On Books (Again)

2013, my year of Young Adult reading, has come and gone.  It went really well, and I enjoyed having that theme.  YA books are great options for when time is short and concentration is sketchy.  I tried reading Mansfield Park when Baby was a few months old and it was too soon for my sleepy brain--maybe this year.  Anyway, here's a round up and a few conclusions I've made:

The best book of the year was The Fault in Our Stars.  Lately I've been wanting to read it again, and I'm really excited for the movie.  It may break me, but I think I will love it anyway.  Other winners were Stargirl, Just Listen, The Graveyard Book and The Magician's Elephant.  

The Forest of Hands and Teeth gets an honorable mention for scaring me--not actually when I was reading it, but long after.  *quivers*

For all the good and great reads, there were some that, well, let's say they fell short of the mark.  For instance, the entire Divergent trilogy, Matched and, ironically enough, Looking for Alaska.  

Outside the YA realm, my winners for the year were Life of Pi and The Ocean at the End of the Lane.  The clear loser was The Rathbones.

So what did I learn from this year?  Well, like most book categories, there are a lot of terrible YA books.  Bad writing, poor plotting and cliche characters abound.  And yes, some very popular books are not good.  I cannot explain this mystery of the universe, but there it is.  

At the same time, there are some wonderful books as well.  I am always a fan of reading outside your age range and preferred genre/s, and I read some books that I think are just as worthwhile for adults as they are teenagers (maybe more so).  Good books are just good books, regardless of who they're marketed for, right?  (Of course content and age appropriateness is an important consideration too.)

What else did I learn?  I miss literature.  I miss my 19th century English authors, who are masters of writing in ways no one is today.  I can only hope my brain is up to the challenge this year.  Speaking of this year, I want to spend my reading time rereading some old literary classics.  And maybe--MAYBE--this will really be the year I finally read I Capture the Castle.

In the interest of housekeeping, here are the books read in 2014 (in reverse order):

• The Hobbit, A-
• Ender's Game, B-
• The Rathbones, C
• Cheaper by the Dozen, A-
• On the Day I Died: Stories from the Grave, B+
• "When Did You See Her Last?", B+
• The Magician's Elephant, A
• Anya's Ghost, A-
• The Dollhouse Asylum, B-
• The Graveyard Book, A
• Keeping the Moon, B
• The Ocean at the End of the Lane, A
• Someday, Someday, Maybe, B+
• The Witch of Blackbird Pond, B+
• Looking for Alaska, C-
• What Happened to Goodbye, B+
• A Curse Dark as Gold, B
• Revenge Wears Prada, C
• The Fault in Our Stars, A
• Dreamland, B
• Icefall, B+
• The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian, B+
• The Goose Girl, A-
• Anna and the French Kiss, B+/A-
• Matched, B-
• Insurgent, B-
• The Truth About Forever, A-
• Stargirl, A-
• The Law and the Lady, B
• Life of Pi, A
• Just Listen, A-
• Divergent, B-
• Bringing up Bebe, A-
• "Who Could That Be at This Hour?", A-
• The Lightning Thief, B+
• The Forest of Hands and Teeth, A-
• Shiver, B+
• Where It Began, C-
• The Haunting of Hill House, A

Allegiant (Book Review)

Author: Veronica Roth
Year: 2013
Genre: Dystopian
Reading Level: Young Adult
Series: Third in the Divergent trilogy

Literary Awards: 

Goodreads Choice for Young Adult Fantasy & Science Fiction (2013)

Plot Summary: The factions are gone--or are they?  The city is still divided, a new war beginning between those determined to keep the faction system dead and those wanting to bring it back.  Tris leaves it behind in favor of finding the world outside.  But is that world any better than the one she left?
 
Red Flags: Language, violence, teenage lustiness

My Rating: C
There's not really much to say that I haven't said already (twice).  This was my least favorite of the three, probably because not much really happens.  It's a lot of sitting around and talking about what to do and angsting over one's genes.  I think the biggest problem here is that the story just got away from Veronica Roth and turned into a bloated mess without much focus.  As usual, there were too many characters, making none of them memorable.  The writing was the same so-so, lazy stuff, and the dual perspective really didn't work for me since Tris and Four sound exactly the same.  (And really, the only point of it was for the sake of the ending.)  As for the end, what was the point of all of this?  Did they really make a better world?  I guess.  Is it going to last?  I'm not so sure about that.

As for the that whole genetics thing, that would have been more interesting if it had come in earlier in the series.  Everything this book is about basically began with this book, which seems like a problem considering there are three.  There's not even a villain to tie all three books together, and there's not really a good villain at all in this one.

Anyway.  I'm glad it's over.  And please, world, please stop with the first person present tense!  Please.  Let's get rid of the delusion of Suzanne Collins-induced grandeur.

Memorable Quotes: 

"Fluorescent light glows behind Evelyn's hair.  I can't see her face...Evelyn's eyes pinch tighter."--p. 12: Can you see her face or not??

"She's wearing something dark around her eyes to make their color stand out..."--p. 66:  You're telling me Four can't recognize mascara?

"Seeing an Erudite process something is like watching the inside of a watch..."--p. 78: Come on.

"We move closer together like sections of a tightened shoelace."--p. 91: Come ON.

