Shutter Review

Book talk: Fighting vampires is in Micheline's blood. It's been the family business ever since Van Helsing fought Dracula, and her bloodline gives her a distinct advantage: the ability to see the aura of the undead. For her, exorcising ghosts and shooting vampires is just another day in the office. Micheline and her crew respond to emergency calls armed to the teeth with weapons both mundane and specialized, including a modified camera that can capture the spiritual energy of ghosts. But for Micheline a bad day at the office doesn't mean a paper jam. It results in her and her crew getting infected with a soulchain that will kill them in a week or less, unless they can exorcise the ghost that cursed them. With new purpose and higher stakes than ever before, Micheline does what her family has been doing for centuries: she hunts.

Rave: This is a fantastic horror story. It pays homage to Dracula while creating its own world. The explanations of the science behind the supernatural elements is satisfyingly detailed instead of the typical hand-waving and explanation of "because magic".  The horror elements are truly terrifying and the plot fast-paced, except for a few passages of backstory. I particularly enjoyed that it's set in the SF Bay Area.

Rant: The narrative got a bit overly dramatic at times and there were some cliched elements, but that's to be expected in a horror story.

Every book its reader: The book is pretty intense, but it should be perfect for horror fans and I don't know why someone who doesn't like horror would read it anyway. 8th grade and up.

Topics and Trends: SF Bay Area, Horror, Vampires, Ghosts, Supernatural,

Extras:
The wonderful Naiomi Bates has made a trailer for the book:


I found this great image with a quote:

Bonus Quotes:
“Bloodlines and last names didn't make a man extraordinary — the extraordinary existed in what we did in life, not in who we were.”

Source: public library

Shutter by Courtney Alameda

Brief Reviews Summer 2015 part 1

 
I appreciate the inherent humor of a wizard living in modern times and I always love a good detective story. The main appeal for me here though is that the audio books are narrated by James Marsters (who you may know as Spike from Buffy.) The plot was well-paced and the mystery intriguing, although I found the main character's attitude towards women concerning at times. I'm not sure that I'd continue reading them as regular books but I'll keep listening to the audiobooks as long as Marsters is narrating them! Storm Front by Jim Butcher: buy it or check it out today!

This book was just as delightful as the first. There was a bit more emphasis placed on romance than family this time around but it was still a pretty good balance of the two. Once again her family is fun to read about and the boys are endearing as they vie for her affections. I particularly enjoyed Lara Jean's volunteer work setting up dances for the retirement home and the game she revived with her former friends. My favorite aspect of the story was they way it explores bullying as rumors circle campus about the ski trip from the previous book and she's forced to confront the girl who started them and learn more about her perspective. Humor, heart, and fully realized characters make this a satisfying read on multiple levels. P.S. I Still Love You by Jenny Han: buy it or check it out today!

 I didn't always know what was happening in this book, but I did enjoy the ride. It's a very atmospheric novel and reminds me of gothic literature. The language is absolutely beautiful and I appreciated that it focused around a girl and her female ancestors. At times it felt like a regular contemporary novel with the protagonist worrying about her twin getting ahead of her in school and regular issues with friends and relationships. Then the novel would just go completely sideways as she talked about the strange house and spells and her compulsion to eat chalk. It was an occasionally bumpy ride but a fun one! White is for Witching by Helen Oyeyemi: buy it or check it out today!



This novel read a bit like a cross between a western and a hard-boiled detective novel. The setting was well depicted and the author's knowledge and love of the outdoors is clear. The characters were diverse and fascinating and the mystery took a lot of interesting turns. I haven't read the other books in the series, so I was at a bit of a disadvantage at times. I muddled through but I'd recommend reading them in order. The only part of the book that I didn't like was the way it enthusiastically embraced the kinky librarian stereotype. For obvious reasons that particular stereotype gets on my nerves and I'd like to see it put to rest. The subplot that revolved around that stereotype wasn't my favorite part of the novel, but the rest more than made up for it. Crazy Mountain Kiss by Keith McCafferty: buy it or check it out today!

 I like westerns and I was excited to read this gritty book with a female lead. I enjoy writing in dialect so I thought the narration was fun. I didn't mind the slow-burning romance either. The portrayal of native peoples left me uncomfortable though. It switched from the bloody warriors to the nobles savages stereotypes without much nuance. The book in general seemed to rely on tropes a bit too much and didn't have the depth I wanted it to have. I appreciated that Bowman included a native character in her main lineup, but I wish a bit more care and thought was put into her character and especially the overall portrayal of native cultures. Still, if you're just looking for a quick, gritty western this should satisfy you. Vengeance Road by Erin Bowman: buy it or check it out today!

Story of Owen Review

Book talk: Have you ever seen a dragon attack up close? Felt the heat from their flame on your skin and smelled the sulfur in the air? Most people run for cover as soon as one is spotted. It takes a special type of person to run toward that kind of danger. You need bravery, training, agility, skill, and a touch of madness. But slayers aren't the only ones crazy enough to seek out a dragon. Their trusty bards are always close behind. Everyone in Trondheim has great hopes for Owen, the youngest in a long line of dragonslayers. But before he can fulfill his destiny, he and his bard must face a more fearsome foe: his algebra test.

Rave: So many things to love about this novel: the way dragon slaying was woven into a whole alternate history, the way the adult characters are actually good for something while allowing the teens to shine, Owen's awesome dragonslaying and blacksmithing aunts who raise him, the platonic male/female friendship that drives the plot, not to mention the lost art of being a bard. The story is actually told from the perspective of the girl who becomes Owen's bard and it reminded me of Seraphina in that it goes into fascinating detail about music and how her knowledge of it colors her view of the world.

Every book its reader: I'd give this to fans of school and adventure stories. Or anyone that enjoys reading about dragons, so basically everyone. The characters are in 11th grade and the book could certainly be enjoyed by high schoolers (or adults) but there's nothing in it that would be inappropriate for younger readers. I'd say 6th grade and up.

Topics and Trends: dragons, LGTBQ, friendship, music and musicians, Canada, dragons, dragons, and dragons.

Source: school library

The Story of Owen: Dragon Slayer of Trondheim by E.K. Johnston: buy it or check it out today!

