with Aunt Patty's pie recipes at the beginning of each chapter...just in case the delicious descriptions inspire you to try baking pies yourself. Great for young (and old!) fans of 20th century historical fiction and small-town humor. If you like Richard Peck's Grandma Dowdel books, you'll love "Pie." Would be great for a Mother-Daughter Book Club, and it's a 2013-14 Mark Twain Nominee to boot!

Ninth Grade Slays/Heather Brewer/278pp

This is the second book in the series, The Choronicles of Valdimir Tod.  Ninth grade finds Vlad struggling with his new found knowledge of being half vampire and half human.  He has also come to the attention of the some of the members of the Stokerton council where just by his existence he is condemned to death.  These members hesitate to bring him up on charges as it seems that Vlad may be a part of a prophecy that may or may not destroy humankind and life as the vampires know it and they have to decide whether or not they could use Vlad for their benefit.  All Vlad wants, however, is just to fit in and get through ninth grade.  This title also introduces us to Joss, the Vampire Slayer, who gets his own series a little later.  Heather Brewer has a strong YA fan base that call themselves Minions.  A good solid title that makes you want to finish out the series.

Judy Moody M.D. The Doctor is In! / Megan McDonald / 151 pgs.

Another book I read to the kiddos.  I'm not a big fan of Judy Moody, but they seem to like it.  In this book, Judy's class is studying the human body.  They get to visit a real hospital and meet doctors; and they have to present something to the class for the "Human Body Project".  Judy, as usual, goes over the top which funny results.  She and her brother Stink get tonsillitis and are out of school for 7 days!!  I didn't think tonsillitis would keep a kid out of school that long, but okay.  Luckily, the book shows Judy going stir-crazy being sick and wishing she was back in school.  A good message for the kids, yea Judy!   :)

from Belly Fat to Belly FLAT by C.W. Randolph, M.D, 244 pages.

FROM BELLY FAT TO BELLY FLAT by C.W. Randolph, M.D. is a non-fiction book design to help people loose weight and bulging tummies by focusing on hormones, eating the right foods and yes, move it, move it move it, exercise!  I used this book before and personally lost a lot of weight.  The only exercise I did was walking my pet, not too strenuous, and I still got results.  I re-read it and will probably try to focus once again to get back on track.  Enjoy!

COLD DAYS by Jim Butcher 515 pages

COLD DAYS is part of the Dresden Files series by Jim Butcher.  If you don't usually go for the fantasy genre this series would be a great place to start.  It's about a wizard , Harry Dresden, who lives in Chicago in modern times.  Jim Butcher builds each character like a delicious cup of java, leaving you wanting more and excited for the next book.  I recommend starting with the first book in the series because you won't want to miss anything!  Harry's wisecracking personality and wizarding powers that seem to short out modern technology such as phones and computers will keep you amused.  I don't want to do any spoiler alerts but Mab, the winter faire , Queen of Air and Darkness, plays a big role in this book! Enjoy!

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Fancy Pants / Susan Elizabeth Phillips 497 p.

She was raised with the rich and famous.  He is a down-home Texas boy looking to make it in the golf pros.  She is broke, furious, and alone.  He has a habit of taking care of strays.  She's British Francesca Day and he is Dallie Beaudine-- both characters with quirks who fall in love and then part, she with a big secret, and the friendship of his ex.  Be prepared to laugh out loud and then to be touched by this contemporary romance where Phillips brings in the fun of romance and the seriousness of life.

Walking Dead: Too Far Gone Vol. 13 / Robert Kirkman / 130 pgs

The gang is still trying to adjust to "normal" life.  In their new community, the question arises how do you handle a community member that is abusing his wife and kid?  There are no jails and kicking him out of the community is the same as capital punishment.  Also, who decides what is right and wrong?  This chapter is an interesting look at how societies and governments are formed or in their case re-formed.

A Discovery of Witches / Deborah Harkness / 579 pgs / First in Series


Ok I said I don't normally read vampire stories but it seems like that is my flavor of the month so far - at least this also has witches too.  Diana Bishop is a witch, member of a very important witch family but she wants nothing to do with it.  She has made a life for herself as a scholar and is living in England and teaching at Oxford.  Until she finds a manuscript that is enchanted and now she is being followed by witches, vampires and daemons. They all want the manuscript.  She has also attached the attention of a vampire, Matthew Clairmont and the attraction is mutual. Another good book and I will also read the rest of the trilogy.

