Tuesday, April 30, 2013

The Red Velvet Cupcake Murder/Joann Fluke/323 pages

Hannah Swensen is the prime suspect of the murder of her one-time rival in Fluke's newest mystery. Even though Hannah tried to save Dr. Bev from a watery grave, she becomes the person of interest when it is discovered that Dr. Bev died from something other than drowning. How is her death connected to the "accidental" fall from a penthouse apartment? Hannah is determined to find out and clear herself.

Come for the mystery, but stay for the recipes. Fluke's recipes really sound good and most are simple. I've tried a few, and they have all been hits. Her directions sometimes get a little too specific, but they would be great for new cooks.

Monday, April 29, 2013

Sweet Spot / Susan Mallery / 376 pages

This is the second book in the Family Saga Trilogy.  Tough-minded Nicole asks high school football coach and former pro football player Eric Hawkins to pretend to be her boyfriend.  She is tired of the pity she sees reflected in the eyes of her family and friends.  Her soon-to-be ex, Drew, is a rat and she is still unable to reconcile with her baby sister, Jesse.  Hawk agrees and Nicole becomes involved in much more than make believe.  Although the love scenes are a bit steamy, the romance is fun, heartfelt, and reads like a fairy tale.

Double Cross / Stuart Gibbs / 237 pages

The Last Musketeer Book 3
It is 1615 France and the immortal Michel Dinicoeur has vowed revenge against Greg Rich and the Musketeers.  They have thwarted his plans to secure both halves of the Devil Stone...twice.  Dominic Richelieu, his doppelganger much younger self, has escaped injury unlike Dinicoeur.  Locked in the stocks in Les Baux de Provence and due to be beheaded, Greg finally tells Porthos, Athos, and Aramis, and Catherine that he is not D'Artagnan, but Greg Rich and is from 400 years in the future.  Greg and his friends rally to help the French king yet again.  Is Greg able to return to the future?  Does he still want to?
    The Last Musketeer series is a swashbuckling adventure replete with bravery, self-sacrifice, historical facts and figures, and magic...a real tribute to Alexander Dumas.

If You Were a Chocolate Mustache: Poems by Children's Poet Laureate J. Patrick Lewis / 159 pages

This most intriguing book is reminiscent of Shel Silverstein's A Light in the Attic and Where the Sidewalk Ends.  It is, however, not as irreverent.  It challenges the reader to think beyond the printed page and provides connections between populate works of children's literature. Pure fun!  Love the title!!

Just Imagine / Susan Elizabeth Phillips 372 p.

Just Imagine is a retelling of Phillips' Risen Glory.  Kit Weston is out to kill Baron Cain, the heir to her southern home, Risen Glory.  The Yankee war hero gives Kit a job in his stable, unaware that Kit is a girl.  Kit find it very difficult to kill Baron when given the opportunity she learns that Baron is also her guardian.  The two strong willed characters prove to be stubborn opponents...but opposites attract, so they say.

This fast-paced story of romance is told with humor and steamy sex scenes.

Rump, the True Story of Rumpelstiltskin / Liesl Shurtliff / 264 pages / Fairy Tale Retelling

"In the kingdom, your name isn't just what people call you.  Your name is full of meaning and power.  Your name is your destiny."   Rump's "destiny really stinks."  He has never known his full name.  His mother died before she could tell him.  All his life he has been teased and bullied for his "half-a-name."  His friend, Red - yes, that one!), did not fair much better.  "Once, a boy teased Red about her name and she punched him in the nose so hard her name was running down his face.  That's when everyone understood her destiny."  Red warned Rump that "All magic has consequences...Even small magic can have big consequences."  The consequence of this magic is that Rump lost his will - his control.  He can spin straw into gold, a dramatic, magical transformation, but it tales a lot out of him, even his own control over his magic.  He is compelled to accept whatever bargain is offered for the gold, even if it is unfair.  He didn't have a chance, really, but sometimes you still have to try.  This story sheds a whole new light on the classic fairy tale, engendering sympathy and perhaps even outrage at the injustice done to Rempelstiltskin's reputation with repeated retellings of the original story.

This is my fifteenth Fairy Tale.  Have I achieved Dragon status?

Delirum / Lauren Oliver 441 p.

Lena and Hanna are enjoying the summer before the government mandated cure for delirium and settle into a loveless arranged marriage.  The Book of Shush has all the rules for a peaceful, predictable, loveless, and safe life in Portland, Oregon.  America has taken a seismic shift away from freedom.  People accept it...the cracks are reveled slowly;  like if this is a perfect world--after the cure, read lobotomy-like treatment, why are there so many watchers and enforces and electric fences.  Lena is accepting of this life.  She grows and begins to question, and finally rebellious.


1st in the Delirium series

Cloaked / Alex Flynn / 341 pages / Fairy Tale Retelling

This 2014-14 Truman Award Nominee is a fairy tale "mash-up" according to Booklist, combining several well-known fairy tales with a modern love story.  Seventeen year old Johnny is helping support his family by working in the struggling family shoe repair shop in the a South Beach, Florida hotel.  He dreams of becoming a fashion shoe designer, cobbling spares to create new designs.  When beautiful Princess Victoriana comes to town, he sees his chance.  If he can get her to endorse, or even just to wear, his shoes, he could finally succeed.  As it turns out, the princess has a problem.  She give Johnny cash, a transporting cloak, and an earpiece that allows him to communicate with animals that used to be human.  She wants him to rescue her brother, the Prince, who has been turned into a frog.  Johnny thinks he loves the princess and he knows that Meg is his best friend.  Is there a conflict here?  This fun, funny read is sure to appeal to readers who read and loved Cinder and other fairy tale retellings.

"A lie can travel half way around the world, while the truth is just putting on its shoes."...Mark Twain

A Tale Dark and Grimm / Adam Gidwitz / 256 pages / Fairy Tale

This is the true, authentic story of Hansel and Gretel as told by the Brothers Grimm...sort of.  Complete with back (or pre) story and afterstory, it has numerous almost endings, clever language manipulations, and note-worthy insights into proper behavior, loyalty, and under-standing.  ""Are there any small children in the room now?  If so, it would be best if we just...hurried them off to bed, because this is where things start to get well...awesome.  But in a horrible, bloody kind of way."  In this tale, Hansel and Gretel have to square off against the worst from the Brothers Grimm's other tales.  This is a zany, sometimes extraordinarily violent mishmash of mayhem under the guise of fairy tale.

Five Children and It / E. Nesbit / 237 pages / Fairy Tales

Written in 1902, Five Children and It is considered a classic in children's literature.  Incorporating the timeless themes of "Be happy with what you've got" & "Be careful what you wish for, it just might come true,"  Five Children and It features Anthea, Cyril, Jane and their baby brother as they unearth a psammead as they are attempting to dig to Australia.  They exact a wish a day from him, none of which turns out as desired.  Luckily the wish is reversed at sunset.