The Coldest Girl in Coldtown Review

Book talk: Imagine a vampire outbreak begins to spread across the world. What would you do? Hunt them down? Start stock-piling canned goods? Or would you lock them all up in contained cities and turn them into fodder for reality TV? It's hard for the camera or the public to resist vampires' unnaturally good looks and outlandish antics. At first when vampires were revealed to society it was terrifying, but now people are used to them. Beyond taking a few simple precautions, most go on as normal. Many are rabid fans of the live streams from cold towns where the vampires live. Some are even tempted to venture into the cold towns themselves. They are allowed in, but they rarely come back out. Tana knows more about the dangers of vampires than most of her peers: her mother was turned years ago and the disease caused her to attack her own daughter. Tana still bears the scars. But it isn't extra caution just pure, dumb luck that keeps Tana alive when she wakes up after a party to find all her friends slaughtered. She doesn't know how they got in, but her ex-boyfriend is the only other person still alive, and he has been infected. She saves him with help from the most unlikely source and together they venture to the nearest cold town knowing they may never come back out again.

Rave: I love the premise of this novel: that vampires reveal themselves to humanity and humanity makes them into reality television. Tana is an excellent lead willing to sacrifice herself to do what's right but carrying her own baggage and flaws. I like that she saved her ex-boyfriend despite all he'd done. I don't see a lot of books centering around relationships between exes so it was a new dynamic to see play out. Gavriel is a half-crazed, misunderstood, possible psychopath but I was surprised at how such a seemingly cliched set up of bad boy vampire and good girl human was able to avoid cliche and seem fresh and compelling. The characterization was great overall including characters with minor roles. The way vampirism is handled in the novel is interesting from the way people turn to more philosophical questions of whether it changes a person's nature or simply exaggerates it.

Every book its reader: I'd give this to 8th grade and up looking for a new twist on vampire stories.

Topics and trends: vampires, LGBTQ, romance, fantasy, reality tv

Extras:

The author has a website and at tumblr and the book has a trailer (embedded below)





Bonus Quotes:
“I promise I will repay you.”
“Oh yeah?” she asked, looking at him, with his bare feet and plain, dark clothes. “With what?”
The smile stayed on his lips. “Jewels, lies, slips of paper, dried flowers, memories of things long past, useless quotations, idle hands, beads, buttons, and mischief.”

“If she was going to die, she might as well die sarcastic.”

“Even from the beginning, that was the problem. People liked pretty things. People even liked pretty things that wanted to kill and eat them.”

Source: kobo ebook

The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black: buy it or check it out today!

Brief Reviews Fall 2014 part 3

“Panic began as so many things do in Carp, a poor town of twelve thousand people in the middle of nowhere: because it was summer, and there was nothing else to do.”  Panic is a game that can change your life or take it away.  Every school day every student pays a dollar to the pot for the winner.  On the first day of summer any senior can enter the game by participating in the opening jump.  For the rest of summer, participants compete in challenges like walking on a slippery board 50 feet up with no net.  Secret judges watch their progress and eliminate the slow and the scared.  The winner walks away with enough money to change their life forever.  The losers sometimes can no longer walk at all.  But for $67,00 many think it's worth the risk.
This book was certainly gripping and kept me eagerly turning the pages.  The characters are well drawn and are perhaps best described as living lives of frantic desperation.  After all, to participate in these stunts you'd have to be pretty desperate.  This goes way beyond your average game of truth or dare.  The main character's mother struggles with substance abuse and the effect this has on her daughters is shown in an unflinching and deeply moving way.  Every participant is broken in some way and hoping that Panic will be the answer to all their problems.  Which brings me to my main (SPOILER) issue with the book--it is the answer to their problems.  The game itself is completely unethical from the way that they collect money like some high school mafia beating up kids who don't comply (a dollar a day adds up especially in a town with such prevalent poverty and the source of the money is never questioned or depicted as problematic) to the game itself where at one point they have to cross six lanes of a highway blindfolded.  That is insane.  It's mentioned that there were some deaths in previous years but there's no real consequences for any of the characters during the novel.  In fact at the end their experiences brought them all closer together so they're all coupled off, richer, and happier than they were before thanks to their participation in this immoral, illegal, and completely insane game.  There's not even any mention at the end that Panic should stop.  It seems like all the characters are content to let it continue in perpetuity and why wouldn't they?  It worked out pretty darn well for them!  If you're just looking for a quick paced read then this will fit the bill but do not try this at home. Panic by Lauren Oliver: buy it or check it out today!

 I was eager to read this story when I heard it was a retelling of Cyrano de Bergerac.  That play is very near and dear to my heart, which might have made my expectations unreasonably high, but the fact remains that I was sorely disappointed. Cyrano is the story of a noble, heroic figure with a gift for sword fighting and poetry whose disfigurement leads him to believe that his love, Roxanne, would never return his affections.  So he agrees to the nearest thing he can get--wooing her for the better-looking but less-eloquent Christian.  Christian turns out to be a heroic figure himself with some integrity and after winning Roxanne through Cyrano's letters insists that Cyrano tell her the truth because he wishes to be loved for the fool he is or not at all.  In this version Cyrano is a drug dealer and swindler who accepts payment to stalk a girl so he can help a jerky jock woo her.  Not only does the Christian figure lack the complexity of the original instead filling the usual stereotypical jock role but Cyrano's (completely serious) closing advice to a kid who wants to become popular is that he should become a drug dealer.  This story has a vague resemblance to the bare-bones plot points of the original but has very little of the poetry, complexity, or heart. Sway by Kat Spears: buy it or check it out today!

 I read this book for my book club.  It was billed to me as similar to Buffy but the comparison did not serve it well.  Buffy is both a feminist and geek icon as well as a cheerleader. Her empathy and understanding of others helps her fulfill her destiny as much as her powers.  The main character of this book meanwhile spends most of the novel judging every other character for everything from wearing hipster glasses "I mean, it’s the twenty-first century. There are fashionable options for eyewear." to when she says "--ew--role playing games." None of the characters were really sympathetic or even believable to me.  The boy who teases her (because he likes her and is apparently five) is a journalist and reads biographies of the greats and tries to take his profession seriously.  Yet he has no trouble throwing journalistic ethics out the window when it comes to printing rumors about his crush. Her boyfriend meanwhile pulls a total jerk move towards the end of the book that seems completely out of character and whose only explanation seems to be because it was convenient for the plot. Rebel Belle by Rachel Hawkins: buy it or check it out today!

