Read recently

Sometimes I just don't have the energy or thoughts enough to devote to one book, so this is a nice way to catch up on what I've been reading. For you and for me!

The Extraordinary Secrets of April, May, and June by Robin Benway
published August 2010 by Razorbill
256 pages (hardcover), YA

I loved Benway's first novel, Audrey, Wait! so yes, I was a little disappointed with her second. April, May, and June are sisters, one year apart each in high school, and they are all recently discovering that they have special powers. April sees the future, May disappears, and June reads thoughts. While April and May are perfectly fine with blending in at school, the youngest sister June wants to be popular. So of course June uses her mind-reading abilities to turn the popular girl's friends against her so that she can get in her good graces instead. But April disapproves of the girls using their powers for selfish reasons and tries to be the responsible older sister by suggesting they use their talents for good and not evil.

Okay, I have to stop there because I'm getting bored just writing about it. Sigh. It wasn't a boring book, really. But it wasn't all that engaging either. The characters were bland, besides having special powers, and the plot either didn't go anywhere or went too many places - I can't decide which. Maybe I just had too high of hopes for this book, but it just didn't do anything for me.

The Body at the Tower (The Agency #2) by Y.S. Lee
published August 2010 by Candlewick
352 pages (hardcover), YA

I liked the first book in this series and saw endless possibilities of where it could go. This book went to a strange, unexpected place. I know that I say quite a bit that I'm all about the characters in a book and don't care much for plot. But I also can't read a book if the plot is so boring and distracting from the characters. And that's what I felt here.

Mary has a new case at the Agency. Dress as an apprenticing boy to gain access to the Big Ben worksite to solve the mystery of an unexplained death. Yeah, what else can I say? It certainly didn't grab me, but I read it anyway because I like Mary. We learn a little (itty bitty bit) about her past, and we also see potential changes in the Agency. That irritated me. I hardly know what the Agency is about, after only one book in the series, and now it's changing? But that's okay because I like Mary. And that's enough for me to read the potential third book in the series.

To the Nines by Janet Evanovich, read by C.J. Critt
published 2003 by Recorded Books
9 sound discs (10 hours, unabridged), adult pop lit

I love Stephanie Plum. These books are perfect for long drives because they're formulaic but most of all, they're hilarious. The situations are ridiculous, and Stephanie's decision-making skills are laughable. In this installment, Stephanie is looking for a man whose work visa is just about to expire. This case takes her in many different directions - with a trip to Vegas to boot! But who cares about the mystery? It's Stephanie's love life that keeps me reading, or rather, listening. She's back with Morelli, even living with him for now because her apartment is just too easy to break into. They're together but still not ready for marriage, even though Joe hints that he wouldn't mind if Stephanie was pregnant! Which she's not; her sister is. And Ranger? Well, he takes a backseat in this one, but I can't imagine that will last very long.

I also really like the narrator's voice, which I recognize from previous Plum novels. She uses different voices for Stephanie, Lula, Grandma Mazur, Ranger, Joe, and others, so it feels like there's a full cast. She reads well. :)

Summer reading - adult fiction

Well, May was an excessively busy and stressful month. Job interviews, a pesky cold, graduation, my birthday, and trips to see the family made my month go by all too quickly. I've mainly been reading to relax and de-stress, hence the absence of blog activity lately. And now I need some reading recommendations.

I try to read more adult fiction in the summer because I have much more free time, and I feel like I need some balance from the children's and YA fiction-heavy school year. Here's what's on my to-read list so far:

The Help by Kathryn Stockett

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Steig Larsson

Magic Study by Maria V. Snyder (and the next Study book)

A Spy in the House by Y.S. Lee

Last summer, I read Julie and Julia by Julie Powell, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer, The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger, What Happened to Anna K? by Irina Reyn, and The Actor and the Housewife by Shannon Hale - all of which I loved. Throw in some Janet Evanovich and Christine Feehan, and that's about all the adult fiction I can handle in a summer. I certainly don't stop reading children's and YA fiction!

So, now you have a sense of my adult fiction tastes. What can you recommend for me?

Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder

Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder
published December 2008 (c2005) by Mira
416 pages (paperback reprint), YA/adult

Yelena is in prison for murder. In Ixia, an eye for an eye rules the land, and Yelena merely awaits her eventual execution. Until she is afforded a choice - either she can die for her crime or she can become the new taste tester for the Commander. The choice is simple, and so she begins her training with Valek, the Commander's right-hand man, learning to identify poisons by smell and taste. Her life depends on it. She begins her new life in the castle with no friends or money or much hope for escape, and she is burdened by demons of her past. Perhaps a quick death would have been preferable.

