Review: Real Live Boyfriends

 
Real Live Boyfriends by E. Lockhart
4 stars

First line: "A definition: A real live boyfriend does not contribute to your angst."

Description: Ruby Oliver is in love. Or it would be love, if Noel, her real live boyfriend, would call her back. But Noel seems to have turned into a pod-robot lobotomy patient, and Ruby can’t figure out why.Not only is her romantic life a shambles:
Her dad is eating nothing but Cheetos,
Her mother’s got a piglet head in the refrigerator,
Hutch has gone to Paris to play baguette air guitar,
Gideon shows up shirtless,
And the pygmy goat Robespierre is no help whatsoever.

Will Ruby ever control her panic attacks?
Will she ever understand boys?
Will she ever stop making lists? (No to that last one.)

Roo has lost most of her friends. She’s lost her true love, more than once. She’s lost her grandmother, her job, her reputation, and possibly her mind. But she’s never lost her sense of humor. The Ruby Oliver books are the record of her survival."

My thoughts: Just a quickie - another fun book in this series. I think it's the last one, which is good, as I wouldn't want to succumb to series fatigue since I so enjoy Ruby. I do think her mother should have some actual psychotherapy ordered by family services, as she is more of a child than Ruby is, and her dad isn't much help. The crazy mom provides some definite interest in the series, but I find her pretty horrid - it's amazing Roo isn't even more screwed up than she is with that freakshow raising her.

I hope that Ruby goes on to find actual, non-angst-inducing love, does well in college, and lives a fabulous life. And that E. Lockhart gives us another wonderful, funny series to enjoy soon!

Review: Revolution

Apologies, I have literally formatted this 5 times and it still won't work, I give up! Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly 3.25 stars Reasons for reading: I enjoy Donnelly's books; YA Reading Challenge Description: "BROOKLYN: Andi Alpers is on the edge. She’s angry at her father for leaving, angry at her mother for not being able to cope, and heartbroken by the loss of her younger brother, Truman. Rage and grief are destroying her. And she’s about to be expelled from Brooklyn Heights’ most prestigious private school when her father intervenes. Now Andi must accompany him to Paris for winter break. PARIS: Alexandrine Paradis lived over two centuries ago. She dreamed of making her mark on the Paris stage, but a fateful encounter with a doomed prince of France cast her in a tragic role she didn’t want—and couldn’t escape. Two girls, two centuries apart. One never knowing the other. But when Andi finds Alexandrine’s diary, she recognizes something in her words and is moved to the point of obsession. There’s comfort and distraction for Andi in the journal’s antique pages—until, on a midnight journey through the catacombs of Paris, Alexandrine’s words transcend paper and time, and the past becomes suddenly, terrifyingly present." My thoughts: Donnelly really has a gift for historical fiction and this is another well-researched, well-written book. I did find it a bit too long - maybe some of Andi's angst could have been cut out while still giving us what we need to understand her. And that pain and depression is very poignant, I really felt for Andi. I could just maybe have heard a bit less about it. The device of going back and forth between Andi and Alex was well-done - I was right there with Andi wanting to know what had happened to Alex and the little prince. But, as with Andi, I also could have done with a bit less of Alex's struggle out of poverty and burning desire to become an actress and then her quest to be there for Louis-Charles during his imprisonment. The idea was great, but I found it was repeated a few too many times for me. There was a little bit too much...almost magic realism for me. The guy responsible for Truman's death is basically named Robespierre and I fell out of the story somewhat when "the past becomes suddenly, terrifyingly present." Was it a dream sequence? Did she hit her head? Was it magic? It was a bit too much of a gimmick for me. But while those scenes weren't my favourites, Donnelly's descriptions of the filthy, smelly, violent Paris of Robespierre's day overlaid with Andi's knowledge of present-day Paris really work well and have clearly been thoroughly researched, as has everything from the music to the history for this novel. While I'm not all that well-versed in music, I did think the musical history sections, with connections between composers like Handel and Radiohead, were interesting. I've just checked and discovered that the subject of Andi's thesis, Amadé Malherbeau, does not exist, which makes sense given that he had to fit into the story, but seems a bit of a shame when the book contains so many facts about the Revolution and Prince Louis-Charles. Donnelly also has a sense of humour, which is great. Andi's friend Vijay is constantly being interrupted by his hen-pecking mother who feels he should spend every waking moment on his political science thesis, rather than wasting it talking to Andi. And I wonder if Donnelly went to the archives in Paris, as Andi does - as there are some very funny, spot-on-seeming descriptions of the hoops one must jump through to gain access to the materials. Overall, I found Andi's journey from suicidal depression to a functioning life in Paris and Alex's story of the horrors of the Revolution to be worth reading, despite my reservations.

Review: The Perfect Love Song

The Perfect Love Song by Patti Callahan Henry
2 stars


Reason for reading: Okra Picks Challenge

Description: "Jimmy Sullivan has been living on the road with his brother, Jack, and his band The Unknown Souls. Without a place to call home, Jimmy and Jack lead a nomadic life filled with music and anonymous cities. When they return to a place Jimmy never wants to see again—their old hometown of Seaboro, South Carolina—he falls in love with Charlotte Carrington.

With his soul now filled with hope, Jimmy writes his first love song. When he performs it at a holiday concert to a standing ovation, the lyrics are dubbed the “Perfect Love Song,” so much so that Jimmy finds himself going on tour with famous country music stars, catapulted into a world where the trappings of fame and fortune reign supreme.