This book was just as absurd and hilarious as the first.  It's like Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy for fantasy instead of sci-fi.  My favorite idea from this book was a light globe that runs off sarcasm.  If only I had one of those I'd never have to buy a light bulb again! Instead of describing the book I'll just share some of my favorite humorous quotes from it.
"The only time we get to fight the powers of darkness is during one of the kingdom’s frequent power cuts."
“If a shred of integrity fell into your soul, it would die a very lonely death.”
"'It’s complicated.' 'Love always is,' said the moose, sighing forlornly. 'I’m only a vague facsimile of a moose once alive, but I share some of his emotions. Ach, how I miss Liesl and the calves.'"
The Song of the Quarkbeast by Jasper Fforde: buy it or check it out today!

Greenglass House review

Book talk: "There was a city that could not be mapped, and inside it a house that could not be drawn."  Milo lives with his parents in a rambling old inn filled with as many secrets as the smugglers that come to stay there.  The inn sits high on a hill overlooking a harbor with two ways up: a steep path, or a cable railway.  Tourist season was long over and snows were arriving to leave them stranded from the main town.  Milo didn't mind--he was looking forward to the time alone with his parents--which is why he was surprised and upset when the cable railway's bell rang to notify them of a waiting passenger.  Soon Milo's quiet holiday has turned into a loud and chaotic mystery as eccentric guests fill the inn and begin to sabotage it in their hunt for hidden treasure.  Milo joins forces with a new friend to solve the mystery and find the treasure the guests are after but what starts as a game to pass the time soon turns into a dangerous adventure.

Rave:  The premise of the story is filled with intrigue and excitement and it only gets better from there!  An old inn in a smuggler's bay trapped by a winter storm--what more could you ask for from a mystery setting?  The characters are eccentric but instead of using these eccentricities as a cheap jokes they're another layer in these well-rounded characters. The story has a strong emotional core that holds all the adventure aspects together and makes them more resonant.  Milo is portrayed with all his flaws and frustrations and fears.  The way he works to get to know each guest and make their lives better despite the fact that he didn't want anyone to be there is touching.  Most touching is the way the book deals with Milo's feelings around his adoption and an author's note reveals that Milford wrote the book while going through the process of adopting a child herself.  Did I mention that Milo and his new friend  use the framework of a role playing game to provide a cover for and give them courage to investigate the inn's mysteries?  And in case I haven't made it clear yet the main plot revolves around a bunch of thieves competing to find a treasure hidden in an inn that used to be owned by an infamous smuggler.  So much to love about this book!

Every book its reader:  I'd give this to anyone looking for a good adventure or mystery especially those with an interest in role playing games.  I'd say it's fine for 4th grade and up.

Themes, Topics, and Trends: Adoption, Smugglers, Treasure Hunts, Mystery, Competent Adults, RPGs, Ghosts

Extras:  

Kate Milford has her own website

You can find a fake website for the Nagspeake Tourism Board (the city the book takes place in) to find out more about the setting of the novel.

Source: ebook from public library

Greenglass House by Kate Milford: buy it or check it out today!

After the End Review

Book talk:  When World War III ravaged the world a small group managed to survive in the remote Alaskan wilderness. Juneau is one of the children of these survivors and has learned how to live off the land and tap into the heart of nature to work magic. When her tribe is taken while she's out hunting she ventures out of the safe zone for the first time and what she discovers shakes her to the very core: a whole city, completely untouched. Is everything she was ever told a lie? But her tribe is still missing and she must find them. Now she has to survive in an environment she is completely unprepared for in a world where she has no idea whom to trust.

Rave:  This story is told in the alternating perspectives of Juneau and Miles.  Plum does a great job making Miles unlikable at first.  She contrasts the serious problems Juneau is dealing with to Miles's melodramatic reaction to having to work in a mail room after being caught cheating on a test.  When Juneau first meets him she sizes him up with the quip "a fortunate life, unfortunately for the rest of the world."  At first Miles just plays along with her so he can earn points with his dad for turning her in but as anyone who's ever watched a high school rom-com will be able to predict he soon starts to fall for her.  Despite being a bit cheesy it's nice to watch him gain empathy for Juneau and start to grow as a person and expand his world view (although it would be nice if he could have had empathy for someone without having to fall for them first.)  The pacing is quick and fans of Katniss will enjoy the capable Juneau.  An added supernatural element as Juneau works her nature-based magic will draw additional fans as will Juneau's pets including dogs and a wild bird.  

Rant:   At one point Miles says "Suddenly, and randomly, I have this flashback to history class, when we learned about how afraid the Native Americans were when they saw the European explorers’ rifles for the first time, calling them magical ‘fire sticks.’" Juneau's group also refers to shoes as 'moccasins' but has no stated connection to any native peoples.  I found it odd and problematic to have these brought up without any commentary or other mention of native peoples.

Juneau uses homeless individuals as a conduit for her magic and I have torn feelings about it.  On the one hand it's clear that Juneau treats them with kindness, values their help, and is saddened by the way society treats them.  On the other hand the author always depicts them as insane, alcoholic, or both: “A hat sits in front of him with coins inside, and empty metal cans with BEER printed on them are scattered around him. I approach. His odor is pungent. Rancid.”

One final warning that the book ends on a complete cliff hanger.  Plum easily could have ended the book a chapter or so earlier and left on a good note while still leaving curiosity over the sequel.  Instead she chose to go on so that it would end on the most dramatic scene possible.

Every book its reader:  I'd recommend this to fans of supernatural and survival stories.

Extras:

Amy Plum has plenty of extras on her site including a guide to post apocalyptic fashion and interviews with herself and her characters.

Source: ebook from public library

After the End by Amy Plum: buy it or check it out today!