"Her eyes are dark, with the same sheen as a puddle of oil beneath a leaking engine."--p. 172.  So her eyes are like rainbowy?

"...I hold on to his arms to stay steady as we press together like two blades at a stalemate."--p. 229: ...

"Tris stands so still, her hands dangling limply, turning red with the flush of her blood."--p. 269: How long has she been standing there??

"Their faces are covered with dark fabric, disguising all but their eyes..." AND YET: "...standing among the invaders, wearing the same mask as the others, is a girl with a dark ponytail."--p. 286: So, they are like...face masks? With an elastic string holding them to their heads?  AND YET:

"Nita [ponytail girl] smiles a twisted smile."--p. 289: So...what kind of mask is this, exactly?

"David sits in a wheelchair, his legs covered in a stiff material--to keep the bones in place so they can heal, I assume."--p. 321: You mean like a CAST?

"It's strange how time can make a place shrink, make its strangeness ordinary."--p. 387: Just lazy.

"I am a child.  I am two feet tall..."--p. 465: A six-month old child then.  Okay.

The Hobbit (Book Review)

Author: J.R.R. Tolkien
Year: 1937
Genre: Fantasy
Reading Level: Intermediate

Literary Awards: New York Herald Tribune Best Juvenile Story, Keith Barker Millennium Book Award, Books I Loved Best Yearly (BILBY) Awards for Older Readers (1997)

Plot Summary: Bilbo Baggins lived a comfortable, peaceful existence in his hobbit hole--until Gandalf the Grey intervened.  Soon Bilbo is swept away from his home, in the company of dwarves determined to regain their lost mountain.  A long quest stands between Bilbo and his homey hole, and he will not be quite the same at the end of it.

Red Flags: Some peril and very mild violence, creatures

My Rating: A
In the past I've always maintained that this is my least favorite of Tolkien's novels--not because I dislike it, but just because I like his others better.  While that is still the case, I think I enjoyed it more this time than any other reading (I think this was my fifth?).  It's such a great adventure story, and Bilbo is an endearing main character.  It's a fairly simple and straightforward tale but it's also very well written, funny and engaging.  I can't really find any fault with it, even if it's not the serious, bleak Tolkien I love the best.  

Memorable quotes:
"Now it is a strange thing, but things that are good to have and days that are good to spend are soon told about, and not much to listen to; while things that are uncomfortable , palpitating, and even gruesome, may make a good tale, and take a deal of telling anyway."--ch. 3

"Going on from there was the bravest thing he ever did.  The tremendous things that happened afterwards were as nothing compared to it.  He fought the real battle in the tunnel alone, before he ever saw the vast danger that lay in wait."--ch. 12

Ender's Game (Book Review)

Author: Orson Scott Card
Year: 1985
Genre: Science fiction
Reading Level: Adult (though I have frequently seen it shelved in young adult)
Series: First in the Ender's Quintet series

Literary Awards: Hugo Award for Best Novel (1986), Nebula Award for Best Novel (1985)

Plot Summary: Ender Wiggin was just your typical six-year-old boy genius, terrorized by his brother, beloved by his sister and smarter than both.  Renewed war with the alien buggers is on the horizon when Ender is enrolled in the elite Battle School.  There Ender outsmarts his opponents with his creative and brilliant battle tactics, but what about the people he left behind on Earth?  And, more importantly, what about those buggers?

Red Flags: Language, immature humor, some violence

My Rating: B-
I know my opinion will not be a popular one, but I just never really got into this book.  Partly I blame the fact that I had to read several other books in the middle of this one, due to library due dates.  But mostly I just was so BORED.  Bored bored bored!  There, I said it.  I was bored.  The battles should have been exciting but the description of the action was just boring.  I can't decide if it was overly descriptive, with the swiveling hips and pushing off whatever wall, or not descriptive enough, since I couldn't really picture any of it.  

I mean, I can get the appeal of it, and I by no means hated it or anything.  I have read and liked plenty of sci fi before also so that's not the problem.  But I didn't really care about Ender, I didn't love the writing and oh, I was bored.  I should also note that the ending was spoiled for me some years ago so that came as no surprise--bummer.  

Anyway.  I can appreciate Orson Scott Card's imagination and scope.  I can, I suppose, see why people enjoy this book.  But I will happily never read another one in this series.  

On the Day I Died: Stories from the Grave (Book Review)

Author: Candace Fleming
Year: 2012
Genre: Ghost stories/Supernatural/Short stories
Reading Level: Young Adult

Plot Summary: Mike Kowalski was just trying to get home before curfew.  Instead he finds himself in an overgrown, backwoods cemetery surrounded by teen ghosts desperate to tell him their stories.  The teenagers are from different decades and died in vastly different ways, but their stories end in the same place.  

Red Flags: Death (obviously), ghosts (obviously), some spookiness, some violence and mild gore.

My Rating: B+
I liked this book.  I didn't love it, I don't know why.  It has a lot of good points--a wide variety of characters, solid writing, creative stories and a nice amount of spookiness.  I haven't read short stories for a long time, and it's always impressive how a good author can convey so much in relatively few pages.  Candace Fleming is adept at this, and the stories were quick but never rushed or weak.  

I don't know why I didn't get into it more.  My only two real complaints are that the transitions between stories were kind of awkward and the cap on everything was a little heavy handed.  I just don't feel too strongly about it, but I still think it was a good read and I'd readily recommend it to anyone looking for a spooky read that won't make them hide under the bed.