All too soon, the hope that had once inspired Jimmy to write such beautiful, genuine lyrics is overshadowed by what the song can do for him and his career. In his thirst for recognition, he agrees to miss Jack’s wedding in Ireland to sing at a Christmas Eve concert. And his ties to Charlotte seem to be ever so quickly slipping away.

Alone in New York City on Christmas Eve, Jimmy finally sees—with the help of a Christmas miracle or two—that his material gains are nothing compared to love, that he is losing all that really matters in his life. Is it too late to find his way to Ireland, to his brother, and to love?"

My thoughts: I agree with this review from Publisher's Weekly "This wallows in the pitfalls of intrusive narration, simplistic storytelling, and overly moralistic asides, and is stocked with characters with all the staying power of a snowflake in July."

This just didn't work for me at all. I felt like I'd missed getting to know the characters and their background somehow and I wasn't surprised to find out in the notes at the end that they were featured in one of the author's other books. Maybe if you'd gotten to know and love them there this book would be fun, but for me it wasn't. Why Kara was so devoted to Maeve Mahoney that she basically dedicates her wedding to the old woman wasn't very clear (presumably it was featured largely in the other book, but it's only mentioned in passing here), the narrator (who I guess is the ghost of Maeve?) is definitely intrusive and there are all kinds of sappy aphorisms throughout. Jimmy is a jerk. It has all of the bad stuff about Christmas movies - sappiness, "Christmas miracles" and someone's bad attitude being transformed on Christmas Eve. Definitely a Christmas turkey.

Review: Pretty Dead

Pretty Dead by Francesca Lia Block
3.25 stars

Reasons for reading: I've liked her other books, cool cover, YA Challenge

Description:
"Even if I wanted to die for someone, it wouldn't be that easy. They just keep dying for me.

Something is happening to Charlotte Emerson. Like the fires that are ravaging the hills of L.A., it consumes her from the inside out. Something to do with the tear in her enviably perfect nails. The way she feels when she's with the brooding, magnetic Jared. The blood rushing once again to her cheeks and throughout her veins. For Charlotte is a vampire, witness to almost a century's worth of death and destruction. But not since she was a human girl has mortality touched her.
Until now."

First line: "Teenage girls are powerful creatures."

My thoughts: Another lushly written book by Block. It's not much more than a novella, but her seductive writing and the fact that it's different from today's Twilight schlock vampire lore makes it worthwhile. It is for an older teen and adult audience, as her books tend to be, it's not for tweens.

I was a bit creeped out by the possibly inappropriate relationship between Charlotte and her twin brother (although I could have been reading that in where it didn't belong). And while the ending was interesting and a bit of a twist, I wasn't entirely sold - there were some holes in how it happened, I thought.

My favourite part was the section where Charlotte writes about her century of life for Jared, describing the sights and sounds of every era, from the 20's up until the 80's. I thought she captured the events very well. I also enjoyed the description of Charlotte's house full of "beautiful old things" that she's collected like vintage couture and perfume bottles.

A quick read, a nice change from the usual vampire stuff, and full of poetic prose.

Review: Room

Room by Emma Donoghue
5 stars

Reasons for reading: I've loved her other books, sounded intriguing

Description: "To five-year-old Jack, Room is the entire world. It is where he was born and grew up; it's where he lives with his Ma as they learn and read and eat and sleep and play. At night, his Ma shuts him safely in the wardrobe, where he is meant to be asleep when Old Nick visits.

Room is home to Jack, but to Ma, it is the prison where Old Nick has held her captive for seven years. Through determination, ingenuity, and fierce motherly love, Ma has created a life for Jack. But she knows it's not enough...not for her or for him. She devises a bold escape plan, one that relies on her young son's bravery and a lot of luck. What she does not realize is just how unprepared she is for the plan to actually work.

Told entirely in the language of the energetic, pragmatic five-year-old Jack, ROOM is a celebration of resilience and the limitless bond between parent and child, a brilliantly executed novel about what it means to journey from one world to another."

My thoughts: I actually remembered about this book when a patron asked me about it - she knew the author and knew it was about kidnapping. I was able to Google it and vaguely recall hearing about it. When I read the description, I was fascinated. Plus, I already knew I was a Donoghue fan, although I've only read her historical fiction, so I wasn't sure whether this would be my cup of tea.

Well, I don't know if this subject is anyone's "cup of tea" but I could NOT put it down. I started reading it before bed one night (even though I knew I shouldn't) and was up til 1:40am before I could force myself to turn off the light. I finished it the next day.

I don't want to give any spoilers, so I can't tell you much. But the narrator is 5-year-old Jack, who has lived his entire life with his Ma in an 11x11 room. He has never spoken to another human being, he has only ever glimpsed one other human being, their captor. When he was tiny, Ma explained that their life in Room was real and everything on TV was fake. But once Jack turns 5, she knows they can't keep living like that.

Jack is extraordinary but also an ordinary little boy. He has an amazing vocabulary and math skills, because Ma has basically spent every moment of his life teaching him. But he thinks Dora the Explorer, Rug, and Meltedy Spoon are his friends. He thinks the tiny bit of sun he can see through the skylight is God's yellow face. He has no idea what it's like to own as many books, toys or clothes as you can afford, he's never tasted many foods or been to a playground. He loves his Ma with his entire being, yet gets mad at her when she can't give him what he wants, like all kids do. Normally I don't like child narrators, because I find authors make them way too precocious or saintly or wise and have clearly never interacted with an actual child. But Donoghue clearly remembers what it was like when her kids were five and has managed to make Jack believable while still being the product of completely unusual circumstances.