Last Templar / Raymond Khoury 406 p.

Four crusading knights raid the Metropolitan Museum of Art on the grand gala opening of treasures from the Vatican; removing a geared device.  An archaeologist and an FBI agent team up to investigate this theft that becomes more bloody as the proceeds...someone is killing off the Templar Knight raiders.  Sean Reilly and Tess Chaykin race against three continents to solve the mystery.

Readers of DaVinci Code may enjoy this fast-paced work.

1st in the Sean Reilly series

Spymaster's Lady / Joanna Bourne 373 p.

Joanna Bourne tells a very different yet delightful regency romance where the main characters, Robert Grey and Annique Villiers are spies, at the top of their craft and from opposing camps.  Grey is to capture Villiers because she has secrets of utmost importance to the protection of England from Napoleon.  When both end up in the same French prison, they form an uneasy alliance to escape.  There are excellent plot turns, wonderfully developed characters, and romance here.

first in the Spymaster series.

Lightning Thief / Rick Riordan 377 p.

Dig into your mythology to get all the nuances of this story of 12-yr. old Percy Jackson as he returns home after being kicked out of school again for causing trouble-- did his math teacher really turn into a monster and try to kill him?  A fun vacation goes way bad as he and his mother drive madly for the safety of summer camp away from a raging Minotaur.  At camp, Percy realizes that the gods are still alive; and a fight is brewing.  Percy is given 10 days for a quest to retrieve Zeus' lightning bolt.  Percy and his friends run into adventures and danger as they follow their quest.  St. Louis is one of their stops.

First in the Percy Jackson & the Olympians series

Starting Now/Debbie Macomber/338 pgs.

This is the newest "Blossom Street" novel, and as such, follows Macomber's usual formula--not that that is a bad thing! For the most part, this is Libby Morgan's story. She has sacrificed her personal life, a marriage, among other things, with the goal of becoming a partner in the law firm of Burkhart, Smith & Crandall. The rug is pulled out from under her when instead of being made a partner, she is let go! As time goes on and she is still unemployed, Libby starts re-evaluating her life, and the choices she has made. This is a story of personal growth, decisions--both right and wrong, and ultimately, a happy ending. It's standard Macomber--and that's a good thing!

Dick Francis's Bloodline / Felix Francis 487 p.

Mark Shillingford race calls a horse race which his twin sister, Clare, a top jockey, could have won.  She storms out when he calls her on it.  Her suicide hours later leaves Mark beside himself.  He finds himself questioning his sister death after he finds evidence of blackmail.  Fans of Dick Francis will be satisfied with this latest solid thriller from his son.


Dead Until Dark / Charlaine Harris 260 p.

Twenty-five year old cocktail waitress in Louisiana has a "disability"--she can read minds.  How can Sookie Stackhouse fall for any guy when she knows what he is thinking about her?  When Bill comes to the bar, it is a delight not to be able to read his him and him being a vampire doesn't bother Sookie.  When another woman ends up dead, Sookie figures she is next.  This is a romantic vampire mystery that is engaging.  The plot drives this story, yet it is not predictable.

1st in the Sookie Stackhouse Novels

Did Not Finish / Simon Wood 215 p.

Aidy Westlake takes the bit into his teeth goes off pursuing Alex Fanning's murderer when he is killed during a race--a race fellow driver Derek Deacon threaten to kill Fanning.  It is fast-paced, character driven mystery featuring a single hero.   Wood incorporates a lot of detail about racing, yet his characters especially the secondary characters need some fleshing out.  And I got it early on that Westlake firmly believed that Deacon used his car to kill Fanning.  It was repeated over and over.  This may satisfy some Dick Francis readers.

First in the Aidy Westlake series.

Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants / Ann Brashares 294 p.

Best friends, Lena, Tibby, Bridget, and Carmen, discover that ordinary jeans to do something for each of them.  They decide to share...each taking a turn... over the summer.  Each take off for their summer vacation.  And each has a coming-of-age experience.  Share the joy, the sorrows, the growing with these best friends--more life changing experiences told in a real way.

First in the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series.

Sunday, April 28, 2013

Guilt/Jonathan Kellerman/378 pgs.

This is the newest Alex Delaware mystery. A couple is renovating their backyard when they discover the body of a baby that had been buried about 60 years ago. Shortly after that, the skeleton of a more recently buried infant is found in a nearby park--along with the body of a young woman. Are the deaths somehow related? This is the case LAPD homicide detective Milo Sturgis must solve--with the help of his friend Alex Delaware, a well accomplished psychologist. Two story lines evolve, each providing its own mystery. An entertaining and fast read.

Suspect/Robert Crais/312 pages

Robert Crais is known for his crime novels featuring Elvis Cole and Joe Pike, which I have to admit I have never read. Someone recommended this stand alone work and I was quickly pulled into the story, not because of the mystery and the suspense but because of the friendship between Maggie and Scott. Maggie is a military dog that  survived three tours in Iraq before losing her handler to an IED explosion. Scott belongs to the LAPD and loses his partner in a brutal shootout, blaming himself for not being able to save her.  They have become each other's last chance and the relationship brings you to tears. The story goes into great detail about the training of police and military dogs and the bond they form with their partner. How can you not love a great dog story?

Saturday, April 27, 2013

Love on the Line by Deeanne Gist. Narrated Barbara McCulloh. 11 CD

     If you are looking for a fun, light read this is the one for you. It could be listed under Christian fiction but I fear the label would do it an injustice. The novel is set in the Wild West and located in Texas. There is a robber gang on the loose, holding up trains and people at gun point. The Texas Rangers have been after this guy for several years and he always seems to slip away at the last minute. Georgie Gail is the first woman switchboard operator for the burgeoning telephone company. She is very proud of her position and her importance in the community. The Rangers have put one of their very best undercover as a telephone 'trouble man' working next to Georgie. Trouble is Luke Palmer is very handsome and very exasperating. What is a woman like Georgie to do?
     The narrator does an excellent job with the characters in the story. With just a slight change in tone we know it is a male or female and if they are young or old. I enjoyed having a story that moved along at its own gentle pace knowing these two people are slowing falling for each other. The plot telegraphed everything right down the central line. No surprises there. Sometimes that was aggravating but it didn't last long. It is perfect for people who don't want any swear words or heavy romantic scenes. District only has book in Large Print along with the audio.
   6 Degrees of Reading: A Tailor-Made Bride by Karen Witemeyer, Rekindled by Tamara Alexander, Out of Control by Mary Connealy.

The Litigators / John Grisham / 385 pgs.

Law firm partners Oscar Finley and Wally Figg see a chance for huge financial gain when they learn of a pending class action lawsuit against the makers of Krayoxx, a popular cholesterol-reducing drug suspected of causing heart attacks.