"When Did You See Her Last?" (Book Review)

Author: Lemony Snicket
Year: 2013
Genre: Mystery
Reading Level: Intermediate
Series: #2 in the All the Wrong Questions series (follows "Who Could That Be at This Hour?")

Plot Summary: Lemony Snicket's mystery-solving adventures in the desolate town of Stain'd-by-the-Sea continue as he searches for a missing girl.  Though his associate doesn't believe she's missing at all, Lemony suspects a plot that goes beyond a straightforward kidnapping.  Why else would her sabotaged car still be parked in town?

Red Flags: None.

My Rating: B+
This was another fun entry in the series.  I quickly realized that I had forgotten almost everything from the first book, but the important bits were neatly summarized as it goes along.  This one seemed to meander a bit more through the mystery, but not really unpleasantly so.  The end was especially exciting and just a little bit spooky.

I like that this has some similarities to Series of Unfortunate Events because I loved that series so much, but I also like that this is very different.  The nature of the story and mystery are different, the characters are different, the tone is different--yet it all fits seamlessly in the same Lemony Snicket universe.  

Overall, it was a fun, engaging read with memorable characters and the usual Lemony Snicket-type antics.  I'm very curious to see what happens as the series moves into the second half.  

Memorable Quotes:

"'Boredom is not black licorice, Snicket,' she said. 'There's no reason to share it with me.'"--p. 117

"I reminded myself of a lesson I'd learned in my training: Do the scary thing first, and get scared later."--p. 129

"'You could make anything boring, Mimi!  You're like a magic wand of boring!'"--p. 179

The Magician's Elephant (Book Review)

Author: Kate DiCamillo, illustrated by Yoko Tanaka
Year: 2009
Genre: Fantasy
Reading Level: Intermediate

Literary Awards: Flicker Tale Children's Book Award Nominee for Juvenile (2011), Goodreads Choice Nominee for Children's Book (2009)

Plot Summary: Orphaned Peter Augustus Duchene was supposed to be buying fish and bread, but he couldn't resist a fortune teller and the promise of an answer to his most burning questions.  Does his sister live?  Yes, comes the answer.  How can he find her?  This answer is much more confusing--follow the elephant.
 
Red Flags: None.

My Rating: A
I have enjoyed all of Kate DiCamillo's books so it was no surprise that I liked this one.  What DID surprise me was how I cried and cried at the end.  Yes, it's true--I do have a heart after all.  I blame the baby.  That should be endorsement enough, but I will go ahead and say I loved this book.  The vaguely-French setting was lovely and vivid.  The characters were a interesting group, and, as always, the writing was beautiful.  I am always a fan of different threads coming together at the end of a story.  The whole thing was simple and magical and pretty to read.  I love how easily (apparently) she writes about tragic, intangible or otherwise tricky things so simply and gently.  And yet it's not sugar coated or overly precious.  I can see some people thinking this book is a little on the precious side at times, but it wasn't for me.  It was just enough, to paraphrase Goldilocks.

Anyway, I read this in one sitting instead of taking a nap and though I perhaps yawned for the rest of the day, it was worth it. 

Memorable Quotes:

"'Why did I not think of it?  Let us dispatch the elephant immediately to the Home for Wayward Elephants Who Engage in Objectionable Pursuits Against Their Will.  It is right down the street, is it not?'"--p. 32

"'Please,' said Hans Ickman.  He opened his eyes.  'It is important that you say what you mean to say.  Time is too short.  You must speak words that matter.'"--p. 49

"Looking out over the city, Peter decided that it was a terrible and complicated thing to hope, and that it might be easier, instead, to despair."--p. 51

"If she appeared beside him right now, he would show her the star that was sometimes visible through his window.  He would say to her, 'Have you, in truth, ever seen something so heartbreakingly lovely?  What are we to make of a world where stars shine bright in the midst of so much darkness and gloom?'"--p. 147

"'Magic is always impossible,' said the magician. 'It begins with the impossible and ends with the impossible and is impossible in between.  That is why it is magic.'"--p. 154
 

Anya's Ghost (Book Review)

Author: Vera Brosgol
Year: 2011
Genre: Graphic novel
Reading Level: Young Adult

Literary Awards: Eisner Award (2012), Cybils Award for Graphic Novels (Young Adult) (2011), Horn Book Fanfare (2011), YALSA Great Graphic Novels (2012), Kirkus Reviews Best Teen Books of the Year (2011) School Library Journal Best Fiction Books (2011)

Plot Summary: Anya, an immigrant from Russia, has tried to be like everybody else, but she still doesn't fit in at home or school.  Things don't improve when she falls down a well and meets the ghost of a girl who met a similar fate a hundred years earlier.  But when they escape from the well Anya's new friend changes her life for the better--doesn't she?

Red Flags: Some language, teenage smoking and partying, some teenage surliness, a ghost (obviously)

My Rating: A-
I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this.  The art was lively, consistent and good.  Anya wasn't always likable but I liked her character's progression.  I...don't really have much more to say.  It was fun, entertaining, a little spooky.  Plus Neil Gaiman called it a masterpiece so there's that.