And while it's heartbreaking to read, Donoghue doesn't pull any crappy tricks like making everything okay once they escape. Sometimes it's even harder to be out in the world than it is to be in Room, it certainly is for Jack, who is away from everything he's ever known and being bombarded with new, well, everything every moment of the day.

Donoghue's writing is amazing, but this paragraph struck me, because I had just been speaking to a friend about how true this is in today's society. Imagine if you were a boy who had spent his entire life with undivided parental attention (obviously not feasible outside of Room, I know!) and you saw how many parents in the outside world treat their kids (he observes this right after they've been to the library for the first time, maybe that's why it struck me, I see it every day):

Also everywhere I'm looking at kids, adults mostly don't seem to like them, not even the parents do. They call the kids gorgeous and so cute, they make the kids do the thing all over again so they can take a photo, but they don't actually want to play with them, they'd rather drink coffee talking to other adults. Sometimes there's a small kid crying and the Ma of it doesn't even hear.

That shows you Jack's voice and also that maybe we need to take a few hints from a small person who's seeing the world for the first time!

The reviews for Room use words like remarkable, flawless, original, and absorbing and they're all right. I agree with this one: "But be warned: once you enter, you'll be Donoghue's willing prisoner right down to the last page." (Newsweek Malcolm Jones )"

Review: Ruined

Ruined by Paula Morris

3.25 stars

Reasons for reading: sounded intriguing, liked the cover, YA Challenge, One Word Title for Four Month Challenge

Description: "Rebecca couldn't feel more out of place in New Orleans. She's staying in a creepy house with her aunt, who reads tarot cards. And at the snooty prep school, a pack of filthy-rich girls treat Rebecca like she's invisible. Only gorgeous, unavailable Anton Grey gives Rebecca the time of day, but she wonders if he's got a hidden agenda.

Then one night, among the oak trees in Lafayette Cemetery, Rebecca makes a friend. Sweet, mysterious Lisette is eager to show Rebecca the nooks and crannies of New Orleans. There's just one catch.

Lisette is a ghost. A ghost with a deep, dark secret, and a serious score to settle.

As Rebecca is drawn deeper into a web of old curses and cryptic customs, she also uncovers startling truths about her own history. Will Rebecca be able to right the wrongs of the past, or has everything been ruined beyond repair?"

First line: "Torrential rain was pouring the afternoon Rebecca Brown arrived in New Orleans."

My thoughts: This one was pretty good. Somewhat predictable, but not too bad. I liked the New Orleans setting. It was actually quite interesting because the author clearly knows and loves New Orleans, but for most of the novel she has to make Rebecca loathe it. She pulled it off well, describing both the good and the bad aspects. Probably the most interesting and unique scene is when Lisette leads Rebecca through the streets and shows her the generations of ghosts that linger throughout the city.

But...there were some odd things. The mystery of Rebecca's family history comes to light, but not why her father, who has spent his life trying to protect her, suddenly delivers her into danger. And, frankly, gives her into the care of a woman who seems to barely be able to look after her own daughter and lets her life be ruled by her psychic feelings. Both adults of course epically fail in their mission to protect her. Anton has reasons for trying to distance himself from Rebecca, but I thought it was pretty clumsily done, making his character uneven. And while they tied into the prophecy that is the backbone of the novel, his dangerous actions at the end of the novel (I won't spoil it) didn't make sense to me other than the prophecy had to be wrapped up, so he did something wildly dangerous and destructive.

If you're interested in New Orleans and like a ghost story, this is a pretty good, quick read.

Review: The Red Leather Diary

The Red Leather Diary: Reclaiming a Life Through the Pages of a Lost Journal by Lily Koppel
3 stars

Reasons for reading: sounded really interesting; Colourful Reading Challenge

Description: "For more than half a century, the red leather diary languished inside a steamer trunk. Rescued from a Dumpster on Manhattan's Upper West Side, it found its way to Lily Koppel, a young writer, who opened its tarnished brass lock and journeyed into an enthralling past. The diary painted a breathtaking portrait of a bygone New York—of glamorous nights at El Morocco and elegant teas at Schrafft's during the 1920s and '30s—and of the headstrong, endearing teenager who filled its pages with her hopes, heartaches, and vivid recollections. Intrigued, Koppel followed her only clue, a frontispiece inscription, to its now ninety-year-old owner, Florence Wolfson, and was enchanted as Florence, reunited with her diary, rediscovered a lost younger self burning with artistic fervor."

First line: "Once upon a time the diary had a tiny key."

Favourite part: It actually comes near the beginning, when Lily finds the trunks in the Dumpster. There's a wonderful description of the hotel and ocean liner labels:

Each label was a miniature painting, a dreamy portal into a faraway destination. Elephants paraded past exotic geishas twirling parasols. Pink palms swayed, hypnotizing passengers aboard the Orient and Round the World Dollar Steamship Line. Flappers frolicked. . . An orange ship sailed through a fuschia pagoda. Two women sat under an umbrella in Cannes. Giraffes kicked off the Around Africa Cruise. . .

I'd love to have a collage like that on my wall!

Other thoughts: I'm not entirely sure how I feel about the book. Most of the book is Lily recreating the events described in the diary (which actually only had room for a few lines per day) in almost novel format. She's obviously done lots of interviews and research, but I almost would have just preferred the diary.