Half Broke Horses/Jeannette Walls/272 pgs

This is somewhat a "prequel" to Jeannette Walls' Glass Castle. This is a novelization of Lily Casey Smith's life; she was the author's maternal grandmother. Lily was born in 1901, and was quite the self sufficient woman. She helped break horses, became a teacher, and was frugal beyond belief. She tried to instill these values in her daughter, Rosemary--the author's mother. It is an interesting read, and gave me a better understanding of Rosemary's character. It almost makes me want to read the Glass Castle again, because it explains some of the reasons why Rosemary acted as she did. It should make for an interesting book discussion this month!

Dead Until Dark / Charlaine Harris / 260 pgs / First in Series


I don't normally like to read vampire stories so this was different for me.  I had read her Aurora Teagarden series so thought I might give this a try and also was interested to see if it was going to be as scary as the True Blood series looks (based on these books).  It isn't - I actually found it funny most of the time.  Sookie Stackhouse is a waitress who had a disability - or so she says - she can read other people's minds and she hates it.  She wants to meet a vampire and one night Bill walks into the bar.  He is a vampire and she cannot read his mind.  It is pretty much love at first sight.   When other waitresses (ones who like to hang out with vampires) end up dead and it looks like it may be a vampire who is doing the killing, Sookie ends up trying to find out who is actually the killer before she ends up dead.   Good story and I will continue to read the series.

The Death of Bees/Lisa O'Donnell/311 pgs.

Wow! Marnie and Nelly are the products of two "crumb bum" parents. When the parents "die," Marnie and Nelly bury them in their backyard so that the authorities can't step in to separate the two sisters. Marnie is 15, and Nelly is 12, and both have pretty well taken care of themselves for years. Their next door neighbor, Lennie, takes the girls under his wing, not knowing the fate of their parents. The book is told through the voice of Lennie, Marnie, and Nelly in alternating chapters. My review isn't doing the book justice, since it was one of the more engrossing ones I have read in a long time. It was very hard to put down!

Crocodile on the Sandbank / Elizabeth Peters 262 p.

In 1884, after her father's death, spinster Amelia Peabody go to visit the place her father studied in depth--Egypt, its pyramids and archaeology.  She employs a young woman as companion that she rescued in Italy when Evelyn's former lover dumped her.  The plot thickens when both Evelyn's former lover and her cousin turn up in Egypt.  Archaeologists Walter and Radcliffe Emerson are taken by the two even though Radcliffe hides his affection well.  When strange accidents occur, mysterious disappearances happen, and a mummy starts walking, a fun visit to an archaeological dig turns dangerous.

1st in the Amelia Peabody mysteries new series

Monday, March 18, 2013

Let Me Go / Helga Schneider 166 p.


Helga Schneider was four when her mother left her family to do the Nazi party's work.  Her mother became a member of the SS and served as a guard at concentration camps, eventually Auschwitz, where she was in charge of a unit responsible for so many acts of torture.  Thirty-seven years since the first time she had seen her mother since 1941, her mother is now in a nursing home.  Helga seeks to find answers but her mother is still an ardent support of the Nazi party’s work.  This is very difficult read as Helga intersperses the interchange with her memories of wartime Berlin, quotes from official reports, and her knowledge of the torture in the camps.  Even jail time has not mitigated her mother's exuberant support of the SS horrific work.  

Conspiracy in Death/J D Robb/372pp

I am always amazed that Nora Roberts/JD Robb can write as much as she can as fast as she can.  I have heard many people say that  she must have a ghost writer.  While that may or may not be true  I did meet her once at a conference and she was constantly typing on her laptop.  Even when she was moderating a session, she was typing away....AND keeping up with the conversation of the session to boot.  So, I have no trouble believing she is actually writing all those books herself.

Conspiracy in Death is the 9th in the "In Death" series.  While Roberts/Robb does get somewhat predictable, her writing is always a fun read.  As they say..."A bad Nora Roberts is still better than most other author's best."  This particular title touches on the morality of artificial vs personal cellular growth transplants and the possibility of extending life into immortality and who should be allowed these transplants.  A conspiracy in the highest rankings of the Medical and Political circles decide to play God and think they do not have to play by societies rules.  However, NYPD Homicide Lieutenant Eve Dallas gets in the way and discovers the truth even after they take her badge away.