This was my first John Grisham book, and even though it was about the dry subject of product liability; I was still thoroughly entertained.  The main characters Finley and Figg are the stereotypical "ambulance chasers" who do some real slimy underhanded things; like play divorcing couples off each other to string out the fight and thus rack up more court and client fees.  This makes it hard to like the characters and want to see them succeed against the "big, bad corporation".  However, this makes this novel different and even humorous at times; and I think I enjoyed this version better than the sappy, inspirational David vs. Goliath story. 

The Diviners / Libba Bray / 578 pages

Oh wow!  Can that Libba Bray write!  Historical fiction set in the 1920's and loaded with creepy, scary, horrific supernatural elements.  At times the slang of 17 year old flappers got on my nerves, but really the book is totally jake.  (Avoid that bathtub gin though) This book has definite crossover appeal.  Characters have various spiritual talents and psychic abilities, there's a mysterious government project, a brutal cult exemplifies the mentally of the single-minded, and all of the plot elements come together to save the world from the coming of the Beast.  But there's more...read the Diviners and I'm hoping for a sequel.

Middleworld / J & P Voelkel / 415 pages

I listened to this thrilling children's adventure story on CD.  Scott Brick was the narrator and I don't believe he really did the book justice.  This is book one of the Jaguar Stones series.  Think Lightning Thief action but substitute Mayan mythology.  Max is a typical kid who ends up in Central America trying to find his archaeologist parents.  He meets up with a young Mayan girl, Lola, and together they must help to save the world by rescuing the Jaguar Stones.  Who cannot like a book when you have the Demon of Pus, Scab Stripper, and Lord Six Dog and his flatulent mother Queen Cocoa who are resurrected into the bodies of Howler Monkeys.  Great, fun book....recommended for grades 5-7.

Fables: Legends in Exile (vol. 1) / Bill Willingham / 144 pgs.

Fairy Tale characters are living among us normal people in New York City.  They have been pushed out of their homelands by invaders called "the Adversary" and are trying to keep their identities a secret and patiently wait for the day they can return home.

In this first volume, Rose Red disappears and her apartment is torn up and covered in her blood.  It is up to the Big Bad Wolf, the towns detective and Snow White (Rose's sister & Deputy Director) to solve the case.  and figure out what happened and why.

Great illustrations  I love it when the characters are detailed and their bodies are proportional.  The character's personalities are quirky

Whoo-Hoo Double Points!! A New Series AND a Fairy Tale!!! (It's almost like I planned this or something :")

The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry / Rachel Joyce / 320 pages

The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce, the story of one man’s chance to make a difference, is an, at times both funny and moving, account of a spontaneous decision made by a very "unspontaneous" man.

Harold Fry, recently retired, with a failing marriage, little faith, and stuck in a rut for twenty years, on an errand to mail words of encouragement to a dying friend, instead determines to walk the 627 miles to her bedside in a faith-filled attempt to save her life.

The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry will appeal to those who like literary, character-driven fiction, as well as those who like offbeat or inspiring stories.


Friday, April 26, 2013

The Husband List/Janet Evanocih and Dorien Kelly/401 pages

I picked this book up because I absolutely adore the Stephanie Plum series.  Evanovich and Kelly had collaborated on another book which I also thought was very humorous.  However, this book was like neither of these.  It was still a good book, but I was very shocked that it was nothing like any of Evanovich's earlier writings.  The Husband List is a historical romance that takes place in Newport, RI in 1894 during the height of the Rockefellers and Astors. (although those families were only mentioned in passing)  While it had its moments, I never had a laugh out loud moment, and I miss that from Evanovich.  It read very similar to Regency novels in that they were upper society with strict etiquette and the plot centered around a "season" where young ladies were paraded at social events.  A good book, but don't expect classic Evanovich while reading.

Remember Me?/ Sophie Kinsella/ 389p



Twenty something Lexi Smart an average working girl, wakes after
an accident with a beautiful face, high paid job and doting husband.
She has amnesia and can't remember anything that happened in the last
three years. She has missed so much starting with her fathers funeral, and
her transformation from plain Jane into a high powered beautiful business
woman that no one can stand. She can't remember her rich handsome husband
or her duties in her new important position. Lexi is trying to carry on as normal
and to get her coworkers and friends to like her again proves to be a
difficult task.  I am on a Sophie Kinsella reading spree and find myself
really enjoying her humor and writing style. She has a new book coming
out soon, "Wedding Night" and of course is the author of the Shopaholic
                                     Series. I would give this book 4 out of 5 stars. Humorous Fiction

Thursday, April 25, 2013

Notorious Nineteen/Janet Evanovich/356 pages

Notorious Nineteen: A Stephanie Plum NovelAnother wonderful addition to the Stephanie Plum series.  This time Stephanie tracks down  FTA, Failure to Appear, Geoffrey Cubbin to a mysterious medical facility.  When a second felon also disappears in a similar manner, she is forced to work with Joe Morelli which is distracting to say the least.  Not having success finding Cubbin and needing to pay rent, Stephanie accepts a job with Ranger.  Again, nothing is simple with Stephanie and a little food poisoning, a pink bridesmaid dress and a ex special forces maniac will not stop Stephanie from getting her man.

Explosive Eighteen/Janet Evanovich/341 pages

Janet Evanovich has does it again.  Stephanie Plum is a bounty hunter for her cousin Vinnie who runs a bails bonds company.  While trying to track down bail jumpers ineptly, she also is trying to juggle two men in her life.  Add to that a sidekick, Lulu an ex-hooker and her grandma Mazur and nothing in Stephanie's life is simple.  Filled with humor and exploding cars, this was a great read.  All of Evanovich's books are good, but this one is one of my favorites so far.

Just a Guy: Notes from a Blue Collar Life/Bill Engvall/238 pages

Just a Guy: Notes from a Blue Collar LifeBlue Collar Comedy Star Bill Engvall is JUST A GUY.  He's been one his whole life.  He can't help it.  He was born that way.  And that makes him an expert on the subject.   

For the record, here's the official definition of a guy:  A person who doesn't think before he speaks.  He can't.  He's not that deep.  Because a guy has only three basic needs: eating, sleeping, and sex.  That's it. 
In this hilarious and heartfelt memoir, Bill Engvall takes you on the rollicking ride of his life, beginning with his childhood in Texas and adolescence in Arizona, becoming a fixture in local emergency rooms, the result of massive amounts of non-thinking behavior trying to impress girls or torture his sisters; to high school in Dallas where he dabbled in an array of truly odd jobs, learned the trombone, and came of age, all strangely connected; to college and his tenure as his fraternity's social chairman, where he masterminded a series of legendary parties and attempted to rescue his pet bird while the house was burning down (not his fault, honest); to following his dream as a standup comic and, gulp, singer; to his brief stint in children's theater while sharing the stage and the back of a van with the director's dog, and as a movie extra with forked tongue and cloth claws; to his bumbling and riotous courtship, then marriage to Gail, the love of his life; and, finally, fatherhood, where he remains, to this day, a well-meaning, but flawed parent.

This was a hilarious, quick read.  If you are familiar with the comedian, then you will immediately "hear" his voice as you read.