The Dollhouse Asylum (Book Review)

Author: Mary Gray
Year: 2013
Genre: Dystopian
Reading Level: Young Adult

Plot Summary: Cheyenne wakes up in a perfect neighborhood, rescued from a zombie resurgence by her supposedly perfect man, Teo.  She's not the only one he's saved, but he doesn't let just anyone live in his little paradise.  If they want to live they're going to have to impress Teo--who's not as perfect as Cheyenne thought.

Red Flags: Some mild language, gruesome deaths (mostly off screen), making out
 
My Rating: B
(When I heard that one of my friends from the way back days had her first book coming out, of course I had to pick up a copy.  How often do you get to buy a book written by someone you know, right?  Anyway, it was worth it and fun to read for that reason alone.)

I enjoyed this book overall.  It was fast paced and held my interest.  I was a little impatient at the start for things to get going, but I think that was because I knew the synopsis so well already.  The premise is different, and I appreciated the absence of vampires, fallen angels, werewolves, etc. etc.  Also I appreciated that all the zombies were off screen (hurray!).  One of my favorite things was the name of the zombie disease--the Living Rot.  Good name.

I didn't care for the love triangle aspect as much.  I didn't LOVE Cheyenne--I mean, I get her character's journey and I was glad that she changed and saw Teo for what he was--but I didn't always enjoy being in her head.  She had a minor case of Bella Swan-itis, in her fascination with people's hotness and a readiness to sacrifice herself.  As for Teo, I wish there had been a little more explanation for his crazy (I can totally dig his kind of crazy--I just wonder where it came from).  Sometimes it's fun to pick out a writer's favorite word (mine is "just"), and based on this book, Mary's is "pluck."  Hah. 

Overall, it was an entertaining read.  There were some fun side characters (though with some curious characterizations) and the story was unusual.  The story didn't surprise me or horrify me as much as I know it wanted to, but perhaps that says more about me than the book...

The Graveyard Book (Book Review)

Author: Neil Gaiman
Year: 2008
Genre: Fantasy/Coming of age
Reading Level: I've seen this called intermediate and young adult--I personally would call it more YA, just because of content that I think would scare a lot of younger readers

Literary Awards: Hugo Award for Best Novel (2009), Newbery Medal (2009), Locus Award for Best Young Adult Novel (2009), World Fantasy Award Nominee for Best Novel (2009), Mythopoeic Fantasy Award Nominee for Children's Literature (2009) Cybils Award for Middle Grade Fantasy & Science Fiction (2008), Audie Award for Audiobook of the Year (2009), An ALA Notable Children's Book for Middle Readers (2009), ALA Teens' Top Ten (2009), Michigan Library Association Thumbs Up! Award Nominee (2009), Indies Choice Book Award for Best Indie Young Adult Buzz Book (Fiction): (2009), Carnegie Medal in Literature (2010), British Fantasy Award Nominee for Best Novel (2009) 

Plot Summary: Nobody Owens escapes death as a toddler and finds sanctuary from his would-be murderer in a nearby graveyard.  The resident ghosts agree to raise him in the safety of the graveyard, and Bod grows up surrounded by the dead, who become his family, friends, guardians and educators.  But with the killer still hunting for him, will Bod ever be able to live amongst the living?

Red Flags: Scary scenes, off-screen murder, some spookiness, ghoulies and ghosties
 
My Rating: A
I first read this several years ago, and then, with one thing or another, I had the urge to pick it up again.  I'm so glad I did!  I remembered liking it a lot, but I'd forgotten a lot of the details and this book is really, truly excellent.  The atmosphere, the writing, the way death is treated--so good.  I love the progression of Bod's character as he grows, I love the side characters (Liza Hempstock, eh?) and I love how everything comes together at the exciting and ultimately bittersweet end.   

I feel like there is so much more that could be said about this, but...I loved it.  Isn't that enough?  This is surely one of Neil Gaiman's very best books (the Newbery was well deserved), and one that I must add to my bookshelf, where it will sit alongside his also excellent Coraline.    

(Wouldn't Coraline and Bod be such great friends?) 

Memorable lines:
"'And there are always people who find their lives have become so unsupportable they believe the best thing they could do would be to hasten their transition to another plane of existence.'
'...Are they happier dead?'
'Sometimes.  Mostly, no.  It's like the people who believe they'll be happy if they go and live somewhere else, but who learn it doesn't work that way.  Wherever you go, you take yourself with you.  If you see what I mean.'"--ch. 4

"You're always you, and that don't change, and you're always changing, and there's nothing you can do about it."--ch. 8

Keeping the Moon (Book Review)

Author: Sarah Dessen
Year: 1999
Genre: Novel
Reading Level: Young Adult

Literary Awards: Michigan Library Association Thumbs Up! Award Nominee (2000)

Plot Summary: When Colie's* weight-loss guru mother leaves for a European tour, she's dropped off in the small beach town of Colby to spend the summer with her oddball aunt.  Colie's tried to lose her old, overweight self with a newly fit frame, a lip piercing and a bad dye job, but the past keeps coming back to haunt her, even in Colby.  But with the help of some new friends, she might just find the real Colie again.
 