I left out a lot from that description because although quite a bit happens in this book, ultimately, it is driven by Yelena's character. She is a survivor. Orphaned at an unknown young age, she is brought up with other children by a General. One whose kindness led to the murder of his son, which is how we learn Yelena came to be in prison. Was she justified in her actions? I do believe so, but you can disagree with me if you wish. She is strong in mind and body, and she is continually forced to make impossible decisions. Living in the castle, as a murderer, is no easy task - many would love to see her dead. And a few do try.

It's no surprise then that I loved this book. But loved it in a way that's reserved for the kind of literature that's painful to read because its content is disturbing and rather unpleasant. Milder than others of a similar nature (I'm very sensitive), it explores a world where right and wrong are absolute, and the consequences of disobedient actions are non-negotiable. Hmm, I've been reading a lot of dystopias recently. Nonetheless, this is a trilogy I would add to my favorites, and I haven't even read the next two yet. Magic Study is next, and I can't wait. Oh, did I forget to mention that there's a bit of magic too? :)


Others wrote:
GreenBeanTeenQueen; Read Into This!; Parajunkee's View; Dear Author; Grasping for the Wind; Reading Rocks; The Story Siren + many more

Of dreamcatchers, preternaturals and thieves

I haven't been in the mood to write about my reading lately. The weather puts me in a funk - I'm one of those happy when it's sunny kind of people, so all this rain (and even a little snow) has left me less than enthused about anything. So, I've been working at about half-energy, and I feel like I've just been playing catch-up with my reading, reading books that you all have most likely read already - probably because I get so many of my book recs from the blogosphere. Ah, oh well. Here's what I've read most recently.

Gone by Lisa McMann
published February 2010 by Simon & Schuster
214 pages (hardcover), YA

I admit that I read this one on a wonderfully sunny, almost warm day sitting next to a lake. What a fine way to experience a book! Unfortunately, like so many have already noted, this finale in the Wake trilogy did not impress. What I enjoyed most about the first book in the series was the exploration of what it meant to be a dreamcatcher, which was nearly absent in this book. This book was about family, which is fine but unexpected, I suppose. Janie is on summer vacation with Cabe when she's summoned back home to deal with her drunken mother and a comatose father she's never met. Obviously, she's curious about her father, so she does a little research and finds that they have quite a bit in common. You can guess where that's going. I don't have much else to say really except that for fans of the series, this book will read quickly enough - but if you didn't like the first two books, I don't think there's reason to keep going. Too bad, I think, because I do enjoy McMann's unusual writing style.

Soulless: An Alexia Tarabotti Novel by Gail Carriger
published October 2009 by Orbit/Yen

384 pages (mass market paperback), adult (YA appeal)

Preternatural is a word I despise - I cringe every time I read it. Well, I had to get over that pretty quickly in order to enjoy this book, where our main character Miss Alexia Tarabotti is just that, a preternatural. A what? She has no soul. She neutralizes supernatural powers. Vamps lose the fangs at the touch of her, werewolves turn back to humans. That's just a little glimpse into her world - this is also Victorian England but not like you've learned about it, let's say instead with a steampunk twist. If you can imagine all of this in one book, where our main character, a self-proclaimed spinster (at no more than 25), must live with a stepmother who loathes her and two stepsisters who are only interested in advantageous marriages, gossip, and pretty things, then you will be in for a treat. Alexia is witty, okay hilarious, and I could not stop the little girl giggles from escaping me at her cheekiness. This book is fun but not necessarily light - it's ridiculous but also thoughtful. I was expecting something a lot less substantial from a book originally published as a mass market paperback (oh, how judgmental I am), but I was pleasantly surprised to find the story was more than just a paranormal romance (but those parts were great too, I must say), where the focus is on the budding relationship. So many twists and turns in this one - I shouldn't write any more. If you can stand to read anything more of vamps and weres and wouldn't mind a little romance and are in serious need of a laugh, pick this one up. I'm excited for the next installment, Changeless, due out in April.

Heist Society by Ally Carter
published February 2010 by Disney Hyperion
304 pages (hardcover), YA

What to say about this one? I'd consider it another breed of fantasy - sure, it's contemporary, with human characters who don't have any special powers, but is it realistic? Not in my world. Kat has just left the family business - high profile thieving - and is trying to live a normal teenage life at a boarding school. But she's whisked back into that underground world by Hale, a good friend (who happens to be gorgeous), who needs her help to clear her father's name of a crime he most likely didn't commit. The heist? Re-steal five priceless paintings for a big, bad guy and hopefully save her dad. From a back of the book blurb, E. Lockhart says, "Heist Society is an edge-of-your-seat caper with more twists than Ocean's Eleven and cooler gadgets than Casino Royale." I agree. It's fun, action-packed, with a little bit of romance. A beach read for those of you still spring breaking. :)


What's next? Be sure to check out my Unsung YA Giveaway (as well as the many others linked from YAnnabe), which will end April 12. I'm currently reading a few different books because of attention span issues. Most of the weekend will be spent lesson planning, which I'm almost excited about. I may disappear for awhile depending on how busy I let myself get. I'm ready for March (my least favorite month, in case you hadn't noticed) to be over!