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Cinder by Marissa Meyer. Audiobook read by Rebecca Soler. 8 Disks.

 
 A young 16 year old girl named Cinder is the best mechanic in the city of New Beijing. She is an outcast because she is a cyborg due to an horrific accident in her childhood. Because of her reputation, the Prince comes to see if Cinder can fix the royal android. Her stepmother interferes and when Cinder's younger sister is infected with the plague which is decimating most of Earth's population, Cinder is sent to the plague testing facility as punishment. What is found there may change the world as everyone knows it.
  As the story unfolds there are glimpses of the conventional Grimms' fairy tale. Cinder is a wonderful heroine. Facing some of the toughest obstacles of growing up, being different and 'adults' just don't understand anything, Cinder comes through with shining colors. There are hilarious one-liners, a burgeoning romance with the Royal Prince, lots of skillful world building (Did you know there are people living on the moon?) and a good mystery about what exactly did happen to the Lunar princess all those years ago.
   I cannot wait to listen to the sequel. What will happen with Cinder and the Prince?  Is Cinder the answer to the plague as the doctors think? And where is the princess? This is a great book for people looking for a not so grim dystopian world. Enjoyable for adults young and old.
  6 Degrees of Reading: Splintered by A.G. Howard, The Book of Atrix Wolfe by Patricia McKillip and Tam Lin by Debra Dean.

Monday, April 22, 2013

The Great Gatsby / F. Scott Fitzgerald / 216 p.

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald is a classic story of love, lust, obsession, and greed.


Jay Gatsby, a newly rich rum-runner/gambler has come to West Egg, Long Island for the sole purpose of winning back (through throwing lavish house parties and ingratiating himself with her friends) his one true love Daisy, the girl who left him for a man with money.


The Great Gatsby will appeal to those who like classic, literary fiction. Similar titles include: The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton; Night and Day by Virginia Woolf; An American Tragedy by Theodore Dreiser; Manhattan Transfer by John Dos Passos.

The Chemistry of Tears / Peter Carey / 288 p.

 
The Chemistry of Tears by Peter Carey is an intricate story of grief, driven as much by its characters as by its plot.

When her married lover dies and she cannot so much as acknowledge her grief to anyone, Catherine, an horologist, throws herself into a new project, the reconstruction of an automaton, at the museum where she works, and finds herself sucked into the heartbreaking story of how it came to be built.

The Chemistry of Tears will appeal to those who like intricate, literary fiction. Similar titles include: The Museum of Innocence by Orhan Pamuk; Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell; Little Bee by Chris Cleave; My Life as a Fake by Peter Carey.

The Name of the Star/Maureen Johnson/372 pages

Set in modern day London, Rory has just started classes at a boarding school in London. As she is settling in to a new routine, a series of brutal murders mimicking the infamous "Jack the Ripper" crimes has spread across the city. The police have very few leads and Rory is the only witness to a strange man showing up at each of the murder scenes. She soon learns about the secret ghost police of London and her own special ability. "The Name of the Star" is book 1 in Shades of London trilogy by Johnson, but this title could easily stand alone, no cliffhanger here! The author has done her homework and has done a good job blending historical fiction with some paranormal humor thrown into the story. Recommended for older middle school students who like a good thriller, was a little gruesome at times.

Love Me to Death/Allison Brennan/471 pgs./First in a Series

Lucy Kincaid, a six year survivor of a kidnapping and brutal rape, hopes to be closer to achieving her dream--becoming an FBI agent. In the meantime, Lucy volunteers for WCF--Women and Children First!--an organization that investigates the illegal sexual exploitation of children and women. Lucy is a computer whiz, plus majored in psychology. She uses her expertise to pose online to lure sex offenders into violating their parole, and ending up back in prison. When the predators she is hunting wind up murdered, Lucy realizes there's more going on than she realized. The story is engrossing, with a budding romance for Lucy with Sean Rogan--a private eye with the Rogan-Caruso-Kincaid agency. The characters have depth, and are engaging. A promising series.

Dengeki Daisy Vols. 2 &3 / Kyousuke Motomi / 190 & 185 pgs.

In Volume 2, after Teru's apartment is broken into and ransacked, she moves in with Kurosaki.  The school's computer system is hacked again and it becomes apparent that someone is after Teru because they believe she has her late brother's work stored on her cell phone. 

Volume 3, deals with Teru leaving Kurosaki and moving into a new apartment with Riko, her late brother's (ex)fiancé.  It's funny to see how much Kurosaki misses Teru even though he won't tell her.  The chapter ends with Teru figuring out "Daisy's" true identity (finally!), but she continues the charade to give herself some time to think it over. 

So far so good.  It's refreshing to read a comic where the romance starts out as a close friendship first, and the male character is a complete gentleman.

Six Years/Harlan Coben/351 pages

Six years ago, Jake Fisher made a promise to never contact Natalie Avery again. Even though they had just spent six weeks of the summer totally in love, she was marrying her ex-boyfriend Todd. They had suddenly reconciled and now wanted to leave everything else behind. Jake went back to his life as a college professor, but when he sees an obituary for Todd on the alumni website, he decides to reconnect with Natalie. But Todd's widow of 16 years isn't Natalie. Now Jake is obsessed with finding out what really happened six years ago.

Harlan Coben specializes in taking ordinary people and putting them in extraordinary situations. Another great read from the master.

Sunday, April 21, 2013

Merry Ex-Mas / Sheila Roberts / 314 pages

This is the second book in the "Life in Icicle Falls" series, and although it felt a bit strange to be reading a Christmas story in April, it was a most delightful escape.  Three Icicle Falls women take center stage, Cass Wilkes - owner of the bakery, should be looking forward to her daughter's wedding, but plan time is short; Dani wants her father - Cass's ex, to walk her down the aisle; and the ex, his trophy wife, and their dog will be staying with Cass.  Charlie's ex-husband shows up, wanting her back...or does he really want her restaurant?  And Ella O'Brien is trying to sell her house, still occupied by herself and her ex, Jake.  An interfering mother-in-law had helped duel a divorce that perhaps neither Ella nor Jake wanted.  With characters from Better Than Chocolate making brief cameo appearances, Icicle Falls again delights the reader with strong, independent female characters, close family ties, and indestructible friendships.

Clemency Pogue: Hobgoblin Proxy / J. T. Petty / 154 pages / Fairy Tale

Do you want to know what a hobgoblin looks like?  It's totally unbelievable!  Do you know they become immortal after they complete their change?  Did you know that changelings and clay babies are related to hobgoblins?  Well, you can learn all this and more, if you read this delightful book about kind-hearted Clemency Pogue as she attempts to save Kennethurchin/Inky and make-believe.  (She is so kind-hearted, she cannot bear to part with the severed ears and tails of the boxer pups!?)