Red Flags: Some language, teen bullying, (legal) drinking and smoking
 
My Rating: B
Well.  I think I've officially overdosed on Sarah Dessen novels.  I laughed and rolled my eyes through most of this book.  I mean, it was okay and it kind of pulled it off at the end, but overall it seemed like a rather lazy effort.  The resolutions were either weak or not even there, and the whole thing felt unfinished (what about her relationship with her Mom?  And Mira?).  Plus I am kind of over chapters ending with a poetic insight into life and its troubles.  It's not a bad book and had I read it earlier, I might have liked it better, but at this point I think it's best that I leave her books on the library shelf for a bit.  

Also, side note, it was published in 1999 but there were some really out of date references to Super Nintendo, cassette tapes and stuff.  What's up with that?  

Also also the love interest was named Norman and I just can't accept that. 

Memorable lines:
"There's something about dancing that's like being stripped naked; you have to be very self-confident to thrash around in public, deliberately attracting attention."

*Is it pronounced like Collie dog or like cola (and like Nicole)??  I couldn't decide and both sounded kind of dumb to me.

The Witch of Blackbird Pond (Book Review)

Author: Elizabeth George Speare
Year: 1958
Genre: Historical fiction
Reading Level: Young Adult

Literary Awards: Newbery Medal (1959)

Plot Summary: After the death of her grandfather and guardian, Kit Tyler leaves the sunny shores of Barbados for a small settlement in Connecticut.  There she joins her only remaining relatives and struggles to fit in their strict Puritan society.  When she meets a lonely widow living near Blackbird Pond, she finally feels at home, but their friendship may cause more harm than good when the townspeople discover it.
 
Red Flags: Prejudice, a long winter

My Rating: B+
I first read this back in fourth grade, and didn't really like it (I don't remember why).  Lately I started thinking I ought to reread it, since I didn't always have the best taste as a fourth grader.  And yet...I still never really got into it the second time around.  I know, I know, it's a classic, it's a Newbery winner, it's historical.  These are all good reasons to like this book, and while I do think it's a good book, it didn't wholly win me over.  

But like I said, I think it's a good book.  It's well written, it has a lot of historical information and the time and setting are vivid.  So my feelings have more to do with my own preferences and less to do with any technical flaws.  Though I must admit, I didn't really like Kit.  I wish I had rooted for her more.  This is also one of those books that make me wonder if it would have been published today, just because these days books have so many more constraints from publishers.  By that I mean things like plot development, length, etc.--Lord of the Rings is another book like this.  Just something I wondered about. 

Anyway, it's a book worth reading, if only for the historical setting.  I have a soft spot for things about America in its pre-United States days (see also: The New World, anything by James Fenimore Cooper) so I enjoyed that aspect a lot.  I just wanted a little more oomph from the story. 

Looking for Alaska (Book Review)

Author: John Green
Year: 2005
Genre: Novel
Reading Level: Young Adult

Literary Awards: School Library Journal Best Book of the Year (2005), Booklist Editors' Choice (2005), NYPL Best Book for the Teen Age, An ALA/YALSA Quick Pick for Reluctant Young Adult Readers (2006), Los Angeles Times Book Prize (2005) Printz Award (2006), ALA Teens' Top Ten (2005), Michigan Library Association Thumbs Up! Award Nominee (2006), Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis Nominee for Jugendbuch (2008), ALA's Top Ten Best Books for Young Adults (2006), The Inky Awards for Silver Inky (2007), Abraham Lincoln Award Nominee (2009) 

Plot Summary: In search of something more, Miles Halter transfers from his Florida high school to Culver Creek Boarding School in Alabama.  There he finds his something more in wild child annoying Alaska Young.  She turns his life upside down, and where Alaska goes, change is sure to follow. 

Red Flags: Lots of language, teen drinking/smoking/canoodling, sexual content, death

 

My Rating: C- 
I had mixed expectations for this book, but it wound up missing even my lowered mark.  I was kind of peeved at John Green while reading it because it felt so...beneath him.  He is a talented writer, but there was so little to like about this book.  For one thing, it was such a crude book, especially for YA, and that bothers me.  But also I didn't like the characters or even the story.  I spent most of this book wringing my hands and wailing, "Don't these people have any hobbies???"  I swear these teenagers just sit around smoking and being all "introspective" about life and their self-created issues.  Also I am tired of YA characters saying they don't smoke or drink and then they get new friends who say "Hey, come smoke" and they're all "Cool thanks bro."  Don't they have any steadfastness of principle????  Yes, apparently I am an adult now.  But seriously.

ANYway, I just didn't care for this book and didn't really enjoy reading it and was glad when it was over.  I still think John Green is a good writer, and he is certainly a better writer than this book would indicate.  Also, can we just talk about irritating Alaska is?  What is her appeal?  I get that she's supposed to be kind of a basket case, but if so, then why does everyone love her?  She was exhausting to read.  

ANYANYway, the last ten pages or so were pretty good and I did get into it at that point (hence the slightly higher rating than it would have had).  But were those pages worth slogging through the rest of it?  No.