Brief Reviews Fall 2014 part 2

Lilith Dark is one of the toughest and most adorable monster slayers I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. She reminds me of Calvin with a stuffed dinosaur for her Hobbes.  Together they act out elaborate and gruesome fantasies and sometimes they are depicted as Lilith sees them and sometimes the artwork shows that the dinosaur is really stuffed after all.  But thanks to the longer format these fantasies can be much more elaborate and follow a full adventure cycle.  Nothing is what it seems in this world where a cute kitten turns into a monster and a hideous creature ends up being a friend (Spoon, pictured at the left on the cover is actually my favorite character in the comic.)  Lilith of course proves her courage while the babysitter proves clueless and a stinger at the end leaves the truth of the events up in the air in classic fantasy adventure fashion.  While some elements are reminiscent of other stories the comic as a whole stands out.  A treat for those of all ages with a macabre sensibility. Lilith Dark and the Beastie Tree by Charles Dowd: buy it or check it out today!


I bought this book when someone close to me was diagnosed with Addison's Disease.  I had some basic knowledge of Addison's because our family dog growing up had it but I was still shocked, saddened, and scared when I heard.  As a librarian naturally my first instinct was to research and read everything I could about it.  It was easy enough to find medical facts but I wanted to know what to expect from the future--what living with Addison's looks like after the initial crisis passes.  This book accomplished just that.  Reading the first-hand accounts of 16 very different people not only provided practical advice but helped give me perspective and imagine what the future may now look like.  Hearing from people who had lived with Addison's for decades and found ways to keep doing the things they loved was a great comfort and even reading about the struggles turned them into something concrete that could be planned for and overcome instead of an unnamed lurking fear.  The quality of the writing style varies greatly from chapter to chapter but every story shared something that I found helpful.  I wouldn't recommend this based on literary merit to a casual reader looking for a memoir collection but for those who want to learn more about life with Addison's this is a valuable resource and I'm deeply thankful to Carol McKay for putting it together.  Second Chances: True stories of living with Addison's Disease edited by Carol McKay: buy it

I had a few problems with this book.  First of all Cas's cockiness did not win me over.  He acts like a jerk but he believes his actions are completely justified.  Secondly a big deal is made about how Anna is a super powerful ghost and yet she still cowers behind Cas when baddies show up.  Apparently even a practically omnipotent supernatural woman needs a mortal man to protect her when things get scary.  The mortal female love interest at one point complains to her male companion that everyone has some sort of power to fight the ghosts except her and is comforted not by being reassured that she can fight too but by being told she's "the voice of reason." Cas is sometimes compared to Buffy and unsurprisingly he has a low opinion of the iconic, powerful woman and takes it as an insult even when it's meant as a compliment.  Even his mother who is a witch mostly just contributes by washing the special knife and cooking and mixing herbs. It is entirely possible that I am overthinking things but things like this just kept pulling me out of the narrative and prevented me from enjoying it.  Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake: buy it or check it out today!

"There’s the story, then there’s the real story, then there’s the story of how the story came to be told. Then there’s what you leave out of the story. Which is part of the story too." I was glad I read the third installment of this trilogy so soon after I read the second.  It wrapped things up nicely while bringing up even more interesting questions to ponder.  The theme of storytelling is strong in this installment as the characters are constantly retelling the stories of what they've been through to gain a deeper understanding of themselves and help the survivors learn who they are and where they came from.  Sprinkled throughout the social commentary, various literary styles, and thought-provoking scenes are bursts of humor like the made-up band names: "Luminescent Corpses" and "The Bipolar Albino Hookworms"  if one of these doesn't become a real band name I will be sorely disappointed!  But there's nothing disappointing about this book.  If you haven't read the series start with Oryx and Crake.  MaddAddam by Margaret Atwood: buy it or check it out today!

I found several aspects of this book problematic.  For one thing even for a magical world the internal logic is sketchy at best.  There's one creature for example that is described both in writing and pictures as being like hard tennis balls with long, hard beaks.  They can bounce and roll easily but I'm not sure how--it seems like such long beaks would get in the way.   In this world power is acquired by killing other creatures that then become your minions.  One of said minions points out Alice's hypocrisy in saying that she doesn't want to be mean to her own saying "They’re already your slaves, how much crueler do you need to be" Alice comforts herself by thinking "It wasn’t like slavery, though. Not really. The swarmers didn’t even exist when she didn’t call on them, so it wasn’t like they were waiting around and getting bored. It’s more like...having a dog. One of those clever dogs that can herd sheep and do tricks when you whistle" which misses the point entirely.  This issue is then dropped and Alice continues to use her minions and place them in danger because it's too inconvenient to do otherwise.  Hopefully this will be addressed further in future books but slavery isn't an issue I'd casually mention then drop after coming up with a lame justification.  On top of that the book isn't particularly original or well-written.  There's plenty of stories where books turn out to contain actual magic and the themes of power corrupting and resourceful orphan girls have been well trod.  Even the names are unimaginative from Alice getting lost in the wonderland of the library to the villains Mr. Black and Mr. Wurms.  Having so many of the characters be soulless servants bound to the will of their masters doesn't exactly lend itself to rounded character portraits either.   The Forbidden Library by Django Wexler: buy it or check it out today!

Brief Reviews Summer 2014 part 1

Nonfiction is not my favorite genre, but I really enjoyed this book about genetics.  The information is conveyed through a series of interesting anecdotes that I found myself bringing up in conversation often because they were too good not to share.  The scientific explanations that accompany the stories are all told in accessible language that left me with a much better understanding of DNA than my university biology class did.  I'd recommend it to anyone looking for an entertaining and informative popular science book. From John Fitzgerald Kennedy to Henri De Toulouse-Lautrec and from Einstein's brain to Polar Bear livers, this book has it all! The Violinist's Thumb by Sam Kean: buy it or check it out today!