Beautiful Creatures/Kami Garcia/563 pages

Lena Duchannes is struggling, she is counting down the days until her sixteenth birthday. On that date, according to the family curse, she will either claim evil or good, dark or light. This curse has haunted her family for generations and now that she has fallen in love with Ethan Wate, time is moving much too quickly. Ethan has been having nightmares of a beautiful girl that he is trying save, we soon learn that the nightmares are flashbacks from history when Lena and Ethan's ancestors, a mortal and a caster, are in love and can't be together. I really struggled with this book, never really felt anything for the characters or the story. Beautiful Creatures is book one of the Caster Chronicles, a paranormal romance type book that will appeal to fans of Twilight and City of Bones.

Slightly Scandalous / Mary Balogh 388 p.

Freyja Bedwyn, daughter and sister of a Duke, is quite bold for her times.  Headstrong may be used—remember she drove off her governess who opened a school for girls in Bath, see Simply Quartet.  She meets her match in Joshua Moore, Marquees of Hallmere.   They both see having a fake engagement as a plus; that is, until the Duke forces (too strong a word persuades,  as neither is susceptible to demands) them to stay at the Bedwyn home.  A humorous and intriguing romance set amongst the ton of England.

Sunday, March 17, 2013

The Danger Box / Blue Balliett / 301 pages

Blue Balliett creates a wonderful story set in the small Michigan town of Three Oaks.  The main character, Zoomy, is young boy who is legally blind and has some obsessive compulsive habits.  He meets a girl with a firecracker personality and a palindrome name, Lorrol.  They become good friends and help to solve the mystery of an old notebook with journal entries from a naturalist who sailed in the 1830's on a ship called the Beagle.  Characters are endearing, the setting is quaint, and you want to know more about what happens to Zoomy and Lorrol.

Okay for Now / Gary Schmidt / 360 pages

If you read the Wednesday Wars by Schmidt, you will remember the Swieteck kids...troublemakers.  Okay for Now is the story of Doug Swieteck, his move to a little town, his abusive father, his secret of not being able to read, and his discovery that who we are is not based on our family or what anyone else thinks of us.  This is a story of hope.  I hope you read it...you won't be sorry.

The Ugly Duckling / Iris Johansen / 404 pages


The Ugly Duckling by Iris Johansen is a fast-paced, plot-driven romantic suspense story that moves from a Greek isle to the wilds of an Idaho ranch to the glittering lights of Paris.

Nell Calder is the shy, plump, “ugly duckling” married to the handsome, successful prince. When a party they are attending on a remote Greek island is attacked and her husband and daughter killed, a severely disfigured Nell vows revenge. Emerging from plastic surgery, arranged for by the mysterious Nicholas Tanek, Nell is Helen of Troy, with a “face to launch a thousand ships” and Tanek is smitten vowing to protect her even as she plots her next move.

The Ugly Duckling will appeal to those who like a little mayhem and murder served up with their romance. Read alikes include: Smoke Screen by Sandra Brown, Sweet Talk by Julie Garwood, Sweet Revenge by Kay Rogal

Saturday, March 16, 2013

Stay at Home Dad/Jeffrey Allen/296 pages/First in a Series

Deuce Winters was a small-town high-school football star and headed to Texas A&M on a football scholarship before a knee injury ended his playing days. But everything worked out. Deuce still went to Texas A&M, married a hometown girl and had a beautiful daughter. His wife is a partner in a Dallas law firm and Deuce walked away from a teaching/coaching position to be a stay-at-home dad for Carly. Besides the ribbing he gets from his parents and the rest of the town, life is good. That is, until he finds a dead body in his mini-van. That dead body just happens to be Benny Barnes, the guy who delivered the tackle that ended Deuce's football dreams. Now the whole town is talking, and Deuce must prove he didn't murder Benny.

Even though there wasn't a lot of detective work, this was an entertaining book. 

Gone Girl / Gillilan Flynn / 419 pages

Nick Dunne Giving Treed Amy Elliott Dune, his wife, at least according to Amy.  When they both lost their jobs in New York, Nick moved them back to Carthage, Missouri to care for his cancer ridden mother and his Alzheimer's afflicted father.  Amy, whose psychologist parents wrote the Amazing Amy children's books, grew up as only well-to-do child. Now near penniless, almost friendless, and without a job, she discovers that Nick has a mistress.  She decides to fake her own death and to stage clues that point to Nick as the murderer.  What a harrowing tale of depravity and man's inhumanity to man, with undertones of the psychological underpinnings of relationship!