And Florence was quite the young woman! I didn't quite know what to think of her. She was constantly having love affairs with girls/women and a few boys/men, from age 14. "In those days it was fashionable for girls to have relationships. Like Virginia Woolf and Vita Sackville-West." explains 90 year-old Florence. But gosh, it seemed like rather a lot of sex for someone so young during what we think of as a "purer" time (I think we're wrong!). And she comes off as a bit of a poor little rich girl, even though her parents were well-off but not very wealthy. She wanted to be a writer, an artist, a musician. . . in her later teens she held literary/philosophical salons in her parents' apartment. I found myself thinking it must've been nice to have so much time on one's hands and so little to worry about. But the ways she was able to fill that time, from age 14, in New York City is amazing - teas, operas, plays, museums, horseback riding in Central Park. . . We'll never see that again.

I think I might have been happier with a book just about New York during this period, which I find fascinating. But Koppel clearly loves the city and its history, and that comes through well. Apparently it inspired her to write some articles about New York during the time and find places that still existed (like the last typewriter salesman), which I wouldn't mind reading. And Florence is certainly an exciting tour guide for the period!

Review: Pretty in Ink

Pretty In Ink: a Tattoo Shop Mystery by Karen E. Olson
3.25 stars

Reasons for reading: I enjoyed the first book during my Christmas vacation; 3 word title for Four Month Challenge

Description: "Brett Kavanaugh is a tattoo artist and owner of Vegas's hottest tattoo shop, The Painted Lady. And in her spare time, she does some sleuthing. After Brett and company ink Sin City's newest drag queens, they're invited to opening night at the strip's glamorous Nylon and Tattoos show-which ends in disaster when a stranger with a Queen of Hearts tattoo fatally injures Britney Brassieres with a champagne cork. And when another drag queen is found poisoned, it looks like someone's targeting Vegas's fabulous femmes... "

First line: "If your name is Britney Brassieres, being taken down by a tsunami of champagne might seem only fitting."

My thoughts: This was a pretty fun second installment to this series. I continue to like how much Las Vegas detail Olson puts into it - I could totally relate to the uber-expensive gelato at the Venetian, for example! The drag queen stuff was fun and I enjoyed Brett's growing friendship with her former nemesis and rival tattooist, Jeff Coleman (and his vintage gold Pontiac!).

But the mystery part...meh. There was too much going on - the drag scene, deadly ricin, vague mentions of a militia group, a tattooist intern who may or may not be working for the feds, a nasty actor-turned-politician, a ruby and diamond brooch, a bunch of guys with queen of hearts tattoos, a pissed-off detective who hates Brett and her brother because her brother was married to the detective's current wife... And Brett just kept on getting herself into trouble. At some point, a normal human being would have stopped showing up with Charlotte the intern called and led her into a trap.

I do want to read the next book, though. There was a teaser at the end of this one and Brett ends up with a dead body in her trunk after Jeff Coleman's mother goes to a drive-through wedding chapel. That sounds entertaining!

Review: Roses

Roses by Leila Meachum
4 stars

Reasons for reading: have read good things about it; Plant title for What's in a Name? Challenge

Description: "Spanning the twentieth century, Roses is the story of the powerful founding families of Howbutker, Texas, and how their histories remain intertwined over the span of three generations. Cotton tycoon Mary Toliver and timber magnate Percy Warwick fell in love, but because of their stubborn natures and Mary’s devotion to her family’s land, they unwisely never wed. Now they must deal with the deceit, secrets, and tragedies that surround them, and the poignant loss of what might have been—not only for themselves, but also for their family legacies."

My thoughts: Publisher's Weekly described this book as "a good old-fashioned read" and I think that sums it up well, I had the same feeling right from the beginning. It's a sprawling saga of a book and it's chock-full of everything - love, lust, friendship, honour, betrayal, deceit, betrayal, grief... In every generation there's one member of the Toliver family so tied to Somerset, the cotton plantation, that it becomes more important than anything else, no matter what the cost is in human or financial terms. This devotion brings more heartache than joy and there's even talk of a Toliver family curse because of it. The characters - dashing but sometimes ruthless Percy Warwick, stubborn Mary Toliver and amiable Ollie DuMont are all well-drawn and I really enjoyed the way the book traveled through history, including the impact that both World Wars and Korea had on the families. I could have used a family tree at the beginning, but I do realize that would've spoiled some of the revelations in the book - but with 3 generations all interwining, it got a bit confusing at times. (Probably just me!)

I liked recurring theme of the legend of the roses - the three families decided that a red rose meant one was asking for forgiveness and a white one meant it was granted. A pink one was unthinkable - it meant there was no forgiveness to be had. So when pink comes up in the book, it's bad news. I enjoyed that this giving and receiving of forgiveness kept coming up, even after people thought the legend was dead.

The repercussions of secrets of the past are visited on Rachel Toliver (Mary's great-niece) and and Matthew Warwick (Percy's grandson) and it's up to them to decide if they can overcome a lot of history and move forward to make their own future.