The Absent Author / Ron Roy / 87 pages / First Book in a Series

A to Z Mysteries, Book 1
"Dink's full name was Donald David Duncan, but no one in Green Lawn ever called him that, except his mother when she meant business."  Dink feels guilty.  If he hadn't invited his favorite author, Wallis Wallace, to come to Connecticut to the Book Nook to autograph book, he wouldn't be missing.  He would be safe in his castle in Maine.  Dink and his friends use two letters and an itinerary to track down the author.  Who is Mavis Green?  The cover is arresting; illustrations are plentiful and pleasing; and the mystery solving process draws the reader in and encourages use of deductive reasoning skills.

The Dragon of Doom / Bruce Coville / 69 pages / First Book in a Series

This is the first book in the "Moongobble and Me" series and is fantastic as an audio book.  Performed by Full Cast Audio, it features a variety of performers lending reality and interest to a humorous story.  Edward, who has been longing for excitement, notices that a formerly empty house in the village in now occupied.  Curious, he goes to investigate.  He finds Moongobble, an almost magician, who turns things into cheese with his magic, and his talking toad, Urk.  Moongobble is given the task to retrieve the Golden Acorns from the fierce Dragon of Doom!  Is he up to the task?  Does he succeed?  Does the dragon meet expectations?

Better Than Chocolate / Susan Waggoner / 306 pages

"If you're going to invent fake food, invent something people already love, something they're dying to gorge themselves on,"  - chocolate.  So said food writer, Annie Wilkins, to her husband, Tom, a research scientist.  Both left academia - Annie to write and Tom to work at International Milling.  Tom finally perfects It - synchocolate.  The product is called "Better Than Chocolate".  Annie's doctoral dissertation, "The Coming of Chocolate" inspired the ad team to develop a lifestyle story ad campaign.  "Food has always had a transforming power in society", and Better Than  Chocolate definitely radically changes Tom and Annie's lives as their "miracle cure for chocoholics sparked a near riot on the streets of New York."

This is a story of corporate espionage, ambition, genius, and the mad desire for the good life that clouds judgment and makes casualties of family life.  It is also a story of hope, hard work, and the liberation of education...oh!...and chocolate - fat and sugar and calorie free!

Merry Christmas, Alex Cross / James Patterson / 323 pages

Alex Cross does it all....saves a family in a dreadful hostage situation, foils a terrorist plot to manufacture and create nerve gas in Washington DC, and comes home safe and sound to his warm family.  Action, action, action and not much else.  Did make me think of all those first responders who do put themselves in jeopardy and are torn away from their families and the unbelievable pressure that they must bear.

Saturday, April 20, 2013

Raven Boys / Maggie Stiefvater / 408 pages

What is not to like in this teen supernatural novel?  It's got all the elements, eccentric characters, ghost, evil, psychics, ley lines, talking trees, child abuse, rich kids & poor kids, murder etc. etc. etc. What teenage girl wouldn't have trouble grappling with the idea that if she kisses her true love, she kills him?  What teenage boy who survives an attack by hornets because someone else dies wouldn't spend his life chasing down a sleeping Welsh king who can grant a wish.   What is the secret that Ronan knows about his murdered father and what is the story of the baby Raven, Chainsaw?  Ahhh..dear readers, you must wait until the next book is published...The Dream Thieves.

Friday, April 19, 2013

Fever (Chemical Garden Trilogy, vol. 2) / Lauren DeStefano / 341 pgs.

"In a future where genetic engineering has cured humanity of all diseases and defects but has also produced a virus that kills all females by age twenty and all males by the age twenty-five, teenaged Rhine escapes her forced marriage and journeys back to New York to find her twin brother."  -- From book description.

Not as good as the first book, Wither, which had more discussion on social issues; and the plot seemed to wander and felt like it was just filler to get the reader from the first to the last book in the series. 

Dengeki Daisy, Vol. 1 / Kyousuke Motomi / 170pgs. / 1st in a Series!

Teru Kurebayashi, is a young (16-ish) teen, who lives by herself and goes to an elite private High School on scholarship.  Her parents died a few years ago in an accident, and at the start of the book her older brother becomes ill and passes away under mysterious circumstances.  Before his death, though, he gives Teru a cell phone and an email address of one of his friends that goes by the user name "DAISY".  Daisy, is charged with looking out for Teru, and in her solace she exchanges messages and becomes very emotionally attached to him.

Being alone and very poor, Teru ends up getting a job working as an assistant to the school's custodian, Tasuku Kurosaki.  Kurosaki, is actually "Daisy", which is obvious to everyone, except of course, Teru.    Even though Kurosaki is kind to Teru in the online world as "Daisy", offline he keeps her at a distance by teasing and being standoffish.  The reader quickly finds out that his hot/cold actions are because he is in love with Teru, but something is holding him back. 

This series looks like it is going to be a much nicer version of the mysterious, cool, overprotective, alpha male falling in love with the sweet, young, innocent Mary Sue type.  Which is still creepy, but at least nicer than the series, "Hot Gimmick" or "Gravitation" where the male leads are downright abusive to their "love interest". 

Side Note: "Dengeki" means something like electric or electronic (or so I have read).  Since she only communicates with Daisy through her cell phone, I guess the series title fits.  (and BTW, this is First book in a series, so 2 Bonus Points!!!)

The Walking Dead: We Find Ourselves, vol. 15 / Robert Kirkman / 160 pgs

The Zombie horde attack is over, but there were causalities.  Rick deals with his grief and worry by trying to put the community back together and make it stronger and safer.  Some of the original community members start to worry that the new members are trying to take over.  Rick has to find a way to get the two groups to work together. 

The illustrations are always good in this series.  The faces hold many different expressions and I like that the bodies are drawn proportionally.  Not much "zombie" or any other kind of action in this chapter, but a lot of scheming and foreshadowing of power plays between characters that are soon to come.

The Lantern by Deborah Lawrenson/ 400 pgs


The lantern is a modern Gothic tale that holds a few surprises along the way. Many readers may find it a little confusing in that two different stories are being told but in different time periods and taking place in the same French hamlet - “Les Genévriers”. One of the big questions as the story unfolds is whether or not the hamlet is haunted by one or two of the previous owners. One story takes place in present day and involves Eve and Dom a couple who have recently met, fell in love and moved into the crumbling hamlet. They are happy in the beginning exploring all the hidden rooms and  the antique treasures they find those first few weeks.  Soon they seem to drift apart and Eve (her nickname - her real name is never revealed in the book) is questioning who Dom really is and what secrets he is hiding. The second story is told by the ghost of Benedicte and I find this story much more suspenseful. Benendicte grew up in the hamlet along with her siblings Marthe, and  Pierre many years ago. It was interesting that Marthe was blind and went into the perfumery business using her keen sense of smell. This was a book discussion read and many of the members felt it was overwritten and that the author used a lot of flowery prose but it did make for a very good discussion. I am not sure that I would read another book by this author but if you like gothic romance I would highly recommend Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier or Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte.