Memorable lines:
"The only thing worse than having a party that no one attends is having a party attended only by two vastly, deeply uninteresting people."--p. 4

"I hated sports.  I hated sports, and I hated people who played them, and I hated people who watched them, and I hated people who didn't hate people who watched or played them."--p. 45

"'You spend your whole life stuck in the labyrinth, thinking about how you'll escape it one day, and how awesome it will be, and imaging that future keeps you going, but you never do it.  You just use the future to escape the present.'"--p. 54

"There were so many of us who would have to live with things done and things left undone that day.  Things that did not go right, things that seemed okay at the time because we could not see the future.  If only we could see the endless string of consequences that result from our smallest actions.  But we can't know better until knowing better is useless."--p. 218

"I believe now that we are greater than the sum of our parts.  If you take Alaska's genetic code and you add her life experiences and the relationships she had with people, and then you take the size and shape of her body, you do not get her.  There is something else entirely.  There is a part of her greater than the sum of her knowable parts.  And that part has to go somewhere, because it cannot be destroyed.
"...one thing I learned from science classes is that energy is never created and never destroyed...awful things are survivable, because we are as indestructible as we believe ourselves to be. When adults say, 'Teenagers think they are invincible' with that sly, stupid smile on their faces, they don't know how right they are.  We need never be hopeless, because we can never be irreparably broken.  We think that we are invincible because we are.  We cannot be born, and we cannot die.  Like all energy, we can only change shapes and sizes and manifestations.  They forget that when they get old [OLD??].  They get scared of losing and failing.  But that part of us greater than the sum of our parts cannot begin and cannot end, and so it cannot fail."--p. 220-221

What Happened to Goodbye (Book Review)

Author: Sarah Dessen
Year: 2011
Genre: Novel
Reading Level: Young Adult

Literary Awards: ALA Teens' Top Ten Nominee (2012)

Plot Summary: Mclean Sweet has spent the last three years moving from place to place with her recently divorced father.  At each new place she reinvented herself then shedded her new persona with every move.  But with their arrival in Lakeview, for the first time in three years Mclean is simply herself, but it turns out that being herself creates new complications while bringing up old issues.

 
Red Flags: PG-13 language, some very mild teenage partying/drinking, general drama

 

My Rating: B+ 
Not my favorite Sarah Dessen book--it seemed like she was trying a bit too hard.  Nevertheless, this was basically more of what I like reading her for and I happily plowed through this book.  As usual, the characters are interesting and fun, and the writing was good overall (the Meaningful Things were a bit forced).  I liked the relationships, whether friend, family or romantic, and I liked that the romance with the unfortunately named Dave took a back seat. 

Overall, an enjoyable read, even if it wasn't anything groundbreaking.

A Curse Dark as Gold (Book Review)

Author: Elizabeth C. Bunce
Year: 2008
Genre: Fairy Tale
Reading Level: Young Adult

Literary Awards:
Cybils Award (2008), William C. Morris YA Debut Award (2009), Smithsonian Notable Book, ALA Best Books for Young Adults. for Young Adults (2009), Oprah's Book Club Kids' Reading List Teen Selection (2009) Kansas Notable Book Medal (2009), 150 Best Books/150 Years - Kansas Sesquicentennial List (2011), Tennessee Volunteer State Book Award Finalist (2011), Pacific Northwest Library Association Young Reader's Choice Award Finalist (2011), Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books Blue Ribbon Book (2009), Iowa High School Battle of the Books Selection (2010), Arkansas Teen Book Award (2009), Chicago Public Library Best of the Best Books List (2009), Amelia Bloomer Book List (2009) 

Plot Summary: When Charlotte Miller inherits her family's mill, everyone expects her to quickly fail at running it.  It doesn't help that the mill is haunted by perpetual bad luck--or is it something more sinister?  Charlotte, determined to save her mill at all costs, has to delve into the mill's shadowy past if it's to have a future.

(That was a cheesy line.)

 
Red Flags: Witchcrafty folklore magic, ghosts, general supernaturalness

My Rating: B+
I wanted to love this book--it is a fairy tale retelling after all!  And, well, I didn't love it.  But I did like it (Sarah!).  I like the story and the characters were good (Rosie was my favorite), though there were a few too many townsfolk for me to keep track of.  The book suffered a bit from my taking a really long time to read it* and I got a little frustrated at how long it took for the fairy tale element to come in.  What I liked best about the story were the supernatural/ghostly/fairy tale elements, but the author focused more the historical aspects.  I think, in theory, that is a good tactic for a fairy tale rewrite, but this one was a little heavy on the mill stuff and history.  But at the same time, I can see that being a real selling point for other readers.

Overall, it was an interesting take on the Rumpelstiltskin story, but I wish that element had come into play sooner.  Also I wish there had been a diagram of a mill to refer to because I couldn't picture a bloomin' thing. 

*I had two books come in on hold that I had to read before they were due.

Memorable lines:

(Spoiler!)

"Do other mothers behold their newborn sons as I did?  Do they all find themselves stopped, breathless, in what they were doing to merely stare, in wonder, at the tiny life before them?  Do they hold fast to their hungry babes and think fierce thoughts about their futures?  Do they draw out a wide circle and say, 'Nothing will intrude upon this sacred space?'  I do not know; I think they must--but I must also admit I felt as thought I had brought forth the only child in the universe, that I had performed the greatest  miracle in the history of creation, and that nothing since time began was blessed with quite the brilliance and perfection of my son William."