 I avoided reading anything about this book before I read it because I had so much faith in the author that I knew I'd like it.  I assumed from the cover and the author's previous books that it would a light-hearted, witty summer romp.  Perhaps I should have researched it more because boy howdy was I wrong!  I had an emotional ending to the school year for various reasons, so I was glad to read something light.  Then I was completely blindsided by the traumatic ending.  The tone (and genre) turned on a dime.  If you had asked me if I liked the novel at any point before the big twist I would have said I was loving it and I did read it in one sitting.  But I disliked the ending so much that it cast a pall on the whole novel.  We Were Liars by E. Lockhart: buy it or check it out today!

As an introvert, I loved this book for naming and normalizing so many things that I do and feel.  It contained a lot of great advice on how to live a happy and healthy life as an introvert.  All of the descriptions of the horrible experiences a lot of introvert children go through made me call my mother to thank her for being awesome.  Even if you're not an introvert, this is a great book to read because chances are you'll have to teach, manage, raise, date, or befriend an introvert at some point in your life and this will help you understand why they act the way they do.  The pace was a bit slow at times, but the information contained in it is excellent.  Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking by Susan Cain: buy it or check it out today!      

This novel is set during the events of Pride and Prejudice, but focuses on the world of the servants and what is happening to them as the Bennet girls are buffeted by the winds of love upstairs.  My feelings about the novel are torn.  On the one hand this is a well-researched look into the life of Regency era servants and I enjoyed reading about all the gritty details.  The servants themselves are faceted characters and I cared about their stories.  On the other hand I don't like the way the original characters are portrayed and in some instances changed completely by adding twists to their back stories.  The tone of the novel is very modern with its focus on the social injustices of the era.  There's even an extended tangent on the horrors of war.  It has none of the sparkling wit of Austen and doesn't even attempt to imitate her style.  Which makes me question why this story was even set in Pride and Prejudice.  I would have enjoyed it much better if it was the story of Regency servants of a household invented for the novel.  As is I found myself longing for an Austen sensibility that just wasn't there.  Still, if you can put the original aside when reading it and take it on its own merits it's an interesting and compelling piece of historical fiction. Longbourn by Jo Baker: buy it or check it out today!

This was a great summer read for a teacher.  I borrowed it from my aunt & uncle and read it while relaxing in a lounge chair on their back porch.  The narrator is looking back on his childhood as a homesteader in Montana attending a one-room school.  The book is full of the evocative nostalgia you'd expect from someone recounting beloved stories from their childhood.  The characters are all well drawn and the period details are fascinating.  The story is at turns moving and humorous but always well-written.  The narrator was an intellectually curious child so it's full of random tid-bits that he discovers.  I wasn't a big fan of the ending, but the lessons learned in this one-room school house will stay with me for a long time.   The Whistling Season by Ivan Doig: buy it or check it out today!

How to Catch a Bogle Review

Book talk:  Bogles are good at hiding.  You might never see one.  The only hint of where one is might be that children keep disappearing.  There are those as don't believe in bogles, but Birdie knows better.  She's been a bogler's apprentice for quite some time and she's helped her master to catch many monsters.  But how could a young girl help a man catch a bogle?  Well, bogles love children, so they make excellent bait.  All Birdie has to do is stand in a circle of salt and sing.  What could be simpler than that?  It's a lot better than many of the other jobs orphans take.  Except of course that a moment's hesitation or a stumble could very easily mean that her apprenticeship will be terminated in the jaws of bogle.

Rocks my socks:  How could I resist a story about a Victorian orphan girl fighting monsters?  Birdie is wonderfully strong-willed and independent as she fights to be recognized for the hero she is despite people constantly underestimating her.  The other characters are fun to read about as well from the artful dodger-like Ned to the indomitable Miss Eames.  The bogle-catching interludes provide plenty of suspense while the overarching story provides a mystery to be solved.  The gruesome ballads that Birdie sings to attract the bogles are deliciously macabre and Jinks, as usual, finds ways to slip humor in throughout the story.

Rocks in my socks:  I enjoyed the story and all the period details immensely, but the characters didn't come alive for me on a visceral level.  They felt more like archetypes than fully fleshed out humans.

Every book its reader:  I'd give this to fans of supernatural stories and historical fiction set in Victorian London.  For a story about child-eating monsters it isn't particularly gory and there's little romance.  I'd say it's fine for fourth graders and up looking for a scary story.

Extras:

Catherine Jinks has a website with more information about herself and her books: http://catherinejinks.com/

The publisher has a book for the series complete with lyrics to one of Birdie's bogle-catching songs: http://hmhbooks.com/boglebooks/index.html

I love the trailer for this book:



Source: school library

How to Catch a Bogle by Catherine Jinks: buy it or check it out today!

The Twelve-Fingered Boy Review

Book talk:  If you understand the basics of supply and demand, you can make a good life for yourself anywhere.  Even in juvenile detention.  In prison, supplies of everything are limited and demand is high.  But there's one thing in particular the inmates crave: candy.  Some like it sweet, some like it hard, and some like it sour but everyone likes something.  Shreve has the candy market cornered and is set to serve the rest of his sentence in comfort--until he gets a new cellmate.  Right away, Shreve can tell there's something off about Jack.  Then he finds out that he has twelve fingers and twelve toes.  That's only the tip of the iceberg.  Soon Shreve and Jack are on the run and caught in a plot straight from an X-Men comic.  The people chasing them want much more than to just throw them back in prison.  But how can they hide from someone who can invade people's minds?

Rocks my socks:  Shreve is an engaging narrator and the plot is absolutely relentless.  Shreve's voice adds humor to the story even in its darker corners. It is easy to sympathize with the main characters and their histories are heart-breaking. The villains are delightfully sinister and the heroes brave and resourceful.  The story isn't entirely black and white though.  Shreve is placed in tough situations that make him resort to some of the same tricks as their enemies.  Jack occasionally loses control and does some horrible things.  The plot keeps twisting leaving the motives of even the villains in question.  In addition to these acts of mutant violence the story sheds light on some harsh realities of non-supernatural violence and neglect that children face.  Overall Jacobs does a great job balancing a fast-paced plot with thought-provoking elements.

Rocks in my socks:  none

Every book its reader:  I'd give this to anyone looking for a fast-paced science fiction story and especially fans of the X-Men.  It has some very dark elements though so I'd save it for at least eighth grade and up.

Extras:

The author has a site with a blog and more information on his books.