Girl Missing / Tess Gerritsen / 271 pages

Tess Gerritsen said Girl Missing is her bridge novel, the novel that transitioned from romance to thriller.  Her specialty is medical suspense in which she excels.  Kat Novak uncovers a plot to rid the city of incorrigibles...or people who know too much about certain events.  As assistant medical examiner, she receives a body of young woman, a Jane Doe, who is an apparent drug overdose.  In her hand is a matchbook cover on which is written  phone number.  Calling the phone number, she reaches Adam Quatrel, the CEO of Signus, a mega prominent pharmaceutical company.  Is his company responsible for the drug that is killing residents of the inner city?  As always Tess Gerritsen pleases.  This is a well-crafted mystery with just enough romance....Sigh!

My Neighbor Totoro / Hayad Miyazaki / 143 pages / First Book in a Series

Wow! What an experience - reading in the original Japanese right-to-left format!  Satsuki, her sister, Mei, and their father have recently moved to the country.  Their father had always wanted to live in a haunted house...Now he just might have gotten his wish.  The house is infested with Soot Sprites.  Granny, a friendly neighbor, explains just what they are and what they do.  The bathing scene is a bit of a shock!

The Dark and Deadly Pool / Joan Lowery Nixon / 179 pages / First Book in a Series

Mary Elizabeth Series,. Book 1
The cover is misleading.  There is a drowning in the book, but it is not a young girl as pictured on the cover.  Mary Elizabeth Rafferty has taken a summer job at the health club at the Ridley Hotel in Houston.  She is hoping to meet Mr. Right.  Francis Liverpool, III, who is in her class at Memorial High, does not fit the profile.  He is, however, a true friend as Mary Elizabeth solves several mysteries at the pool.

This book won the Indiana Young Hoosier Book Award and is a suspense filled read, featuring multiple plot twists, romance, and humor.

Out from Boneville / Jeff Smith / 138 pages / First Book in a Series

Bone #1
Phoney Bone and his cousins are driven out of town by the good people of Boneville.  They are lost in the desert and get separated by a swarm of locusts.  Fone Bone encounters talking bugs, rat creatures, a dragon, racing cows, and Thorn, with whom her falls in love.  Bone is saved repeatedly by the dragon on his quest to be reunited with his cousins.  Unfortunately, the rat people leader wants Phonicible P. Bone.  The Bone series is engaging, surprising, and very popular with elementary students.

Chi's Sweet Home / Kanami Kanata / 164 pages / First Book in A Series

This New York Times bestseller is a manga JGN.  It tells of an American Shorthair kitten who is taken in by a family  in Japan after it becomes lost.  The family and the kitten alike have difficulty adjusting to the new situation.  The apartment is a pet free zone so the Yamadas make every attempt to relocate the cat and then must hide him when they cannot.  Chi is named after the potty training of the youngest Yamada.  Reading the Chi series enables one to experience the joys and heartaches of pet ownership without the mess.

The Secret in the Old Clock / Carolyn Keene / 180 pages / First Book in a Series

Nancy Drew Mysteries #1
It has been many years since I have read a Nancy Drew mystery.  I preferred the Hardy Boys growing up as my brother and I had on ongoing competition to see who could read the most.  The Drew mysteries are quick reads, featuring the keen mind and generous spirit of the lawyer's daughter and amateur sleuth and her blue roadster.  In this first Nancy Drew mystery, Nancy uncovers clues to find a missing will.  She also thwarts a burglary ring.

Moonsilver / Kathleen /duey ? 78 pages / First Book in a Series

The Unicorn's Secret #1
Simon Pratt had found Heart Avamir when he was "gathering firewood among the cottonwood trees by the river.  She had been wrapped in a beautiful blanket, her hair knotted and tangled."  The other children in Ash Grove knew their parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents.  "They didn't trust her, wouldn't play with her, or even talk to her."  The village healer, Ruth, befriends Heart.  In fact, she had named her as Simon would only call her Girl.  Heart becomes Ruth's apprentice.  Heart is astonished to learn that a frail, wounded mare she found in the woods and her foal are unicorns.  She vows to protect them with her life.  The cover art for this series is fantastic and sure to attract young readers and the stories contained within the covers will surprise, delight, and broaden horizons.

