Two Owls Review Gone with the Wind

Gone with the Wind is held up as one of the greatest American classics. The story of the rising and falling fortunes of the fiery, independent, selfish Scarlett O'Hara and the rascally Rhett Butler is set against the backdrop of the Civil War and Reconstruction in Georgia. Two of our parliament recently read the book for a book club, and gathered here for a discussion.

Sonya: After loving the film version of this historical novel, I never thought that the book could be as good. Having finished Gone with the Wind, I can honestly say that it has become one of my all-time favorite books. Margaret Mitchell’s narrative is so easy to read and yet so beautiful.

Madeleine: I have never seen the film version! I’m actually glad I hadn’t seen the movie before reading the book. Besides knowing a few things (it’s about the Civil War and it’s aftermath, the main couple is Scarlett/Rhett, and there are a lot of fancy dresses), it was all completely new to me.

I also loved the book, but I don’t know if it would make it into my all-time favorites. I need some more time to think about it. There were some bits that I really struggled with in this book (more on this later). What really made the book for me was the characters.

Sonya: I think that is what she does best! We get to see Scarlett journey from naïve, selfish Southern belle to a destitute woman who is willing to do anything to keep food in her stomach and Tara under her feet, and then finally in the end to a person that finally understands herself and what is really important to her.

Madeleine: Margaret Mitchell took a really big risk making her main character a dislikable character. I loved and hated Scarlett. I was cheering for her throughout the whole book, except for the stage of life that you skipped: her selfish, malicious, ignorant behavior after earning back her fortune. She annoyed me enough that I stopped cheering for her for awhile.

I like Scarlett best when she’s at Tara. She needs Tara to keep her grounded.

My other favorite character is Melanie. She’s an easy character to love, but I love the unexpected strength she shows throughout the novel and her unflinching loyalty to Scarlett, who doesn’t deserve it. She’s wonderful.

Sonya: I also liked Melanie, and thought that Ashley did not deserve her. Rhett is the other character that I find so enthralling and mysterious. (BTW, Clark Gable could not have portrayed him better in the movie.)

Madeleine: Obviously. :)

Sonya: Even after finishing the novel, I still don’t really have a sense of who he really is. Even though he is a scoundrel, I can’t help but cheer for him and hope that Scarlett can realize how wonderful he is.

Madeleine: I was actually more impressed by Rhett’s character development through the novel. He changes and becomes a better person a lot more than Scarlett does. I’m not totally convinced that Scarlett has changed by the end. But I absolutely loved them together. Whenever Rhett walked onto the page, I always got very excited. The dialogue! The wit!

Sonya: Every scene with Scarlett and Rhett was just bursting with well-wrought dialogue, and consequently I could practically feel the sparks between these two coming off the pages. I so hoped that this story would be happy in the end (even though I know from the movie that it’s not), and I always think that somehow Scarlett does get him back. I sure hope that she does.

Madeleine: When I first finished the book, I felt the same. Having had some time to digest the book a bit, I like the open ending. I don’t know if Rhett will ever let Scarlett back into his life. He was burned pretty badly. I hope Scarlett stays at Tara. Tara makes Scarlett a better person; I don’t know if Rhett does.

Sonya: The other aspect of Gone with the Wind is its insight into Southern life before the Civil War, during the war, and the war’s aftermath. Naturally, as a child I learned how the South consisted of inhumane bad guys keeping slaves in bondage, and then the North swept in and saved the slaves from their awful plight.

I absolutely do not condone slavery, but I will say that it was interesting to see this time in American history from the point of view of a Southerner. Even if Mitchell is biased, this fictional account gives us another perspective to ponder, and I found it fascinating. Mitchell really shows that war is war, and there are going to be bad and good people on both sides of the conflict.

Madeleine: Ah, here we are, the parts I really struggled with in the book, and that I have to separate from the book when making my judgements. I agree that the Southern point-of-view is very interesting, and I know that contextually Margaret Mitchell is just reflecting the period she’s writing from, but I really struggled with the racism in the book. In fact, I might’ve given up on it if I weren’t reading for a group.