There's an atmospheric trailer for the book on YouTube:





Source: school library

The Twelve-Fingered Boy by John Hornor Jacobs: buy it or check it out today!

Team Human Review

Book talk:  Even though New Whitby is known as a haven for vampires, Mel hardly ever sees any.  The vampires stay in their part of town, and mostly only tourists go there.  There certainly aren't any vampires in the high school, which is why everyone is so shocked when Frances shows up in his UV protection suit. Cathy immediately falls for his sculpted good looks, but Mel recognizes him for what he is: a crazy astronaut suit full of trouble.  And she's determined to keep her best friend out of harm's way.  Unfortunately Cathy is just as determined to get to know the walking history book better.

Rocks my socks:  I was surprised by this book.  I was expecting it to be funny, and it certainly did not disappoint on that count: it cheered me up wonderfully when I was home sick.  I wasn't expecting it to be so affecting though.  At first Mel's sarcastic jabs at the vampires are just amusing, but as the book goes on she's forced to face her prejudice and re-examine it.  The way she struggles with supporting her best friend while trying to protect her carries real emotional heft, and when she meets a human boy raised by vampires with some interesting prejudices of his own things really start to get interesting.  This boy, Kit, is a great character and I appreciated that he respects Mel's independence and is quick to smile at her jokes and join in.  Of course Mel's wit and willingness to speak her sassy mind are what really made the book for me.

Rocks in my socks:  Cathy and Frances could have been fleshed out better.  It was hard for me to understand the appeal of either.  Which is saying something when Cathy is described as an intelligent bibliophile with a passion for life in previous eras.  If anyone was going to be able to relate to Cathy's character, it should be me.  But she just felt like a placeholder for a generic vampire romance lead.  I had difficulty understanding why Mel was friends with her to begin with.  Frances was much the same.  I've found plenty of vampire characters appealing, but I could not understand his appeal at all.  He mostly seemed to exist to provide fodder for Mel.

Every book its reader:  I'd give this to fans of paranormal novels looking for a humorous twist.  8th grade and up.

Extras:

Both Justine Larbalestier and Sarah Rees Brennan have their own sites

Harper Teen has a page for the book with some extras

There's a book trailer in the style of a PSA about vampires:


Source: school library

Team Human by Justine Larbalestier & Sarah Rees Brennan: buy it or check it out today!

The Midnight Palace Review

Book talk:  Ghosts stories tend to gather in areas filled with sadness and Calcutta has known more than its fair share of misery.  Perhaps that is why there are so many tales of the supernatural associated with the town. Siraj knows all of them.  He often researches them for the other members of the Chowbar society: Isobel the fearless actress, Roshan who grew on the harsh streets, Michael the quiet artist, Seth the scholar, Ben the mercurial leader of the group, and Ian the one destined to escape and tell the tale.  The group is bound together by misery, all residents of the local orphanage, and in the absence of family they swore to protect each other.  But they never imagined how much those loyalties would be tested or that one of Siraj's ghost stories would came to life and stalk them.

Rocks my socks:  I'm always fascinated by stories about close groups of friends.  The relationships between the various members of the Chowbar Society interested me far more than the supernatural elements.  Zafon, as always, has a wonderful way with words and does an excellent job creating a spooky atmosphere and establishing a good sense of place. The characters are each fascinating on their own as well, and I became deeply involved in their stories.  I appreciated how diverse the group was in many ways from personality to ethnicity, and it makes sense for a story set in Calcutta where so many cultures have converged.

Rocks in my socks:  My timing in reading this novel was not great.  I didn't realize when I picked this book up it was by the same person as The Shadow of the Wind, which I read recently.  I was quickly caught up by the story, but I was plagued by a sense of deja vu.  Zafon has a very distinct style and uses similar themes in both stories.  I could see where this book was headed from a mile away.

Every book its reader:  I'd give this to fans of Raven Boys or general fans of supernatural tales and books about group dynamics among friends.  The horror elements are rather strong at points, I'd save it for at least 7th grade and up.

Extras:

Carlos Ruiz Zafon has a website with a page for the book.

There's an atmospheric book trailer from the publisher:



Source: school library

The Midnight Palace by Carlos Ruiz Zafon: buy it or check it out today!

The Diviners Review

Book talk:  'That awful O'Neill girl' is at it again.  Evie's got herself caught up in another scandal and she refuses to apologize.  So her parents have shipped her off to spend the summer with her uncle, who runs a museum of the supernatural in New York.  Evie doesn't mind one bit.  She is too much for her small Ohio town and eager to try life in the big city.  She finds all of the temptations she was looking forward to: speakeasies and hard dancing, short bobs and shorter skirts, sloe gin and fast jazz.  But she also finds dangers that she never expected.  A serial murderer with ties to the occult is terrorizing the city.  With her uncle's expertise and her secret talents they begin to track the killer down, but their efforts draw his attention and soon they become his next targets.

Rocks my socks:  This novel has all the excitement of a jazz-age adventure with the added thrill of murder investigation.  The vast cast of characters represents people from various walks of life to capture some of the complexity of the era: a socialite, a socialist, a Harlem numbers runner, and a Ziegfeld girl to name a few.  Reading the dialogue is like watching a fencing match as the characters swap witticisms and take jabs at each other.  I read it in my head in the fast, clipped accents of His Girl Friday.  The characters are well-drawn and engaging and I was easily swept away by their stories.  All the historical details were fascinating and I pos-i-tute-ly loved all the lingo used throughout.

Rocks in my socks:  The narrative felt overly ambitious.  There were a lot of characters and plot threads to follow.  Sprinkled among the chapters from all the varying characters' perspectives were chapters talking about the country and the decade in sweeping descriptions that felt a bit pretentious.  The supernatural aspects were my least favorite parts and there were so many supernatural threads on top of all the other plots: there's the occult killer and the special powers of certain characters emerging like a 1920's Heroes, not to mention Ouija boards and the whole museum of artifacts.  By the time Jericho's mysterious past was revealed I had had enough.