Here I Go Again / Jen Lancaster / 308 pages

"High school girls are lethal.  We should send them to Afghanistan."  Lissy Ryder certainly was the first time around.  She was Prom Queen, head cheerleader, the mean girl, the b----.  'She was the richest and the prettiest, with the blondest hair, the thinnest thighs, and the hottest car, and she never let you forget it.  Nothing made her happier than stealing your boyfriend, just to see if she could."  Now twenty years later, she faces her high school reunion.  She's lost her job, her husband, and has gained weight due to her mom's coddling.  When Deva gives her a new age/ancient Incan concoction, she relives a portion of her senior year and attempts to right some of the wrongs she wrought.  When she does, she alters the future.  If she had any idea that changing her past would have impacted others, she'd never have done it.  This book is catty and irreverent and shockingly enjoyable.  If only all bullies could reform like Melissa Conor!

The Age of Miracles / Karen Thompson Walker / 272 pages

"What I felt first was not fear but a thrill.  It was a little exciting - a sudden sparkle amid the ordinary, the shimmer of the unexpected thing."..."Our days had grown by 56 minutes in the night.  At the beginning, people stood on street corners and shouted about the end of the world...but of course, there was nowhere on earth to go..."  Julia and her family wake on a seemingly normal Saturday morning in California to discover, along with the rest of the world, that the rotation of the earth has suddenly begun to slow.  "The slowing - or its effects - alters the brain chemistry of certain people, disturbing most notably the fragile balance between impulse and control."

This book was wrapped as a "Bind Date with a Book", a very clever idea.  The wrapping said "Coming of Age", "Haunting", "Thought-provoking", and "Environmental Changes".  The Blind Date was most successful.  The read was most rewarding.  Similar to Life As We Knew It, it does not have the cataclysmic consequences and stark terror reactions found in many of the end of the world stories.

Friday, March 15, 2013

Yada Yada Prayer Group / Neta Jackson 388 p.


Out of a random prayer group assignment at the Chicago Women’s Conference,  twelve women, as different as each can be, find themselves growing together after an act of violence strikes one of them.  They put meaning to faith as they support each other through what life deals out by continuing their prayer group meetings.  The story is told through the eyes of longtime Christian Jodi Baxter as she seeks to live her faith and honor others each an interesting and delightful character.

First in a “new” series

Thursday, March 14, 2013

Stuffed : adventures of a restaurant family / Patricia Volk 251 p.

Patricia Volk relates all about her family from their arrival in the New World as each generation in a wildly humorous way.  The Volks are loaded with characters from Grandfather Jacob who was known as the "most destructive force on Wall Street" and memorized by E.B. White as the "greatest wrecker of all time" (no he wasn't a financial wizard), to a grandmother who was a 300 pound calendar girl, to her own father who invented things like a 6-color retractable pen as well as carrying on the family restaurant business.  You'll laugh a lot and cry some too.

Bullet Train / Joseph Rance and Arei Kato 117 p.


Treachery, money, and revenge drives a Japanese businessman to develop and attach a bomb, set to explode when the bullet train slows down.  A thriller that incorporates the stories of the people on the outside, driving hard to stop the catastrophe, the bomber and cohorts, and the innocents on the train.

Covenant / James A. Michener 203 p.

Michener recounts the history of South Africa with style, incorporating its turbulent times, pioneers, civil wars, and its beauty with prose that just carries you along page after page.

Hope: a Loss Survived / Richard Meryman 143 p.

Richard Meryman describes his life from the time is wife is diagnosed with cancer, through her treatments, death, and his and his daughters' eventual acceptance.  A bit hard to read at times.  You see just how hard this is for all.

Proposal / Mary Balogh 311 p.

This is the first book in a new series, The Survivors' Club Series by Mary Balogh. What is cool about this series is that all are members of the Survivors' Club.  Each have member has something to overcome.  For Hugo, Lord Trentham, it is the seeing soldiers under his command die.  When the club members meet each year, he announces he needs as wife, as his father has died, and his sister needs someone to bring her out.  And as luck would have it, in drops the widow Lady Gwen, who also has her own set of problems.  A romance, yet Balogh deals with heavy issues like suicide, death, post-traumatic stress syndrome, physical infirmities, and class differences.  I look forward very much to the stories of the rest of the survivors'.