Review: Revelations

Revelations: a Blue Bloods Novel by Melissa de la Cruz
3 stars

Reasons for reading: Blue for the Colourful Reading Challenge; I'm interested enough in the series to see what happens

Description: "Schuyler Van Alen's blood legacy has just been called into question--is the young vampire in fact a Blue Blood, or is it the sinister Silver Blood that runs through her veins? As controversy swirls, Schuyler is left stranded in the Force household, trapped under the same roof as her cunning nemesis, Mimi Force, and her forbidden crush, Jack Force. When one of the Gates of Hell is breached by Silver Bloods in Rio de Janeiro, however, the Blue Bloods will need Schuyler on their side. The stakes are high; the battle is bloody . . . And in the end, one vampire's secret identity will be exposed in a revelation that shocks everyone."

My thoughts: I'm getting a bit of series fatigue with this one. It's getting hard to keep track of which "fallen angels" are related and how and they seem to keep introducing different ways of being born into vamp society, even though there are only supposed to be 400 of them, period. But I do still like de la Cruz's take on vampire lore, especially as it relates to New York's high society. I was getting really tired of bitchy Mimi, but by the end I understood her better and could see why she fights so hard for Jack. Random thought - I always see a very young Alexis Bledel when I think of Schuyler, it's kind of weird. I think I'll hang in there for the next book, The Van Alen Legacy, but I hope it's the last one, because it's getting pretty bogged down with a lot of different threads. I hope they come together and finish off the story.

Review: A Reliable Wife

A Reliable Wife by Robert Goolrick
2 stars

Reasons for reading: Book club selection for March

Description: "He placed a notice in a Chicago paper, an advertisement for "a reliable wife." She responded, saying that she was "a simple, honest woman." She was, of course, anything but honest, and the only simple thing about her was her single-minded determination to marry this man and then kill him, slowly and carefully, leaving her a wealthy widow, able to take care of the one she truly loved. What Catherine Land did not realize was that the enigmatic and lonely Ralph Truitt had a plan of his own. And what neither anticipated was that they would fall so completely in love."

First line: "It was bitter cold, the air electric with all that had not happened yet."

My thoughts: This one didn't really do it for me. My friend Vidalia described it as "dreary" and a lot of it is, slogging through the Wisconsin winter. It's an intriguing premise, the ad in the paper. And there's also a lot of lust and sexual guilt and attempted murder! But even those didn't really spice it up much. The lust and guilt made me feel rather icky (particularly Truitt's religious zealot mother who brands him as a lustful sinner from the moment of his birth). And a lot of the time I found myself saying to the characters, especially Catherine, "What are you doing? Stop this and live a decent life, it's not that hard! You can change the path you're on." I don't buy the "they would fall so completely in love" from the description - Truitt appears to love Catherine and she loves him in a way, but it's hardly the romance of the century. They each have secrets and misdeeds and ulterior motives. But there are some twists and turns that jazzed it up a bit.

There are also these weird references to people going mad, killing themselves and each other, drowning babies, etc. Goolrick's note says it was inspired by a nonfiction book called Wisconsin Death Trip that contained similar events during this time period, the beginning of the 20th century. That actually sounds fairly intriguing, but sprinkled throughout this novel, it just added to the general oddness. And I'm just not that into oddness in my fiction. But do check out other reviews online, most of them are great. I seem to be in the minority.

Review: Rampant

Rampant by Diana Peterfreund
3.75 stars

Reasons for reading: I knew as soon as I read the review and ordered it for the library that I had to read about this unicorn hunter!; Young Adult Challenge

Description: "Astrid had always scoffed at her eccentric mother's stories about killer unicorns. But when one of the monsters attacks her boyfriend—thereby ruining any chance of him taking her to the prom—Astrid finds herself headed to Rome to train as a unicorn hunter at the ancient cloisters the hunters have used for centuries. However, at the cloisters all is not what it seems. Outside, the unicorns wait to attack. And within, Astrid faces other, unexpected threats: from the crumbling, bone-covered walls that vibrate with a terrible power to the hidden agendas of her fellow hunters to—perhaps most dangerously of all—her growing attraction to a handsome art student . . . an attraction that could jeopardize everything."


First lines:

" "I WILL NEVER REALLY LEAVE," said the unicorn. Diamond sparkles floated from the tip of its glittering silver horn. "I will always live in your heart."


I swallowed the bile rising in my throat and forced myself to continue reading."


My thoughts: This was a cool book! The reviews contain lots of apt comparisons to eternally-fabulous Buffy and it made a nice change from vampires and zombies. Some of the best parts are the ones like the first lines, where the fairytale version of unicorns is contrasted against the man-eating beasts of "reality" - there are even various species of unicorn, who knew? I really liked Astrid, she comes across as very sardonic and not too sure of herself and she blossoms (rather against her will at first) into Astrid the Warrior.

I confess I got a bit confused about the history of the battles between hunters and unicorns, but that was pretty minor and my fault for not paying enough attention. And Astrid is confused at first, too, so I wasn't the only one! There is nothing fluffy about this book - there's a lot of violence and gore and some pretty bad people. Astrid's mother is horrific, first weird and unsympathetic, then actively cruel, then completely useless. That probably took away a quarter star for me - I could have forgiven her the first two if she'd come through in the end, but she didn't in a major way. But even with that (and hey, Buffy's mom was often a raging bitch, too), there's a good dose of female cameraderie and girl power in this book. And even though the girls have to be virgins to be hunters, there's a fair bit of lust, too!

The verdict: I passed the book on to a colleague and all I had to say was "Killer unicorns." and she was completed excited! It just might be the best hook for a book ever!