Every book its reader:  I'd give this to fans of mystery, supernatural, and historical fiction looking for a sweeping tale to take them away.  The length and the copious use of period slang may turn some off, but those willing to dive in and immerse themselves in an era and a story will be well rewarded.  The murders have some pretty gruesome details so I'd save it for at least 8th grade and up.

Extras:

There's a whole site devoted to the book with character bios, Diviners Radio, and more

Libba Bray has her own site with the usual fare as well as a media section 

There's great, chilling trailer for the book with a creepy song that will unfortunately probably be running through my head as I try to sleep tonight:


Source: ebook from public library

The Diviners by Libba Bray: buy it or check it out today!

A Great and Terrible Beauty Review

Book talk:  There is nothing Gemma wants more than to go to London.  The English fashions she's required to wear were clearly not made with India's climate in mind.  Besides, she longs to come out to society and attend the dances she's heard so much about.  But when she finally gets what she wished for, it isn't worth the price and it's not what she expected at all.  Life in a finishing school is infuriating.  No one sees her for who she is. All anyone sees is the young lady they expect her to become: serving tea and smiling and remaining silent.  Which is perhaps why no one suspects a thing when she starts a secret society to explore the supernatural.

Rocks my socks:  I enjoyed reading about life at an English finishing school and Gemma was a wonderful lens through which to view the era.  Her relaxed upbringing in India has left her feisty and bold and everything else a proper young lady shouldn't be.  Watching her adjust to life in the confines of a boarding school was entertaining.  I particularly enjoyed her insights as to why women were treated the way they were in that era.  My favorite part though was the friendships that Gemma developed over the course of the novel.  A lot of emphasis was placed on the changing relationships of her clique of friends and it was interesting to read about and felt authentic.  I appreciated the way Gemma ended up gaining empathy for girls she once hated as she learned more about them and the story progressed.

Rocks in my socks:  I didn't enjoy the supernatural aspects as much as the historical perspective.  The supernatural plot was often confusing and disjointed and strained my credulity.  This is a personal bias of mine though so take the criticism with a grain of salt.  While I love fantasy I'm not a huge fan of the supernatural.

Every book its reader:  I'd give this to anyone looking for a supernatural story with a strong female lead.  It reminded me a lot of Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson, so fans of one book would enjoy the other.  I'd give it to 7th grade and up.

Extras:

Libba Bray has her own site with a page for the book as well as a blog, media, and more!

Random House has a site for the trilogy that is loaded with extras.

There is a Gemma Doyle wiki that you can explore and edit.

I love this trailer:



Source:  ebook from a public library

A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray: buy it or check it out today!

Raven Boys Review

Book talk:   On St. Mark's Eve the spirits of those who will die in the next year march along Corpse Road.  Of course Blue had never been able to see them.  Her gift is to increase the psychic abilities of others without being able to experience them herself.  Which is why she was once again by the old church on St. Mark's Eve helping someone else record the names of unfortunate souls she could not see.  That is, until she saw him.  That night everything changed.  There are only two reasons why a non-seer like her would see a spirt on St. Mark's Eve: she's either his true love...or his killer.

Rocks my socks:  I love the characters in this novel from Blue: the sensible one in a house full of psychics to the group of Raven Boys: so called because of their private school's mascot.  The four Raven Boys have a special bond and it's this group chemistry that kept me reading more than anything else.  There's Gansey, the leader of the pack; Ronan, who knots his ties "with a method best described as contempt;"  Adam, who is described as "a sepia photograph;" and Noah, who looks "like his body had been laundered too many times."  Gansey is obsessed with finding the body of a lost Welsh king that he believes is hidden on a magical ley line.  He pursues this quest through meticulous and passionate research that warmed the heart of this librarian.  The boys clearly care about each other, but they're so different that they seem to be constantly on the verge of breaking apart.  So many stories focus on romantic relationships to the exclusion of all else that it's refreshing to read a story with such an interesting group dynamic at its heart.  Along the way Stiefvater managed to throw me a curveball and I'm so rarely surprised by well-written plot developments that I take great pleasure from the times that I am.

Rocks in my socks:  While I enjoyed the novel and the way it ended, I don't feel like it lived up to the promise of the beginning.  Three things are repeatedly mentioned at the start: that Blue's fated to kill the one she loves, that Gansey is supposed to die within the year, and that Gansey is obsessed with a Welsh king.  Yet after the beginning these story lines fade. The romance is barely present, Gansey's impending doom is never revealed to him and rarely mentioned, and only the quest for the king remains.  I'm not really disappointed because the book became more about the group dynamic I enjoyed so much, but I still feel like the story didn't match the set-up.  This is the first book in the series though, so it's possible those elements will pick up more in the next books.  I also didn't love the way all the teachers were depicted as resenting their rich pupils, although I'm more than a bit biased on the subject.  Still, this sloppy characterization smacks of cliche.  Hopefully the next book will include at least one teacher that actually likes teaching.

Every book its reader:  More than anything else this book reminded me of The Likeness by Tana  French, but that's an adult novel so not necessarily helpful for recommending it to students.  I'm sure the supernatural aspects of the story will be a big selling point for many. Personally, I'm not a huge fan of supernatural fiction--I'm more of a straight-up fantasy girl, but I loved this novel anyway because of the group dynamic.  So people who may not usually go for supernatural fiction but love character-driven novels and boarding school stories shouldn't let the psychics deter them.

Extras:  

Maggie Stiefvater has her own website with a page for the book.

There's an animated trailer for the book over at Maggie Stiefvater's YouTube page

Source: School Library

The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater: buy it or check it out today!

This Dark Endeavor Review

Book talk: Victor thought he had discovered all the secret passages in the Frankenstein estate.  But there are always more secrets to be uncovered--although sometimes they are best left in darkness.  When they stumbled across the Dark Library it almost killed them, as it had the last unfortunate person who had been trapped inside.  Yet Victor felt its strange allure as he scanned the forbidden titles, and even as he promised his father he'd never return, he doubted he'd be able to resist them.  Now his twin brother is sick and all the doctors and science that his parents enlist cannot cure him.  But there is a recipe for an elixir in one of the alchemical titles that might.  Gathering the ingredients will be dangerous and there's no guarantee the potion will work, but there's no guarantee that it won't either.   Would you stand by and hope for the best--or would you risk it all on a long shot?  For Victor, the answer is clear--and dark.