The Fault in Our Stars (Book Review)

Author: John Green
Year: 2012
Genre: Novel
Reading Level: Young Adult

Literary Awards:  
Odyssey Award (2013), Goodreads Choice Award for Best Young Adult Fiction (2012), ALA Teens' Top Ten Nominee (2012), Indies Choice Book Award for Young Adult (2013), Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis Nominee for Preis der Jugendjury (2013) Dioraphte Jongerenliteratuurprijs (2013), The Inky Awards for Silver Inky (2012), Abraham Lincoln Award Nominee (2014)

Plot Summary: Hazel's life is destined to be a short one, thanks to cancer.  She spends her days at community classes and being optimistic for the sake of her parents.  At a support group meeting, Hazel meets the good-looking, one-legged, fascinating Augustus Waters, and her life expands far beyond community college and cancer.  

Red Flags: Language (mostly PG-13), some teenage drinking, very mild teenage canoodling, heavy thematic content

My Rating: A
I loved this book.  It's engrossing, it's well written, it's memorable.  When I start reading a super popular book I'm always a bit wary, since popular opinion and I often disagree. In this case, popular opinion got it right because this book actually is good.  Here are some reasons why: The characters are good.  The story is good.  The writing is good.  I liked it.  I am very articulate.

The story felt real and the characters felt like real people, with quirks and mannerisms that didn't sound written (like so often happens).  I couldn't predict the story, and I liked the bittersweetness of the ending.  It's sad but not depressingly so and it's not consumed with its own tragedy.  There's perspective and understanding.  

I liked the development of the relationships.  I liked that there were parents who cared about their kids and kids who cared about their parents.  I liked that Augustus called her Hazel Grace.  I'm sure some people get giggly over the dreamy guy and girl-meets-boy elements, but I think that cheapens their relationship and the book as a whole.  

Two small complaints: I felt like there was a vague kind of anti-religion sentiment.  Maybe I imagined it?  And second, some of the teen dialogue reminded of Juno--which I do not really like.  I thought that less as it went on but there you go.

Overall, I think John Green has a great talent for words and this is a book worth reading.  It was lovely to read, even when it wasn't lovely, and I was sad when it was over.  I read the last 100 pages or so in one sitting, with my little reading buddy and when I finished it, I felt compelled to take this picture: 

(I think the cover is hideous.) 

(But that baby is super cute.)

Memorable lines:
"I was a bit of a Victorian Lady, fainting-wise."--ch. 2

"My favorite book, by a wide margin, was An Imperial Affliction, but I didn't like to tell people about it.  Sometimes you read a book and it fills you with this weird evangelical zeal, and you become convinced that the shattered world will never be put back together unless and until all living humans read the book.  And then there are books like An Imperial Affliction, which you can't tell people about, books so special and rare and yours that advertising your affection feels like a betrayal."--ch. 2

"I missed the future...I felt robbed.  I would probably never again see the ocean from thirty thousand feet above, so far up that you can't make out the waves or any boats, so that the ocean is a great and endless monolith.  I could imagine it.  I could remember it.  But I couldn't see it again, and it occurred to me that the voracious ambition of humans is never sated by dreams coming true, because there is always the thought that everything might be done better and again."--ch. 25

Dreamland (Book Review)

Author: Sarah Dessen
Year: 2004
Genre: Novel
Reading Level: Young Adult

Literary Awards:

An ALA Best Book for Young Adults, An Amazon.com Editors Choice for (2000), New York Library Book for the Teen Age 

Plot Summary: Caitlin has spent her life so far as an also-ran, always in her sister's shadow.  When her sister abruptly runs away, Caitlin looks for her own direction in life and finds it in Rogerson Briscoe.  While Rogerson is (SUPPOSEDLY) good looking, smart and exciting, he pulls Caitlin's life in a direction she never wanted to go and she may not be able to escape before it's too late.

Red Flags: Language, teenage drinking/drug use/canoodling, abusive relationships

My Rating: B
This is a hard one to rate because even though I think it's a good book and well written in the way I expect from Sarah Dessen, I didn't really enjoy reading it at all.  Partly that's because of the subject matter, which is pretty dark and not really ever enjoyable.  Also because I had no idea that's what this book was about (my library often has no Dessen books on the shelf so I just grab them when I see them), and I think it's something one has to be in the mood for.  I was not so much in the mood. 

Anyway, like I said, it's well written and I was invested in Caitlin, even though I also wanted to shake her more than once.  Rogerson, however, was not appealing at all, even at the beginning.  Maybe he's not supposed to be, even then, but I thought he actually sounded terribly unattractive.  

So, not my favorite of her books, but that doesn't mean it's not a story worth telling.  Just not the best pick when one wants something with lighter teenage angst.

Icefall (Book Review)

Author: Matthew J. Kirby
Year: 2011
Genre: Coming of age/mystery/historical
Reading Level: Intermediate

Literary Awards:

Agatha Award Nominee for Best Childrens Young Adult (2011), The Judy Lopez Memorial Award for Children's Literature Medalist (2012), Edgar Award for Juvenile

Plot Summary: Solveig, the overlooked second daughter of the king, has been sent to an isolated fortress surrounded by icy mountains and an frozen sea.  Though she was sent there for protection while her father is embroiled in battle, a hidden danger is inside the fortress walls and Solveig must use all her wits to unveil the traitors and protect her family.