Review: Passion

Passion by Louise Bagshawe
3.25 stars

Reason for reading: I've enjoyed her other books

Description: "A super-charged, irresistible tour de force about two people fighting their own feelings - and fighting for their lives... A failed marriage between Melissa Elmett and Will Hyde did a lot of damage. She was too young, he was hurt when she left him. Years later, Melissa becomes the target for a kidnap plot, a consequence of her father’s ground-breaking energy-saving invention, and Will is the only man who can protect her. Now they’re on the run, thrown together again by the pursuit of vengeance, will their passion for each other reignite?"

First line: "Dimitri slid the photograph across the desk."

My thoughts: I've really enjoyed some of Bagshawe's bonkbusters, like Sparkles, but this one was just okay. The spy element (as one description called it, "James Bond for girls!" - ick) was an interesting idea, but for all his super-spydom, Will Hyde seemed to make some pretty obvious mistakes, that even I could figure out. I found myself saying things like, "Wouldn't a person be able to gain entry through there?" "Would he know they'd follow him to the safe house?" And the "passion" doesn't get reignited until Melissa miraculously changes her body after a few days of working out and dyes her hair red. I liked that the master assassin was a woman, but, of course she's no match for the hero of the story in the end.

The verdict: An okay chick lit read, but not one of Bagshawe's best.

Review: Paper Towns

Paper Towns of John Green
4.25 stars

Reasons for reading: Really enjoyed his Looking for Alaska; last book for the YA Challenge

Synopsis: "Quentin Jacobsen has spent a lifetime loving the magnificently adventurous Margo Roth Spiegelman from afar. So when she cracks open a window and climbs back into his life - dressed like a ninja and summoning him for an ingenious campaign of revenge - he follows.

After their all-nighter ends and a new day breaks, Q arrives at school to discover that Margo, always an enigma, has now become a mystery. But Q soon learns that there are clues - and they’re for him. Urged down a disconnected path, the closer he gets, the less Q sees of the girl he thought he knew."

First line: "The way I figure it, everyone gets a miracle."

My thoughts: The way John Green writes is just so cool. I love his dialogue, his characters, and his humour. Q's interactions with his buddies Radar (who edits the "Omnictionary" website compulsively) and Ben (who tends to speak in capital letters and whose conviction that he is God's gifts to the "honeybunnies" of the world has yet to be proven) are hilarious. The discussions of Radar's parents' "world's largest collection of black Santas" alone is worth the price of admission.

The all-nighter at the beginning of the book is a great look at Margo's bold outlook on life and Q's timid (but trying to be braver) one. It's quite light-hearted, but there are some really dark times after she goes missing (and, I have to say, Q's search took a bit longer than I'd have liked). At one point I thought it was going to be like Looking for Alaska - boy in unrequited love with a charismatic but suicidal girl. But I should've trusted Green, he doesn't write the same book twice.

After the dark middle, the book ends with another light-hearted all-nighter, this time a road trip with Q, his buddies, and their girlfriends to find Margo. The peeing in bottles, the road-trip food, the camaraderie - it's excellent.

There's even a cool educational, well-researched element - did you know there's actually such a thing as a paper town? You'll find out all about them in this book.

At the heart of the book are questions of how well we really know people and ourselves. Are we all connected? Do we only see parts of people? How well do we know, and even really like, our best friends? Do we need to leave what we're familiar with to grow or can we stay where our roots are?

The verdict: Another winner from Green. It's no wonder he's a Printz Award winner.


Also reviewed at Care's Online Book Club.

Review: Rilla of Ingleside

Rilla of Ingleside by L.M. Montgomery
3.5 stars


Reasons for reading: it's the last book in the Anne series and I never got to it; I'm celebrating Maud's November 30, 1874 birthday for November's Celebrate the Author challenge



Synopsis: "Anne's children were almost grown up, except for pretty, high-spirited Rilla. No one could resist her bright hazel eyes and dazzling smile. Rilla, almost fifteen, can't think any further ahead than going to her very first dance at the Four Winds lighthouse and getting her first kiss from handsome Kenneth Ford. But undreamed-of challenges await the irrepressible Rilla when the world of Ingleside becomes endangered by a far-off war. Her brothers go off to fight, and Rilla brings home an orphaned newborn in a soup tureen. She is swept into a drama that tests her courage and leaves her changed forever."
First line: "It was a warm, golden-cloudy, lovable afternoon."

My thoughts: I always had a soft spot for Rilla, the "roly-poly baby" of the Blythe family. But I'd put off reading this one, largely because of its realism. It's basically the only book of the Anne series that really mentions much about the outside world and in this case, it's the terrible world of the Great War. While it reads like historical fiction now, the book was written in 1920, just 2 years after the war ended. This added an extra layer of interest for me, in addition to reading about my beloved Blythes. Montgomery obviously drew on her own experiences during the time - the horror, as well as the details of the war, really ring true. (Sadly, in the biography at the end it says that she was so depressed by World War II that she basically stopped writing, even letters, and died in 1942.)

While Anne is relegated to being "Mrs. Blythe," Rilla takes on a lot of her old spirit - romantic and feisty, although with a great deal more beauty than her mother had as a child. Along with the pain of the family's boys going to war, one by one, there are the usual scrapes, agonizing embarrassments, and hopes and dreams found in all of the series. I particularly enjoyed the chapter where Rilla eats a slice of humble pie (something her mother was very familiar with) and goes to ask a former chum for help with a money-raising concert only to find she's wearing two completely different shoes and stockings. And there's a lovely, heartbreaking but heartening story about Jem Blythe's faithful dog running throughout the book, as he waits for his master to return.