The book romanticizes slavery, and does so very subtly. If you aren’t paying attention, it is easy to buy into this romanticization. In our book club, we had someone argue that it wasn’t that bad because the slaves were treated well by their masters who saw them as part of the family. This point-of-view takes something horrible and completely unjust, owning people and forcing them to work for you, and turns it into something kind and paternalistic.

Again, I understand that we have to take context into consideration, but I really struggled with how to respond to it. Book Riot ran an interesting series of posts on this exact issue last year. I’ll leave you with those: “I Couldn’t Finish GONE WITH THE WIND Because it Was So Racist” and the response “Let’s Talk About Racism in the Classics.”

Stepping off my soap box, I still enjoyed Gone with the Wind and give it 5 stars. Aside from it’s size, the book is very accessible and wonderfully written. Margaret Mitchell made me love a rather unpleasant character and wrote interesting enough stories that I didn’t complain about the 1000 page love triangle. Read it.

Sonya: Overall, Gone with the Wind fabulous read that I will recommend to pretty much everybody. It’s a commitment to read as it's so long but it is definitely worth it. I was hooked from the beginning and never wanted it to end. A solid 5 stars.

Unbound

I didn't think I could fall in love with this author or this series any more...I was wrong.

Victoria Schwab has created a world I am desperate to live in. I can't get enough of this series! I want to shout from the rooftops to everyone in range to read these books.











If you have read any of my reviews you have quickly come to realize that I break one "important" rule and I judge my books by their covers.

I originally picked up The Archived when checking in a cart of brand new YA books and thought it was GORGEOUS!

I read the explanation and knew that I had to read it. The cover for The Unbound is equally fabulous.

I also have to say if there isn't a book 3, I don't know how I will deal with that. I NEED a book 3. This is beyond a want. I can just immerse myself in this world and not even think of anything else. I have to immerse myself in it. I'm not ready to let go.

The new characters were a lot of fun in this book. I was quite pleased that the introduction of Cash didn't cause a full on brawl between him and Wesley (Guyliner), because I would have been pretty disappointed. There was some hinting toward a love triangle, but it never went beyond slight flirtation really, and I loved that. You could tell both boys had some interest and there was a slight tension during interactions between both boys and Mackenzie. It felt real and even I felt conflicted and a little unsure what would happen...even though we all know that Guyliner is the way to go.

Mackenzie. I adore her. She is so strong and feels real to me. I want to be her best friend...or just be her. She is so beautifully flawed and so great. Even though she was being "independent" it really translated to "Stop being so dumb and talk to Wesley! Ack!" in my head, but you can't help but understand how she feels. I love that she doesn't depend solely on him to solve her problems and wants that independence and doesn't want to have to rely on anyone but herself and what her grandfather taught her. Like I said, I want to be her. I think at the end of the day she is a stronger person than I am.

 I am a grandpa's girl. I didn't really have a father growing up, I had my grandpa. He is someone I look up to and what he says/does/thinks matters. I relate to Mackenzie's strong feelings for that relationship she holds on to.

Enough babbling. Just do yourself a favor and read these books. Grab a cup pot of coffee and stay up all night getting lost in this wonderful world.

Raven Boys: a taste of psychics, birds, and the kiss of death

Well, it has been quite a while since I've read a book that wasn't part way through a series. I would say that Raven Boys was a good way to start again.

Like all good places to begin, let's start with that cover. I mean, look at it. I wanted to read this just because of that cover. I don't like the cover for Dream Thieves quite as much, but my expectations were clearly high after book 1. Now, onto what is actually between the covers.

Blue, our main character, is funny and independent. I liked that the kiss prophecy reminded me a bit of fairy tales. "Kiss your true love and he dies" a bit backwards from the kiss that solves all the world's problems, but more realistic. Relationships are messy and dating sucks. Anyone that tells you dating is great lies. Run the other way now. I liked that there wasn't this ridiculous love at first sight passion, but there were so many feelings! You could imagine the kinds of kissing that could go on if people weren't going to literally die from it. I'm sure Ronan knows all about that since he is totally a loose cannon.

I sort of got this weird Donna Tart Secret History group feeling while I read this book. I couldn't quite figure it out until I sat down to write this review, but I think that may be why I loved this so much. A group of weird kids, someone new tossed in the mix, murder, plots, magic. I can dig it.