Rocks my socks:  The atmosphere is deliciously gothic and the pacing relentless.  The cast worked wonderfully together and had individual voices that were allowed to shine.  Henry had me cracking up with his various phobias and his poetic spirit while I admired Elizabeth's strong will, wit, and courage.  Polidori is an excellent creepy alchemist who both guides them in their ventures in the dark arts and warns them of the consequences of the practice.   I'd be remiss if I didn't mention his pet lynx--I'm always a sucker for intelligent cat characters.  I loved the idea of Victor having a twin that spurred his competitive spirit as he constantly tries to out-do his slightly older brother.  Konrad would be frustrating to have as a twin--intelligent, athletic, kind, level-headed, a favorite of everyone.  Plenty of novels would have him as the main character, or perhaps the strong-willed Elizabeth, or even the frightened Henry.  But not this novel.  Which is what makes it so wonderfully refreshing.  Victor is deeply flawed and not in a romantic way or due to some past hardship--he grew up in the same environment as his twin.  Yes, he is willing to sacrifice for his brother, but it remains unclear to both the reader and Victor himself whether the stronger motivation is his brother's health or his own desire to look like a hero by saving him.  He's obsessive and selfish and a bad influence as he leads his friends into danger on a regular basis.  I'm not sure I'd like to have him as a friend, but I enjoyed reading about him.  Although perhaps what sets him apart from other YA leads isn't so much his unheroic thoughts as much as the fact that Oppel allows him to voice them.  This makes him more realistic and relatable than many noble leads out there.  Perhaps this will allow readers to learn more from Victor's mistakes than they do from the good example of other characters.  At the very least it will be sure to entertain them.

Rocks in my socks: none

Every book its reader:  I'd give this to readers looking for a good gothic tale or just a fast-paced story with supernatural undercurrents.  The story is, as the title suggests, dark and at times violent.  Still I'd say it's fine for 6th grade and up.

Extras:

There's a great book trailer at the publisher's YouTube page

Kenneth Oppel has a great webpage with several video interviews about the book, pages from Victor's sketchbook, a reading group guide, a blog, and more.

The original trailer for the Boris Karloff version will grab attention at the beginning of a book talk and could start a discussion on what versions of Frankenstein students have seen

Source: Free copy at #ALA12

This Dark Endeavor by Kenneth Oppel: buy it or check it out today!

Name of the Star Review

Book talk: Rory grew up in Bénouville, Louisiana "an unstable place, built on a swamp."  Bénouville is full of interesting characters like cousin Diane, who runs the Healing Angel Ministry out of her living room or Billy Mack who started his own religion in his garage.  But it's not until Rory leaves Bénouville for senior year abroad in London that she starts to suspect herself of going crazy.  Soon she has more to worry about than picking up on British slang and keeping up with her new school's strict academic standards.  A new Jack the Ripper is on the loose and if she isn't careful, Rory may be the next victim.

Rocks my socks: Rory's distinctive Southern charm introducing the reader to London as she herself gets to know it is the major draw of the novel.  I liked the small details, for example when Rory first hears that someone "pulled a Jack the Ripper" after she lands in London she figures it's just some slang she hasn't learned yet and says "oh, sure" without much concern.  Rory's not some fawning Belle though, which I appreciate.  She is as strong and resilient as the town she comes from-rebuilding itself after every flood. The premise is interesting as well.  I liked the way Johnson incorporated the ever-present surveillance in London into the novel and how she was able to create a mystery in spite of it.  I also found how the public reacted to the killings interesting.  The new Ripper re-creates the murders of the original on the same dates so everyone knows when the next will happen.  The public eats it up and the news plays it up and takes advantage of it in a way that is unfortunately realistic, despite the fact that people are being brutally slaughtered. Tourism soars as amateur detectives arrive on the scene and someone even makes a 'singing kidney video' based on the murders that goes viral.  The night of the Double-Event when two people were murdered "was bigger than New Year's" and Rory and her school-mates' main concern is that they would not get to participate because they were being locked in for their own safety.  Ah, youth! I appreciated other realistic touches as well, like the fact that Rory knows about how and why witnesses are often unreliable and she thinks about this during her own interrogation by the police and yet knows that she can't prevent it.  Most of all I appreciated that Johnson always provides moments of levity to break up the seriousness, like the zombie spice girls costumes that Rory and her friends wear to a fancy dress party.

Rocks in my socks: If it was the realistic touches that delighted me it was the supernatural touches that disappointed me.  The premise is a bit weak, making the final reveal of murderer and motives anticlimactic.  There is a supernatural element to the story that creates several plot holes as supernatural elements are wont to do.  For example (highlight for spoiler) the killer ends up being a ghost and despite the fact that it is previously established in the novel that a ghost can't be given a cell phone because it would look weird to have a phone floating about in the air, when the killer drags someone across London at knife point on a night that is specifically described as having a large police presence, no one notices.  Even when she's held at knifepoint in a small room the bystander who can't see ghosts doesn't notice the knife. In addition, for a book described as full of romance on the inside flap the romantic sub-plot seems tacked on and non-essential.  Maybe I'm just biased though because Rory never goes for the guy I liked--the one who seems to have read the entire library and memorized the location of each book *swoon* (highlight for spoiler) sure he turns out to be a ghost, but we all have our quirks, don't we?  On a side note it bothers me that at one point Rory more or less pays for someone to write an entire essay for her and she never seems to feel guilty about it and there are no consequences.  Granted she is going through some difficult times but perhaps she could have tried explaining that to her teachers instead.  With all the Ripper madness going on I'm sure they'd be understanding.  Still, I was so enchanted by Rory that I was mostly willing to suspend my disbelief and forgive her for this infraction.

Every book its reader: The original Jack the Ripper murders were quite gruesome and so any story revolving around them is going to have its fair share of gore.  Outside of the murders though there isn't much violence and the romantic sub-plot never gets enough attention to go too far.  I'd recommend it for 6th graders and older looking for a supernatural thriller with a splash of dark humor.

The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson

Buy it or check it out today!