With the war theme, this was a good book to read around Remembrance Day. And it turns out I've missed the second to last book in the series, Rainbow Valley. Quite a few of the characters were new to me. So, I'll have to go back and read that one. Honestly, it's shameful for me call myself an Anne fan and not realize I'd missed a book! :-)

Review: Pride and Prejudice and Zombies

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith
4.5 stars

First line: "It is a truth universally acknowledged that a zombie in possession of brains must be in want of more brains."

My thoughts: What can I say? It's a hoot. It's just really well done. The author integrates Jane Austen's words seamlessly with the zombie content. P&P is one of my favourite books and he weirdly did it justice - Darcy and Elizabeth still get their love story and most of the characters are drawn exactly right. The stupid people are still stupid, the mean are still mean and get their comeuppance, the people we love are still lovable. There's a lot of exaggeration, of course. Lady Catherine de Bourgh is a first-class zombie killer attended by a fleet of ninjas, for example. And Elizabeth and her sisters have all been trained by Shaolin monks in self-defence and have pledged their swords to the King until they die or get married. I was a bit sad that Mr. Bennet was made out to be a real jerk, but his behaviour even in the original isn't always that nice, except to Jane and Elizabeth. Wickham's punishment is hilarious and well-deserved. I loved how the zombies were referred to with such Regency refinement, such as "the sorry stricken" or "the unmentionables."

I don't know if I'll read Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters, as I don't know it as well as P&P. I might, although the novelty might wear off in the sequel. But, if he writes Emma and Evildoers, I'll be there!

Review: Peace, Love, and Baby Ducks

Peace, Love, and Baby Ducks by Lauren Myracle
3.5 stars


Reasons for reading: The title/cover; I like Lauren Myracle's books; another book for the Young Adult Challenge


Description: "Growing up in a world of wealth and pastel-tinted entitlement, fifteen-year-old Carly has always relied on the constancy—and authenticity—of her sister, Anna. But when fourteen-year-old Anna turns plastic-perfect-pretty over the course of a single summer, everything starts to change. And there are boys involved, complicating things as boys always do. With warmth, insight, and an unparalleled gift for finding humor even in stormy situations, beloved author Lauren Myracle dives into the tumultuous waters of sisterhood and shows that even very different sisters can learn to help each other stay afloat."

First line: "I'm out by our pool with my sister Anna and my best friend, Peyton."

My thoughts: This book looks at two sisters who are starting to grow apart as they grow up. They can come together again, but they need to break out of the roles of big and little sister. Carly is a well-drawn character, complete with some typical teen annoyances - she defines herself as different than everyone at "Holly Roller" high school by what she thinks she's not rather than what she is. She also, for all her complaints about life as a rich kid, doesn't seem to have any problem living in a big house with a pool and being given a credit card to go clothes shopping with, for example. But all of Carly's rebelling does show that she at least thinks about things like racism and poverty, unlike the entitled, plastic kids at her school. Anna can be a bit of a brat, but she's definitely hitting puberty without much help from either her mother (who thinks her budding bosom means she's fat) or sister (who's jealous and can't get over her role as know-it-all big sis).

Other characters include bad boy love interest Cole who is obviously bad news to everyone but Carly (who is almost painfully stupid about it, but then, she's a teen girl in lust), while lovely, quiet, and Dutch Roger waits in the wings for Carly's blinders to come off. Everyone should have a Roger! Vonzell, Carly's new friend and the only black girl at their school, is a welcome breath of reality and true friendship, while Peyton, with her hair extensions and fakeness, has definitely reached the end of her usefulness as a pal. The girls' parents seem to be almost caricatures of aloof rich parents at times, when they're not making hurtful comments about the girls.

The verdict: A good sister story - both girls manage to come out stronger at the end. And...there are baby ducks involved! You can't go wrong with a book that has baby ducks in it.

Review: The Penderwicks on Gardam Street

The Penderwicks on Gardam Street by Jeanne Birdsall
4 stars

Reasons for reading: I really enjoyed the first book (The Penderwicks); Brittanie suggested it for Herding Cats II

Description: "The Penderwick sisters are home on Gardam Street and ready for an adventure! But the adventure they get isn’t quite what they had in mind. Mr. Penderwick’s sister has decided it’s time for him to start dating—and the girls know that can only mean one thing: disaster. Enter the Save-Daddy Plan—a plot so brilliant, so bold, so funny, that only the Penderwick girls could have come up with it."

First line: "Their mother had been here in the hospital with the new baby for almost a week."

My thoughts: "Old-fashioned" comes up in reviews for this budding series and it really is - in the best way. It's warm and funny and full of loving (though not sappily so) relationships. Brittanie says "This series is timeless. I did not even realize it is set present day." It's true - remove a few references to things like computers, and it could be set in a bygone era. And that's a good thing!

It also has an undertone of melancholy, as the sisters' mother passed away right after the last Penderwick sister was born. This book looks a bit more at that sad event and also shows that Mrs. Penderwick had a plan - she didn't want her husband to be lonely, so she charged his sister (Aunt Claire) with delivering a letter to Mr. Penderwick ordering him to start dating once the girls were old enough.

So the girls try to set him up on horrible dates (he's required to go on a certain number) so that he won't find anyone to marry. In between, scientific Skye and writer/drama queen Jane get into trouble over switched homework assignments, eldest Rosalind is sure that she really doesn't care at all about their neighbour Tommy, and no-one believes adorable Batty when she says a man who looks like a bug is hanging around Gardam Street. And as for Daddy's dating? He comes up with a plan of his own, only to find that perhaps the answer is closer than the Penderwicks thought...