Gansey. Yes. I loved him. I loved everyone in this book. Adam is wonderful. I simultaneously feel bad for him, want to punch him, then hug him, and Noah is great. Even Ronan that totally freaked me out and I worried he was going to go flying off the handle and kill everyone. In fact, maybe that is why I liked Ronan. YA books are usually straight forward and I take what they say at face value, so if they can trick me I instantly love them for it. This could have been that kind of book.

Like all good things the end of the book came and it left me feeling a bit dejected. Not because the ending wasn't good, but because there wasn't enough ending! I want the whole story and I want it now!! Ok, fine, I will just wait and read the other books. I look forward to it and I hope I love book 2 just as much.

Revisiting The Book Thief (plus, a movie review)

"It's just a small story really, about, among other things:
*A girl
*Some words
*An accordionist
*Some fanatical Germans
*A Jewish fist fighter
*And quite a lot of thievery"

I usually mention The Book Thief when asked to list my favorite books. I don't remember where I heard about the book or why I picked it up, but I read it for the first time in 2009. And while I always mentioned it as a favorite, I knew I had forgotten many of the details. With the movie coming out, I decided to reread the book. Thankfully, the book was just as good as I remembered.

The Book Thief depicts daily life in Nazi Germany through the eyes of Liesel Meminger. Liesel and her brother are given up by their family (who are, it is implied, being persecuted by the Nazis for being communists) into the care of a foster family. However, Liesel's brother dies on the train journey and is buried quickly in a haphazard ceremony beside the tracks. As the unexpected funeral finishes, Liesel picks up a book that has fallen out of one of the grave digger's pockets and keeps it for herself. This is her first act of book thievery.

Liesel's new family consists of Hans and Rosa Hubermann, who struggle to make ends meet due to Hans's troubled standing with the local Nazi Party. Liesel also befriends the boy next door, Rudy Steiner, a rather incorrigible flirt who dreams of running like Jesse Owens.

When Liesel starts school, it becomes quickly apparent that she doesn't know how to read. When Hans discovers Liesel's stolen book, which turns out to be The Grave Digger's Handbook, he and Liesel begin middle-of-the-night reading lessons using the book, despite the fact that Hans is not a strong reader himself. The father/daughter relationship between Hans and Liesel is one of my favorite parts of the book (and the movie).

Midnight Reading Lessons with Liesel and Hans (Christopher Polk/Getty Images for DCP)

When World War II begins, life at the Hubermann's becomes more challenging. Rudy and Liesel are required to attend Hitler Youth meetings. Food becomes more scarce. Rosa, who earns money doing washing for others, begins to lose clients. Liesel steals another book from a Nazi-sponsored book burning, and befriends the mayor's wife, who lets her read from her library. The constant threat of bombing raids becomes a fact of life. And most importantly, the Hubermanns take in and hide Max, the son of a Jewish man who saved Hans's life in WWI, who becomes a sort-of brother to Liesel.

While the story and characters of The Book Thief alone are wonderful (don't worry, more book thievery happens), what makes the story unique is the narrator. The entire book is narrated by Death. Yes, Death. Death rather resignedly travels the world collecting the souls of the dying and trying not to pay attention to the reactions of those left behind. As the narrator, Death is very present in the story, inserting rather philosophical asides and comments. Also, Death does not believe in a no spoiler policy, and tells you bits (tragic bits) about how the story will end.

In my experience, Death as the narrator either works really well for readers, or comes off as gimmicky and disjointing for others. I personally love what Zusak did with the narration. If you're curious about it, Death is also in the movie, and there is a short clip of him that can be found here (sorry, it won't let me embed it for you): http://zusakbooks.tumblr.com/post/67057754417/if-death-could-have-a-business-card-it-could-look

Speaking of the movie, I got to attend an advance screening just over a week ago. They are slowly releasing the movie to more and more theaters, so keep an eye out for it over the next few weeks. I thought the movie was wonderful.