The Wilder Life: My Adventures in the Lost World of Little House on the Prairie/Wendy McClure/327 pages

Wendy has a crazy obsession with Little on the Prairie series. Not the television show, but the books written by Laura Ingalls Wilder and edited by her daughter, Rose Wilder Lane. While cleaning out her mother's things after her mother passes away, she finds a copy of a book in the series. She decides to go on a quest to find out as much as she can about the way Laura lived. She buys an old churn and learns to make butter. She researches the real story behind all the moves the Ingalls made. Dragging along her awfully good-natured and possibly enabling boyfriend, she visits Laura's hometowns. She is always in search of "the Laura experience."

Several times while I reading this book, I said, out loud, "this woman is nuts." If you can relate to someone being completely obsessed with a book, then maybe you would have more empathy for her. Overall, it is well written and entertaining, but the subject isn't interesting enough to me to save it. I did enjoy the weekend she and Michael spent with the End Timers at a farm a couple hours outside of Chicago. Her conclusion about why she felt it necessary to do all these things was satisfying. This was my book club's selection for March.

Persuasion / Jane Austen / 260 pages

Persuasion by Jane Austen is a moving, character-driven love story set in England at the beginning of the 19th century.

Anne Elliot has lost the bloom of youth, being twenty-seven. At the age of nineteen, her surrogate mother, Lady Russell, persuaded her to give up her one true love, as his prospects were poor. Now a success, Captain Wentworth, is back from the sea. Can he win Anne’s hand or will he marry the younger Louisa Musgrove? And, will Anne even want him back?

Persuasion, Austen’s final novel, will appeal to those who enjoy regency romance as well as to readers of English literature and historical fiction. Read alikes include: Captain Wentworth’s Diary by Amanda Grange, Bridget Jones, The Edge of Reason by Henry Fielding, The Cookbook Collector by Allegra Goodman.

Wednesday, March 13, 2013

Poseidon's Arrow / Clive Cussler & Dirk Cussler / 520 pages


If you need escapist reading that will keep you turning the pages to see brave, true, and strong characters performing the next heroic act, then look no farther than Clive Cussler. As added benefits, you will enjoy reading again about your favorite characters, Pitt, Loren, Dirk, Summer, Hiriam, Rudy, Al, Julian and Sandecker. If you like perfectly restored antique cars, you will like these books even more. And the cherry on the top...the female characters are smart, brave, and adventurous as well as being gorgeous.

Monday, March 11, 2013

The Aviator's Wife / Melanie Benjamin / 396 pages

The Aviator’s Wife by Melanie Benjamin is an historical novel about the life of Anne Morrow Lindbergh - a richly atmospheric imagining of Charles and Anne’s life together, especially the after-effects of their baby’s kidnapping on their marriage and their lives.

Benjamin's novel traces the romance between the handsome young aviator and a shy ambassador's daughter whose relationship is marked by wild international acclaim and marred by tragedy. This thought-provoking, character-driven novel will appeal to those who enjoy historical fiction as well as to readers of biographies and romance.

Read alikes include: Z by Therese Fowler; The Paris Wife by Paula McClain; The Raven’s Bride by Lenore Hart.

The Scorpio Races / Maggie Stiefvater / 409 pgs.

"Nineteen-year-old returning champion Sean Kendrick competes against Puck Connolly, the first girl ever to ride in the annual Scorpio Races, both trying to keep hold of their dangerous water horses long enough to make it to the finish line."

A great book for teens as it has a strong female character, discusses topics such as life & death, struggle and survival, poverty / wealth and personal happiness.  This is a also a great book for horse-lovers since the care and training of the horses as well as the exciting annual race is central to the story.   There is a romance in the story but it is very chaste the fighting against the Water Horses can get a tad intense and gory. 

Joy Luck Club / Amy Tan / 288 p.

Now I know why this book is considered a literary classic.  Amy Tan has a way with using symbolism, imagery, and dialog in order to create this multi-generational tale about hope, love, survival, mothers/daughter relationships, and life.  The story is about four Chinese women who immigrated to America right after WWII.  It is about their struggles in their war torn country and their hopes for their daughters' as they start a new life in the USA.  The book also follows the 4 daughters as they walk that line of being American, but also trying to preserve their cultural heritage (when it suits them).  This is not a very good description about this book, because there is just so much more to it, which many themes and issues discussed within.  This would make a good book club choice. 