Library Loot: March 17-23, 2010

Library Loot is a weekly meme hosted by Eva at A Striped Armchair and Marg at ReadingAdvenures. It encourages bloggers to share what they've scored at the library that week.

This week's loot is collected at Eva's blog.

Middle grade, YA & Adult

Soulless: An Alexia Tarabotti Novel by Gail Carringer (currently reading)

Heist Society by Ally Carter

The Case of the Bizarre Bouquets: An Enola Holmes Mystery by Nancy Springer

Paris Pan Takes the Dare by Cynthea Liu

Kitchen Princess (Vol. 1-10) by Natsumi Ando

Dani Noir by Nova Ren Suma

After next week's spring break, I'll be back in the school librarian's chair, teaching K-5 students, so I thought to do some author studies with the little ones, to ease myself back in the role and just because they're always fun for everyone. I haven't decided on all the books or even the authors yet, but this is what I'll be perusing during my break.

Kindergarten - Kevin Henkes

  My Garden

Chrysanthemum

Chester's Way

Kitten's First Full Moon

Julius: The Baby of the World

Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse

First Grade - David Shannon

 Good Boy, Fergus!

Alice the Fairy

The Rain Came Down

Duck on a Bike

Too Many Toys

David Goes to School

Second Grade - Tomie dePaola

Tom

Big Anthony: His Story

Strega Nona's Magic Lessons

Strega Nona: Her Story

The Unicorn and the Moon

Here We All Are

26 Fairmount Avenue

The Art Lesson 

The only one that I'm absolutely sold on is Strega Nona (because it's one of my favorites) and maybe some more of her stories if the kiddies enjoy it. Personally, I'm not a fan of David Shannon, but I think the little ones do like him quite a bit.

Any personal favorite read-alouds from these authors?

The Bride's Farewell by Meg Rosoff

The Bride's Farewell by Meg Rosoff

published August 2009 by Penguin
224 pages (hardcover), adult (YA appeal)

On the morning of August the twelfth, eighteen hundred and fifty something, on the day she was to be married, Pell Ridley crept up from her bed in the dark, kissed her sisters goodbye, fetched Jack in from the wind and rain on the heath, and told him they were leaving. Not that he was likely to offer any objections, being a horse. (p. 1)

 And so Pell takes off, leaving the only life and family she's ever known behind, besides Jack her horse and her little brother Bean who happened to be awake and willing to leave too. They journey through rural England, avoiding nearby towns where they will be recognized, hoping to find work at Salisbury Fair. Hoping that the universe will be kind to them and that they can start their lives anew somewhere far away from the oppression and expectations of home. Of course, that doesn't happen. Pell is faced with trial after trial - townspeople who shun her and her bastard child for their uncivil ways, unfavorable weather conditions, lack of food, and losing both her brother and horse in an instant. Is there a happily ever after in this story? Well, there's an ever after, and it's as happy as can be given the circumstances.

It's futile to try to summarize this story because it's so much more than its plot elements, but hey, I tried. It's the writing that I connect with and Pell's unrelenting courage and desire to be free, her need to be in control of her own life. Seeing her mother raise nine children and deal with an alcoholic husband, Pell knew that was not a life she would choose for herself. But it's the nineteenth century, and Pell doesn't exactly have the luxury of options. Marry or leave home. But leaving home is no picnic, and Rosoff writes it like it is. Hard, ugly, depressing, terrifying. Somehow though, Pell perseveres - what choice does she have? Either she pushes forward or she dies. She's strong, determined, and practical. And that's why I loved this book.

Other thoughts:
Angieville - "The dark and the dreary are balanced by the truly beautiful writing, the sharp glints of irony, and by the brief but shining moments of perfect understanding and compassion you feel when you're reading."
Bibliophile By the Sea - "The character of Pell was well developed, the historical detail was good, but as for the rest of the story and characters -- something seemed missing to me."
My Friend Amy - "The writing is lovely and perceptive and probably what kept me reading [...]"
things mean a lot - "Pell’s journey is an intense one, and in only a few months she experiences emotions to last her a lifetime: discontentment, loss, anger, love, peace."



ETA: I totally forgot to say that this book is one of the 2010 Alex Award Winners! Woo!