Geoffrey Rush plays Hans Hubermann alongside a new, young actress, Sophie Nelisse, who plays Liesel. Rush makes a perfect Hans--quiet, understanding, thoughtful, honest, with a touch of humor and playfulness, and his relationship with Liesel in the movie feels very real. Rudy, Max, and Rosa are all very well-acted as well. Rudy is absolutely adorable, and has the same energy he has in the book. Watching the friendship grow between Liesel and Max actually drew out the similarities in their stories in a way that I never pulled out from the books before. And it would have been especially easy to flatten Rosa's character, but Emily Watson is wonderful. The movie is also visually rich and beautiful, as is the soundtrack (John Williams). 

It's been awhile, but I'm still thinking about the movie. It's a bit slow-moving and they've had to cut out a good bit of the book. However, The Book Thief really captures the spirit of the book, and the relationships between all the characters. Just like the book, the movie had me in tears. I did manage not to sob in the theater, though, which I feel is a great accomplishment.

I'd definitely read the book first, if you are able (I'm looking at you, Zelda). But if not, The Book Thief also makes a stunning movie.

The Theory of Everything

I saw this book while shelving and was drawn to it because of the blue cover and the trees in the letters of the title. I flipped to the back and without reading the premise of the book, I knew I had to check out. On the back cover is a chart. A CHART! Listing percentages of things in the book. I was sold. 5% possum? Done. I had to see where the possum fits in. It already seemed like my kind of humor and it was a chart!

The premise of the book sounds like a sad one. Our main character, Sarah, lost her friend in a tragic accident and is still not over it. Her family, friends and boyfriend aren't sure how to help her and are frankly getting a little upset with her seeming lack of ability to move on. Add to this a Christmas tree farm, some snarky behavior, and a main character that felt like she could be my best friend, and I was so excited to read this. I was not let down.

Sarah is awesome. I loved that while she was being a bit snarky and bitchy, even she was getting fed up with her own behavior. She wanted to change but couldn't figure out how and I can relate to feeling unsure of how to change yourself. I loved that she would say something and instantly in her head, "Why can't you just be normal?! Why are you like this?" I couldn't put this down because I had to see what happened in her life.

I was a little bummed out by the ending and after reading many other reviews, I was not alone. I won't give away any information, but I felt like one aspect seemed a bit out of character and there could have been more resolution. I wanted this to have the bow tie ending where everything was in its final place and that was that.

I need to request the other book by this author and see if I love it just as much. I will be on the lookout for future books as well!

5/5 stars! I loved this one.

Septemb-Eyre (Chapters 30-End)

And we're done! I'm happy to say that Jane Eyre remains one of my favorite books. In fact, I probably liked it more on a second reading.

I was surprised by how much I had forgotten about this section of the book. I remembered that Jane runs away, finds some people who end up to be her cousins, and almost goes to India with St. John. I remembered St. John as a much nicer character though. In my head, he was a bit strict and uptight, but also caring and a bit more understanding. The real St. John was unrelenting, cold, and judgmental. Quite honestly, I don't know how Jane put up with him so long. Living under the scrutiny, guilt trips, and impossibly high moral standards would wear me out very quickly. I cheered a bit when Jane told St. John she scorned his idea of love.

Jane realizes that marriage with St. John would be a very bad idea. Thanks to some psychic communication of some sort, Jane ends up back with Rochester. And thanks to a several very convenient occurrences, Jane has inherited money from a long-lost relative, found family via the same long-lost relative (a least good female cousins), and Rochester has found himself able to marry again due to the death of his first wife in a fire she started herself. I had to laugh a bit at Jane's reaction to gaining a fortune:

One does not jump, and spring, and shout hurrah! at hearing one has got a fortune; one begins to consider responsibilities, and to ponder business; on a base of steady satisfaction rise certain grave cares, and we contain ourselves, and brood over our bliss with a solemn brow.

Jane would certainly make an unusual lottery winner, would she not? Most tellingly, Jane is much more excited by acquiring family (via Diana, Mary, and St. John) than wealth. This is what Jane has truly been lacking her entire life.

It may be of no moment to you; you have sisters and don't care for a cousin; but I had nobody; and now three relations...are born into my world full-grown. I say again, I am glad!