Moonlight Masquerade/Jude Deveraux/385 pages

This book is part of the Edilean series and is book three in The Moonlight trilogy - a trilogy within the series.  The books in the trilogy are about what happens - after college -  to three women who became friends while studying art in college.     After being abruptly jilted, Sophie Kincaid flees to the place her friend Kim Aldredge calls heaven on earth.  But Sophie’s first taste of Edilean is far from heavenly: after her car breaks down on a country road, she is nearly run over by a speeding sports car.  Sophie unknowingly becomes involved with the driver of the car so there's plenty of conflict in the story.  This isn't one of Deveraux's better works - there are many characters whose stories are just left hanging - and the ending is pretty abrupt.

Code Word : Geronimo / Captain Dale Dye and Julie Dye / 88 pages

This is graphic novel depicting the Seal Team 6's clandestine raid on Osama Bin Laden's compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan.  With a military school and a brigade HQ in close proximity, the heroes of Team 6 accomplished their mission without any American injuries.  The GN is followed by several pages of perspectives on the code word, Geronimo.

Looking for Alaska / John Green / 22 pages

Was Alaska's death an accident or suicide?  Sixteen year old Miles wrestles with this question and guilt over the role he may played in the car crash that ended his friend's life.  The story is filled with inappropriate language and escapades.  It is at times humorous but also depressing.

Dearly Departed / Lia Habel / 470 pages

The year is 2195 and society is technologically advanced but follow the social mores of Victorian England.  Recently orphaned, Nora Dearly is at the mercy of her  domineering, social-climbing aunt..until she is kidnapped by black-clad commandos who are saving her from being kidnapped by punks - bad-hearted zombies.  This twisted tale embodies a love story and both good and bad zombies.

Stealing Magic / Marianne Malone / 245 pages

Chicago sixth graders Ruthie and Jack continue their time traveling magic in the Chicago Art Institute's Thorne Rooms.   An art thief is at work and Jack and Ruthie solve this mystery while they encourage a Jewish family to flee France before the Nazis arrive, and experience the time of slavery in Charleston, South Carolina.  They notice that some items are missing from the rooms.  Can they discover why before the magic ends?

Bar Code Tattoo / Suzanne Weyn / 252 pages / First Book in a Series

Seventeen was the age a person qualified for a barcode tattoo.  Kayla didn't want one.  After her father to his it sparked a deep depression and eventually suicide.  A group of kids at school oppose the tattoo on principle.  "It's humiliating to be branded like that.  It makes me think of the German concentration camps."  Kayla joins their group.  "It flooded her with sadness, the sense that all freedom and true human dignity were things of the past, that the future held nothing but restrition and conformity."  Kayla and her friends discover that everyone's genetic code is tied to the barcode and Global 1 is preparing to "clone only the healthiest - and make it hard for others to survive.  Global has stopped the course of natural human evolution."  This is a though-provoking book reminiscent of George Orwell's 1984.

"It took intelligence and moral strength to act on principle instead of self-interest."

Mercy Watson to the Rescue / Kate DiCamillo / 69 pages / First Book in a Series

Mercy Watson Book 1
Mercy Watson is porcine wonder and the darling of Mr. & Mrs. Watson.  She inadvertently saves them when the floor under their bed cracks and they are in danger of plummeting through.  This is a most timely story given recent news feeds about a real life similar situation involving a massive sinkhole.  Great fun with vivid, colorful illustrations.

Judy Moody / Megan McDonald / 160 pages / First Book in a Series

Judy is definitely moody.  Even Mr. Todd's promise of pizza after spelling doesn't raise her spirits - until he promises her the pizza table for a better attitude tomorrow.  Judy and her classmates are assigned a "Me Collage" project and Judy's old and new friends help her along with her mom and dad and her brother Stink.  It's interesting to watch Judy as she chooses the best, worst, and most humorous things that have ever happened to her.