Red Flags: Some mild violence, death

My Rating: B+
I liked this book, probably more so than The Clockwork Three.  Solveig was a good, likable character and she had a good story.  Even though she felt very average, it was never "O me, I am so plain so y do da boys like me?", which seems to happen so often.  Likewise there was never a moment like "O, I really AM the bees knees!"  Her realization of her own abilities and worth was very natural and relatable.  

My favorite section was the middle, as things started to go wrong and everyone became trapped in the wintery ice.  It was like a locked room mystery, where the tension builds and everyone knows that SOMEone is bad but no one knows who and no one can get away.  Unfortunately, the resolution of "who" was rather anticlimactic for me and made the mystery a bit flat.  Also I had trouble picturing a lot of the characters--sometimes this happens because I read too fast, I'm not sure if that's the case here--especially Hake and Per.  Also I couldn't pronounce any of the names, haha. 

Overall, I liked the writing (so many hyphenated words!*), and this is one of those rare cases where first person present tense didn't make me crazy.  I liked Solveig and her story in particular, and the setting was different.  I also think this is a book that would appeal to both boy and girl readers--no small feat!  

But I must admit I laughed out loud every time I read "the Thing"...sorry, historical accuracy.

*I mention this in connection with the writing in general--not because I have a particular fondness for hyphenated words.  I am, in fact, pretty neutral about them.

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian (Book Review)

Author: Sherman Alexie, illustrated by Ellen Forney
Year: 2007
Genre: Novel
Reading Level: Young Adult

Literary Awards: 
National Book Award for Young People's Literature (2007), School Library Journal Best Book of the Year (2007), American Indian Library Association Award, South Carolina Book Award Nominee for Young Adult Book Award (2010), Michigan Library Association Thumbs Up! Award Nominee (2008) Florida Teens Read Nominee (2009), American Indian Youth Literature Award for Best Young Adult Book (2008), Horn Book Fanfare (2007), ALA's Top Ten Best Books for Young Adults (2008), Boston Globe-Horn Book Award for Fiction and Poetry (2008), Abraham Lincoln Award Nominee (2011), James Cook Book Award Nominee (2009)

Plot Summary: Fourteen-year-old Junior's life on the Spokane Indian Reservation seems doomed to stagnation and monotony.  Determined to create a new and better future for himself, Junior leaves the poor reservation school for the all-white high school in town.  His decision is just the beginning of a year of changes in Junior's life and the lives of his family.

Red Flags: Language, adult themes, sexual content

My Rating: B+
This book was more mature than I expected it to be (side note: why are my expectations so far off lately?)--I thought, judging by the kind of amusing title, that it would be more of a light-hearted romp.  And while it DID have its funny elements, a lot of the story is pretty heavy.  People die, bad things happen and there are all kinds of life lessons going around.  It had a good blend of humor and drama that felt genuine--like a real person having a hard time but still trying to see the lighter side.  Junior's resilience felt true and I liked that aspect of his personality.  A lot of his other aspects I did not really care for, and often I thought he was a gross teenage boy.  I did also like that he loved and was loved by his family--that is always refreshing in a YA book.  And I will readily give Sherman Alexie credit for handling a lot of tough topics and keeping the sense of hope intact.  This book could have easily been terribly depressing.

In all honesty, I could have done without the illustrations.  This is just personal preference (I can totally see the appeal for a lot of readers), but they always took me out of the story a bit.  Sometimes the narrative did the same thing, in that in one sentence things are funny and in the next something awful has happened.  I didn't love the writing style, which is another preference thing.  It's straight forward and easy to read, but it kind of annoyed me off and on.

Overall, it was a compelling story and the characters were different and vivid, even though I didn't always like them.  It's always interesting to read about people who have such different lives from your own, and I appreciate this book for that.  I didn't love it, and I forgot it more easily that I expected, but I am glad to have read it at last.

The Goose Girl (Book Review)

Author: Shannon Hale
Year: 2003
Genre: Fairy tale/Fantasy
Reading Level: Young Adult
Series: #1 in the Books of Bayern series (followed by Enna Burning)

Literary Awards: 
Mythopoeic Fantasy Award Nominee for Children's Literature (2010), Utah State Book Award, Utah Speculative Fiction Award Winner, Bank Street College of Education Josette Frank Award, ALA Teens' Top Ten (2004)

Plot Summary: Anidori-Kiladra Talianna Isilee may be the Crown Princess of Kildenree, but she's never fulfilled her mother's expectations of what a princess should be.  She's eventually sent to marry a neighboring kingdom's prince, but on the journey there she's betrayed and presumed dead.  To survive she hides as a simple goose girl, but it will take more than a goose girl to prevent a war and save her people.

Red Flags: Some violence

My Rating: A-
I had a lot of expectations for this after hearing so many positive things about it for several years.  It took me a little while to get into it, but it grew on me more as it went on.  I liked the writing in general, though I think sometimes Shannon Hale was trying a little too hard to be creative (and went a little heavy on the similes).  It had genuine emotion and tragedy, plus it made me want to sit in a field.

I think it's a good retelling of the original fairy tale. It was a little slow to start and I think the ending was too drawn out, but I liked it overall.  And...I can't remember any of my other thoughts.  Hmm.

(Also I just have to say that when it comes to goose books, I still prefer Goose Chase by Patrice Kindl--though they aren't really similar enough to compare.)

(Caveat: it's been a number of years since I read Goose Chase.)