Thursday, April 18, 2013

The Blossom and the Nettle / Diane Noble / 400 pgs

This is the second in a series of three Christian historical fiction books.  Unfortunately, the library only has it on cd and only 2 copies.  It is set in the 1890's and concerns the second generation of the two families in California. 

Emmeline comes from Washington D. C. to California to try her hand at starting an orange grove ranch.  I like that she is not the most gorgeous person as usual, but has some real difficulties in social situations.

She, of course, meets Quaid who runs cattle on the ajoining ranch.  He is not her biological cousin so their romance is okay.  Naturally, there is much that happens before they finally marry on disc 12.  (I'm not giving away a key plot;  everyone knows it will happen the minute they listen to the cd.)  It is the journey that is interesting.  Like her other book, some of it seems implausible for the time period. 

All in all, the stories have been interesting and the Christian message not too overwhelming, but actually pretty good.

Matter of Class / Mary Balogh 191 p.

Mary Balogh tells a very different regency romance.  Neither Lady Annabelle Ashton, daughter of the Earl of Havercroft, nor Reginald Mason, wealthy, refined but not a part of the aristocracy, are at all interested in marriage to each other.  Neighbor Earl of Havercroft is an enemy of the social climbing Mason family.  Regardless, Lady Annabelle finds herself forced to marry Reginald when her elopement fails; and, Reginald is given an ultimatum, marry or lose all financial support.  The engaged couple are openly antagonistic.  Neither enjoy the situation.

Still Life / Louise Penny 312 p.

Chief Inspector Armand Gamache and his team investigate a suspicious death in a rural village near Montreal.  Jane Neal, retired school teacher and amateur painter, has been found dead on a path in the woods during deer season.  Gradually, Gamache deduces that this is not just a bow hunter careless act, but a murder.  This leisurely paced, police procedural is intricately plotted; gradually village characters are reveal.  One comes to know the investigators too.

Armand Gamache so reminded me of Georges Simenon's Jules Maigret as both have strong sense of place, pacing keeps one from drawing a wrong conclusion, both have a wife and other supporting characters that provide a more fully developed detective.

1st in the Inspector Armand Gamache mysteries series

Dog On It / Jim Frangione 305 p.

Move over KoKo and Yum Yum, Chet is on the case.  This humorous whodunit is told by the K-9 school failure. Bernie Little, of the Little Detective Agency, gets the case for a missing teenage girl who turns up unharmed only to disappear again.  Chet adds his capable nose to finding Madison.  So cool to have a dog acting like a dog as he solves the crime, complete with a short memory, a loyal pet, and a humorous attitude.
1st in the Chet and Bernie mysteries.

Whole House Repair Guide / Family Handiman 287 p.

Over 300 typical home repairs are expertly explained and richly illustrated with color photo closeups.  It is easy to tackled a project like patching a wall crack, clear a clogged drain, or stop drafts around doors. This is for the experienced do-it-yourselfer or a beginner.

Wednesday, April 17, 2013

The Druids/Peter Berresford Ellis/304 pages

The Druids by Peter Berresford Ellis was the most dry, rather boring non-fiction book I've ever read.  While reading a fantasy book about a Druid, I decided to get informed.  Basically anything you've ever read about Druids is suspect.  It's like a big game of telephone and no real facts to back up the information. Druids didn't write anything down.  Everything is word of mouth from groups trying to get rid of Druids (Romans and Catholics).  I would not recommend this book.

Walk A hound Lose A Pound/By Phil Zeltzman/160 pages

Walk A hound Lose A Pound by Phil Zeltzman is a non-fiction read about how you and your pet (or a borrowed dog) can walk to lose weight and get in shape.  The book is very detailed with charts for body mass for humans and dogs so you can set goals and feed your pet appropriately.  Its a quick motivating read.

Sweet Talk / Susan Mallery / 378 pages / First Book in a Series

Family Saga Series Book 1
"The famous Keyes Chocolate Cake - the recipe had been a family secret for generations and is a local Seattle favorite.  In the 1980's a local politician looking to make a good impression had delivered one to President Reagan.  It had been served at a White House dinner where the president had declared it better than jelly beans."  Nicole Keyes is running the bakery now and when she has to have gal bladder surgery, her younger sister, Jesse, calls their concert pianist sister, Nicole's twin, to come home and take care of Nicole and the family bakery while Nicole is recuperating.  Jess has slept with Nicole's husband and was, of course, thrown out of the house.  Nicole does not want Claire there.  She blames her for their mother's death and considers her a prima donna.  Claire is determined to take care of her sister and the shop, and reunite the family.  Falling for Wyatt and Amy is a bonus.  Although chocolate does not figure as predominantly in this book as it does in Better Than Chocolate, it is still a sweet read.  You'll want to continue the story in Sweet Trouble.

Need / Carrie Jones / 306 pages / Frist Book in a Series

Zara is sent to Maine to live with her grandmother.  She has been depressed since the death of her stepfather and her mom thought a change of scene might snap her out of it and cause her to begin living again...And she does...It's just very different from the life she lived before.  The hotty, Nick Holt, at her new school is a werewolf.  Her grandmother is a were tiger, and she (Zara) is a being stalked by a pixie king.  Zara's quick thinking and problem solving abilities enable her to imprison the pixies and the pixie king, save her mother and her sixty-five year old marathon running EMT grandmother, and Nick...

Okay, the pixie angle/fantasy was a bit hard to accept, but the story is well-grounded and believable despite this.  If you are a reader of fiction you have to be prepared to suspend your disbelief.  This book gives the reader ample opportunity to do this.  The book causes chuckles, smiles, and a feel good feelings throughout.

The Frog Princess / E. D. Baker / 214 pages / Fairy Tale Retelling

"Princess Esmeralda isn't exactly an ideal princess.  Her laugh sounds like a donkey's bray rather than tinkling bells.  She trips over her own feet more than she curtsies, and she hates the young Prince Jorge" whom her mother has decided she will wed.  She needs someone to talk to.  How about the talking frog she met in the swamp who claims to be a prince?  The frog suggests that he just might be the way out of her difficult situation.  If she kisses he and he turns out to be a prince, she could marry him instead.  Unfortunately - or fortunately - the princess turns into a frog instead.

This book is most attractively packaged in pink with gilded letters, fancy trim, and a real crown-wearing, cushion-sitting frog.  It is just one of many fairy tale retellings written by E. D. Baker.

Janie Face to Face / Caroline B. Cooney / 345 pages

Calvin Vivesett is a true crime writer.  He wants to write a book about Janie Johnson's/Jennie Spring's kidnapping. (or does he?) Janie wants her privacy and wants the past to remain in the past.  She wants to protect herself and her families.  Donna Spring is afraid to have the book written.  Hannah, the kidnapper, is still at large.  "You don't wake a sleeping predator.  You don't poke a lion or throw stones at a rabid dog.  You don't knock on the door of a murderer."  This fifth book in the Janie series is suspenseful and satisfyingly romantic.