It Creeps! / Dotti Enderle / First Book in a Series

Ghost Detectors Book 1
Malcolm and his best friend, Daniel Dee (Dandy, who frequently picks his nose by the way) are not like other ten year olds.  They are scientists.  Malcolm would rather tease his older sister, Cocoa  (He calls her coconut.), experiment in his lab, and read his science magazines than play sports.  Dandy loves being his apprentice and go to man.  When Malcolm comes across an advertisement for an Ecto-Handheld-Automatic-Heat-Sensitive-Laser-Enhanced Specter Detector and orders it, he and Dandy become serious ghost hunters.  The packaging for this gem is fantastic!  Great cover, awesome illustrations, great humor,  Top 5 Ways to Detect  a Ghost, and insight into family-friendship dynamics make this series too good to miss. 

Navigating Early / Clare Banderpool / 306 pages

Early "was very sure about most things - whether they were true or not.  He was sure that the number pi held within it a great story.  That, contrary to the theory of a renowned mathematician, the number pi and the story it told would never end.  That his brother who had been killed in the war, was still alive, and that a great bear would lead us to him.  And that I was a person he wanted to be friends with."  So says Jack Baker, a boy suddenly uprooted from his home in Kansas and placed in a boarding school in Maine.  Jack's mother has died and his father is in the Navy (World War II).  Early - who lives in the custodian's room at school, helps Jack adjust to his new surroundings and takes him on an epic journey that mirrors the story of pi.

"You can tell alot about people by that they enshrine."

"There are no coincidences.  Just miracles by the boatload."

"If you don't lie it, take it apart and make it right."

Uprising / Margaret Peterson Haddix / 346 pages

"Don't you know?  In America, money is God?"  A prostitute says this to Yetta while she is walking the picket line during the strike against the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory.  Yetta and her sister Rahel have come to American from Russia and try to send money home to their family.  Bella, a young Italian girl, has just arrived in American and finds work in the factory after her cousin is kidnapped and she learns her entire family back in Italy has died.  Jane is a rich girl who rails against the injustice of being a woman.  The lives of these three girls intersect and are forever changed at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory... and its horrific fire. This is a mesmerizing, heartrending story about the deplorable conditions of women at the turn of the century.  A strong current of hope, determination, and courage make this book a stand out.

The Sixty-Eight Rooms / Marianne Malone / 274 pages / First Book in a Series

This is a creative time travel tale set in and around the Chicago Art Institute's Thorne Rooms.  The Thorne Rooms are a collection of sixty-eight exquisite, almost eerily realistic, miniature rooms.  Each of the rooms is designed in the style of a different time and place, and each detail is perfect, from the knobs on the doors to the candles in the candlesticks.  Some might even say the rooms are magical.  Chicago sixth graders Ruthie and Jack certainly experience the magic as they save Sophie from the French Revolution, are involved in the Salem Witch Trials, and are able to recover something lost.

Paper Towns / John Green / 305 pages

Orlando, Florida is a paper town.   Everything is so fake and flimsy.  "Everyone is demented with the mania of owning things.  All the things paper-thin and paper frail.  And all the people, too."  Margo Roth Speigelman has lived here 18 years and has "never once in [her] life come across anyone who cares about anything that matters."  She convinces her next door neighbor and one time best friend to accompany her on a late night revenge.  She claims they "are going to right a lot of wrongs.  And [they were] going to wrong some rights."  And then she goes missing.  Quentin Jacobsen and his friends Ben and Radar follow clues left by Margo to find her.  "Maybe untold riches awaited he who found her."  Using Walt Whitman's "Song of Myself" to advance the plot, John Green has crafted a novel to rival any poem.  There is some rough language and some inappropriate hi jinks, but the book's merit far outweigh these.

"Paper towns were created by cartographers to protect against copyright infringement."

"If you choose the Leaves of Grass metaphor, you're saying that we are all infinitely interconnected."

"Imagining someone else, or the world is something else, is the only way in."

"Forever is composed of nows."

"A poem can't do its work if you only read snippets of it."

Reached / Ally Condie / 512 pages

The Pilot, the Poet, The Physic - Ky, Cassia, and Xander, work together to find a cure for the Plague that threatens the Society and the Rising.  Cassia has fought valiantly for family, love, and choice.  She believes everyone embodies the pilot, the poet, and the physic.  Each person might have a way to fly, a line of poetry to help others see, and a hand to heal.  All must maintain open lines of communication and trust.  This final book in the Matched trilogyy is a welcome addition to the YA dystopian genre.