The verdict: A great sequel, hooray! A sweet, lovely, funny story about a close-knit family looking for a missing piece of the Penderwick puzzle.

Review: Pretties

Pretties by Scott Westerfeld
3.5 stars

Reasons for reading: I read the first book in the series a couple of years ago and wanted to find out what happens; YA novel for the Young Adult Challenge

Description: "Tally has finally become pretty. Now her looks are beyond perfect, her clothes are awesome, her boyfriend is totally hot, and she's completely popular. It's everything she's ever wanted. But beneath all the fun — the nonstop parties, the high-tech luxury, the total freedom — is a nagging sense that something's wrong. Something important. Then a message from Tally's ugly past arrives. Reading it, Tally remembers what's wrong with pretty life, and the fun stops cold. Now she has to choose between fighting to forget what she knows and fighting for her life — because the authorities don't intend to let anyone with this information survive."

First line: "Getting dressed was always the hardest part of the afternoon."

My thoughts: I was sick in bed for almost the whole week and couldn't sleep for coughing for at least three nights, so I managed to burn through a ton of books, this is yet another of them. The one good thing about being sick, lots of time to read!

To me this book felt a little bit thinner plot-wise than Uglies, but I guess that's because Uglies had to do all of the set-up, explaining about pretty-fication and how the world had gotten to think it was a good idea. But I still definitely enjoyed it.

I enjoyed learning more about New Pretty Town. It's quite the astonishing place - everything exists to be amusing. If it didn't require becoming incredibly stupid to live there, it would be paradise. And that Tally's friends wanted to overcome pretty-thinking really felt like a triumph, even if it's a small number. The vulpine mean Pretties from Special Circumstances continue to provide the chilling, controlling force beneath all of the surface glamour and endless parties.

The verdict: I definitely want to see what happens to Tally - if the title of the next book, Specials, isn't a fake-out, then she's in real trouble...

Review: Queen of the Road

Queen of the Road by Doreen Orion
4.5 stars

Reasons for reading: I read some good reviews of it and it sounded fun; travel-themed book for the Well-Seasoned Reader Challenge (and, as Doreen pointed out in the comments on my WSR post, it's also a cookbook - each chapter starts out with a drink recipe!)

Description: "A pampered Long Island princess hits the road in a converted bus with her wilderness-loving husband, travels the country for one year, and brings it all hilariously to life in this offbeat and romantic memoir.Doreen and Tim are married psychiatrists with a twist: She’s a self-proclaimed Long Island princess, grouchy couch potato, and shoe addict. He's an affable, though driven, outdoorsman. When Tim suggests “chucking it all” to travel cross-country in a converted bus, Doreen asks, “Why can’t you be like a normal husband in a midlife crisis and have an affair or buy a Corvette?” But she soon shocks them both, agreeing to set forth with their sixty-pound dog, two querulous cats—and no agenda—in a 340-square-foot bus.Queen of the Road is Doreen’s offbeat and romantic tale about refusing to settle; about choosing the unconventional road with all the misadventures it brings (fire, flood, armed robbery, and finding themselves in a nudist RV park, to name just a few). The marvelous places they visit and delightful people they encounter have a life-changing effect on all the travelers, as Doreen grows to appreciate the simple life, Tim mellows, and even the pets pull together. Best of all, readers get to go along for the ride through forty-seven states in this often hilarious and always entertaining memoir, in which a boisterous marriage of polar opposites becomes stronger than ever."

Favourite passage: Doreen wonders to her husband if they should join the ranks of RV-ers who have a sign that says their names, hometown, and has a little logo showing their hobbies - like a bowling pin or fishing rod. "But Tim said no, since depicting my favourite pastimes would entail a logo of a bed and a credit card and result in our imminent arrest for solicitation."

My thoughts: I couldn't decide how many stars to give this book. I was thinking 4, maybe 4 1/4, but the longer it took me to write the review, the more I realized that I've been telling my husband bits from it many times over the 2 or so weeks its been since I finished it, which I think is a really good sign - I obviously remembered stuff and I thought it was good enough to share. I might even have him read it - we're planning a (much shorter!) road trip in the summer and it really got me in the travellin' mood.

Like Doreen, I couldn't fathom the idea of living on a bus for a year when I started the book but, I have to say, after reading it, it sounds like wonderful journeys are possible if you take time off to just explore with the person you love most. I still don't know if I'd manage - I'm really not a camping/RV-ing person, but Doreen's descriptions of how she came to realize that she didn't need all kinds of stuff, that the outdoors could actually be fun, and that it's having experiences and connecting with people that's really important in life certainly made me think about it. I wonder what I'd learn about myself on such a trip?

And the travelogue part is so great - I now want to visit Wall Drug in South Dakota and find some of the great restaurants they ate at. And Key West sounds like a delightfully bizarre place, from her descriptions. I had no idea that there's basically a huge thrift store where they sell the unclaimed luggage from American airports. And, like Doreen, I too think of the Mall of America as Mecca. :-) I liked that she included some references (mostly web sites) at the end to help the reader find some of the highlights of their trip.

The verdict: A fun, funny, interesting book that may make you think about your own priorities in life. And I think Doreen and Tim would be great fun to have dinner with! :-)