"The worst thing in life is to be nobody."

The Center of Everything / Linda Urban / 197 pages

There is a legend in Bunning, New Hampshire that says if on your birthday you can toss a quarter with your birth year on it through the hole in the donut of Captain Cornelius Bunning's statue and say your wish 90 times, your wish will be granted.  Ruby Pepperdine did this.  "She has read enough about wishes to know that greedy wishers always have things backfire on them."  She wishes she had listened, truly listened, when her grandmother, Gigi tried to tell her something just before she died.  She wishes she could go back in time...and listen.   Friends Lucy and Nero lend support, understanding, and sympathy as Ruby forgoes her time to read her award-winning essay in favor of a listening silence to honor her grandmother.  Did Ruby get her wish?  Was her grandmother trying to say "It's about coming together?"  Over the years, Ruby wonders if her wish had come true, if she did what she was supposed to do. 

Linda Urban is a master storyteller focusing on family, friendship, and finding one's way in life.  The clever use of the donut, its historical significance and mathematical relevance enhances an already captivating story.

The Eleventh Palgue / Jeff Hirsch / 278 pages / First Book in a Series

It happened as we feared, the U.S. unleashed weapons on China and China responded by unleashing a plague.  After the collapse, two thirds of the population is dead.  Fifteen year old Stephen Quin and his father are salvagers, roaming the countryside in search of tradable artifacts and edible food.  When Stephen's father is injured in a fall, Stephen realizes he needs help.  Some of the residents of Settler's Landing want to help, but some do not, insisting that Stephen and his father could be spies.  Stephen plays baseball for the first time, finds friends and perhaps love, but can he stay?  I love the cover of this dystopian novel - Ferris wheel, typewriter, desolate landscape - very indicative of content.

Truman Award Nominee 2013-14

The Voice on the Radio / Caroline B. Cooney / 183 pages

This is the third book in the Janie series.  Janie was kidnapped when she was three years old and didn't know it until she saw her face on a milk carton.  She recognized herself and began the investigation to determine who she really was.  In Voice on the Radio, Janie is betrayed by her boyfriend, Reeve, who uses her story to fill airtime on a college radio station.  He knows this is wrong, but figures she will never know.  When she finds out...  I found parts of this book to be redundant as much of the previous two books were repeated here.  I suppose this was necessary for anyone who had missed books one and two.  It was still a captivating, thought-provoking read.

What Janie Found / Caroline B. Cooney / 181 pages

This is the fourth Janie book.  When Janie's father suffers a stroke and a heart attack and is in critical condition, Janie takes over paying the bills as directed by her mother.  Janie finds a folder marked "H. J."  in the paid bills drawer.  HJ stand for Hannah Javensen, Janies' kidnapper and Mr. & Mrs. Johnson's daughter.  Has Janie's father been aiding and abetting the kidnapper this whole time?  Janie is afraid to find out.  When she does, she must make decisions that will affect many lives.  Caroline B. Cooney has yet again crafted a suspense-filled psychological  thriller sure to whet the appetite of YA readers.

Bethany, the Ballet Fairy / Daisy Meadows / 72 pages / First Book in a Series

This first book in theRainbow Magic Dance Fairies series should be a hit with young ladies in early grade school, especially those interested in dance and fairies.  Seven fairies appear to Kirsty and Rachel as they are riding a train to see Sean Lake.  The fairies take the girls to Fairyland - map provided, where King Oberon explains that Jack Frost and the goblins have stolen the fairies' dance ribbons.  Each book in the series recounts how the ribbons - ballet, disco, rock 'n roll, tap dance, jazz, salsa, and ice dance, are recovered.

Better Than Chocolate / Sheila Roberts / 393 pages / First Book in a Series

"Sweet Dreams Chocolate Company wasn't just a company.  It was a family legend."
Well, it worked!  Having read the first book the Life in Icicle Falls series, I want to read them all!  I am a chocolate lover.  (I have a chocolate room in my house.)  And this book is filled with chocolate, romance, and fun!  A family-owned chocolate company is in danger of foreclosure and the sisters, mother, and entire town...almost...rally to save it.

Tuesday, April 16, 2013

The Russian Donation/Christoph Spielberg/306 pgs/First in a Series

Dr. Felix Hoffmann is an emergency room doctor in a Berlin hospital. A former Ukrainian patient of his is brought back to the hospital dead--cause of death unknown. "Cause of death unknown" is what Dr. Hoffmann puts on the death certificate. However, that death certificate is "lost" and replaced by one listing that the patient died from cardiopulmonary arrest--resulting in no autopsy. That's when the "fun" begins--leading to murder, conspiracy, money laundering, etc. This is a great find for people who like medical mysteries. I'm looking forward to the next installment.

Monday, April 15, 2013

Princess Princess vol. 1 / Mikiyo Tsuda / 168 pgs. / 1st in a Series

Tohru Kouno is a new transfer student to an elite all-boys boarding school.  Since he is very good looking he is chosen to join the most popular clique in school.  The catch is this group cross-dresses for special school events in order to provide an outlet and a touch of femininity for the frustrated, testosterone pumped male students. 

It weird and funny, but I am not sure how long this series can run without the gag getting stale.

Life of Pi / Yann Martel / 319 p.

Life of Pi, is a story about a teenage boy named Pi, who was in a shipwreck and spends 227 days aboard a life boat and survives to tell his tale.  What actually happens during those days in the Pacific is left up to the reader to decide.  Pi tells two versions of his story, and its my guess that the truth is somewhere in between.  
The point of the story is to ask the reader which version do they personally want to "believe" and hence is a reflection on how they view religion and the world.  I found the novel to be ploddingly slow and I was left feeling frustrated and saddened by Pi's suffering and detachment through his survival ordeal.  If anything, instead of feeling like this book proved "the existence of God" I felt as the movie reviewer, Jonathan Kim, stated in the Huffington Post "[the book] would confirm that if there is a God in control, he's a cruel, sadistic jerk."

Sunday, April 14, 2013

Something Wicked This Way Comes / Ray Bradbury / 307 pages

 
Something Wicked This Way Comes  by Ray Bradbury is a menacing, character driven, dreamlike, horror novel, first published in 1962.

When the carnival comes to town, best friends Jim and Will have to grow up overnight, or Will’s father will be lost, along with their teacher, the town barber and even Jim himself, to the evil Mr. Dark and his band of freaks.

Something Wicked This Way Comes will appeal to those who like freakish, dreamlike horror. Similar titles include: The Night Bookmobile by Audrey Niffenegger; The Talisman by Stephen King

The Tombs / Clive Cussler and Thomas Perry/ 374 pages

The daring duo of Sam & Remi Fargo embark on an adventure that takes them on a quest to find the long-hidden tomb of Atilla the Hun.  It's all action leavened with a bit of humor and seasoned with a good dose of heinous criminals.  The conclusion sees the Fargos and friends battling off a hair-raising siege by the bad guys.  Believable..no.  Fun...yes.  If you like Cussler,  you'll like The Tombs.

Saturday, April 13, 2013

The Haunting of Hill House / Shirley Jackson / 174 pages


The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson is a menacing, character driven novel of the classic horror genre that has been frightening readers since 1959.

Dr. Montague summons select guests to spend some time in Hill House - which is renowned for being haunted and has not been inhabited for many years but for its daytime caretakers – three of whom come to experience with him the paranormal phenomena that is slowly driving them mad. 

The Haunting of Hill House will appeal to those who like psychologically horrifying tales in the vein of Poe. Similar titles include: The Diary of Ellen Rimbauer by Joyce Reardon; House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danieliwski; The Unseen by Alexandra Sokoloff. 

Friday, April 12, 2013

A Week in Winter/Maeve Binchy/326 pages

Chicky Starr has moved back to her hometown of Stoneybridge, Ireland after living in New York for years. She's determined to make Stone House, the ancestral home of Miss Queen, the last remaining Sheedy sister, into a restful holiday by the sea. Miss Queen is thrilled to have her home restored to its glory days, and Chicky has definite plans to make it work. Stone House's first week in business attracts an interesting mix of people looking to escape their normal routines.

Maeve Binchy passed away shortly after finishing this book. It was a bittersweet read because she's one of my favorite writers, and it was hard knowing this was the last one. No one else could make Dublin and Ireland more enchanting. It was her typical charming story.

Cold Days / Jim Butcher / 515 p.


By far the best Dresden book of the series!
  
Harry has been battered and blasted all throughout the series, even being brought back from the dead. Now he is the Winter Knight, sworn to serve the Winter Queen, Mab, for the rest of his life. It seemed as though Harry was finally backed into an impossible corner that even he would not be able to escape - after all how could he outwit a fairy queen when without her continued intervention Harry would be left a helpless cripple.  Ah, but this is Harry Blackstone Copperfield Dresden here, named after no less than three magicians. Of course Harry will find a way to make his current situation work.  Not only is he our Winter Knight, he is also our White Night.

In COLD DAYS, Harry is reunited with characters that over time have remained steadfast and true. There is his protege, Molly, who continues to grow stronger in her spiritual ways, Bob, who "was a spirit of air, or intellect, or any one of a great many terms used to describe such beings," and usually good for a bit of comic relief. There's Toot-toot, a leader of a crew of tiny faeries who can be convinced to take on nearly any task in exchange for pizza. Butters is back, as is Dresden's vampire brother, Thomas. And of course, there's Karrin Murphy.

These books have a strong myth arc, so start at the beginning and watch Harry become the Wizard he is today.

Life of Pi / Yann Martel / 319 p.


Life of Pi is a novel that is sometimes hard to wrap your mind around.  The main premise is that a young man, Pi, and his family decide to move to Canada via ship, taking along some animals from the zoo they owned in India.  Once aboard, the ship has mechanical trouble and sinks.  Pi is tossed into the only successfully launched lifeboat.  Unfortunately, the lifeboat is also occupied by part of his family's zoo-a hyena, a zebra, an orangutan, and Bengal tiger.

Although the synopsis makes the title sound like a survival story, it is anything but.  Along Pi's journey, you are given clues as to the real meaning but it isn't until the end that you truly understand Pi's struggle.

The challenge with this book is that when you DO get to the end, you realize that you need to reread the entire novel.  So much of the book is written with symbolism in mind that determining what really might have happened takes work on the part of the reader.

But even with the extra work, the storytelling from Martel is well worth it.

The One and Only Ivan / Katherine Applegate / 305 pages

Newbery Award
"It's not so bad" Ivan wanted to tell the little boy.  "With enough time, you can get used to almost anything."  Ivan lives at the "exit 8 Big Top mall and Video Arcade, Home to The One and Only Ivan," the mighty silver back gorilla.  His "story has a strange shape:   a stunted beginning, an endless middle..."  This story is based on an actual gorilla who now lives at Zoo Atlanta.  Ivan spent twenty-seven years of his life alone in a cage.  In the book, Ivan had friends:  Stella and Ruby, the elephants, and Bob, the dog.  He is unable to save Stella, but his artwork saves Ruby, Bob, and himself.  If you don't cry when you read this book or go to the zoo and look at the animals with renewed respect...well...you just will!!

"Always tell the truth, although, sometimes confuse the facts."

"Memories are precious. They help tell us who we are."

"Humans waste words.  They toss them like banana peels and leave them to rot."

The Magic Ballet Shoes / Dargey Bussell / 96 pages / First Book in a Series

Magic Ballerina Book 1
Dargey Bussell, an internationally renowned prima ballerina since the age of twenty, retired from the Royal Ballet in 2007.  She live in Australia with her husband and two daughters and has written the Magic Ballerina  stories to share her love of ballet with young readers.  In this first book of the series, we meet Delphie Durand, who longs to be a ballerina.  She had borrowed books from the library and practices ballet exercises almost every day.  When Madame Za-Za finds Delphie watching lessons from outside her studio, she invites her inside, gives her red ballet shoes and leotards, and invites her to return to class.  Madame Za-Za teaches the girls that "ballet is about much more than just dancing - the real magic comes from telling a story and making the audience believe that story."  Delphie's red ballet slippers are magic.  They take her to Enchantia where she rescues the Nutcracker.  This inspiring, entertaining book contains a detailed map of Enchantia and a diagrammed ballet lesson.

The Adventures of TinTin in America / Herge / 64 pages / First Book in a Series

First published during the heyday of comic books (1954), the TinTin books are adventure comics detailing with the perils of British reporter TinTin.  In this, the first TinTin book, TinTin routs the gangsters from Depression era Chicago, has a run in with an Indian tribe, and endures every hardship featured on Saturday morning (1950's era) TV.

The Beautiful Between / Alyssa B. Sheinmel / 184 pages / Fairy Tale

"Maybe the witch thought she was protecting Rapunzel, not punishing her.  Maybe she thought if Rapunzel was locked away, no one could ever hurt her.  Maybe the witch kept Rapunzel because she loved her, because she was scared that if other people could get to Rapunzel they would hurt her.  And maybe Rapunzel didn't understand the witch;  maybe she was angry at her - but maybe she loved her, too."  This is a modern retelling of "Rapunzel".  Connelly Sternin feels as if she is trapped within a fairy tale and tries on several for size.  'Rapunzel' seems to fit best.  Connelly feels abandoned by her mother's silence in their tall-towered New York City apartment.  She is sure the silence relates to her dad who died when she was two.  In third grade, she had asked her mom how he had died, and her mom had reacted with frozen, stiff silence, and had been removed ever since.  Conn had not dared to re-ask the question.  When the high school prince, Jeremy Cole, befriends her and offers her tutoring in physics in exchange for SAT help, he encourages her to push for answers.  This is a captivating read, a real page-turner, although I was disappointed in the bad language.