In previous parts of the book, I mentioned how the relationship between Jane and Rochester makes me a bit uncomfortable at times. Once Jane and Rochester are reunited, I'm much more comfortable with them together. In fact, I'm fully in the Jane-Rochester camp, because they come to it as equals. Jane is not dependent upon him for employment, money, or her sole source of companionship. She has the means to support herself and has family and friends outside of Thornfield/Ferndean. More tellingly, she's not holding him at a distance this time. Reader, she married him.

Want More Jane Eyre?

While I had only read Jane Eyre once prior to this, I've read several other novels that involve Jane Eyre, all of them very different. If you just can't get enough of Jane, check one of these out!

Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys
I'll be honest. I remember maybe 5% of this book. I read it in an AP English lit class, possibly as an example of postcolonial literature. I was unused to the style of writing and had not read Jane Eyre, so the book made very little sense to me. It's pretty short, and college gave me an appreciation for postcolonial lit, so I have it sitting on my bookshelf to be revisited. Wide Sargasso Sea is a prequel/parallel to Jane Eyre--it tells the story of Bertha Mason (name Antoinette Cosway in WSS) up to her marriage with Rochester, humanizing the woman who otherwise serves as a plot device locked up in an attic.

The Flight of Gemma Hardy by Margot Livesey
The Flight of Gemma Hardy is a recently published book that retells the story of Jane Eyre in 1960s Scotland. For the first part of the book, Livesey stays very close to Jane Eyre. I enjoyed finding the connections at first, although it got a bit old and forced in the middle. Gemma becomes an au pair in the Orkney Islands where she falls in love with her employer, Mr. Sinclair. The age difference between them is maintained--and it does not work quite as well in the 1960s.

I loved Gemma just as much as I love Jane, and my favorite parts were when Livesey wasn't trying as hard to replicate Jane Eyre and told Gemma's story instead. At the end, the novel takes Gemma into Iceland to discover her family history and herself. Also, Livesey does such a beautiful job of describing landscapes and the feelings that different places in Scotland and Iceland evoke throughout the book, I was ready to hop on a plane at the end to see them for myself.

The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde
How does one describe the Thursday Next series? If you like off-the-wall humor, more literary references than you can count, comic fantasy, or book and grammar jokes, you should check out this series. Basically, the series is set in an alternate universe where the Crimean War is still going on, people have dodo birds for pets, and it's possible for a few people to read their way into the world of books and interact with the characters. Thursday is a literary detective for SpecOps in the outside world initially, and ends up being a literary detective within the BookWorld (with Miss Havisham as a mentor) in future books. In The Eyre Affair, the villain, Acheron Hades, kidnaps Jane Eyre from her book. This is particularly troublesome because the story is told in first-person, which means the BookWorld can't just get any old character to stand in for her. Thursday has to figure out how to enter the novel and stop Acheron. It's great, and the following novels are even better!

This post is part of the Septemb-Eyre Read-Along hosted on Entomology of a Bookworm. Be sure to check out what other bloggers had to say, and an extra special thanks to Kerry for hosting the readalong!

Welcome to the Glade

It all begins when Thomas wakes up inside an elevator with no memory of who he is other than his name. When he eventually arrives in “the Glade” after what has to be the longest elevator ride in history, he meets the other boys living there who all went through the same experience: no memory and mysteriously delivered to this place. Around the Glade are huge walls that move every night creating a maze. Some of boys are designated runners who try to find an escape route every day to no avail and Thomas quickly learns rule number 1: don’t get caught in the maze after dark. Once the lights go out (or the sun. They may be in a completely manufactured world, so I’m not really sure how it works) the maze fills with Grievers, half machine half gross monsters who eat children. If the boys get stung they go through a painful process called the Changing which drives some mad.

I love, love, love, loved this book! It was perfectly plotted. The boys are trying to figure things out at the same time as the reader and So Much Tension! It started out a little slowly as Thomas tried to figure out his place in this new world, but with the arrival of Theresa, things really starting picking up. Escaping from the Glade became ever more important and I was completely rooting for these kids even as I dreaded the world they would find on the other side. 

Dashner did an amazing job at world-building. The setting was its own character, well fleshed out and with complexity (because it’s a maze, get it?). The walls dominated every aspect of the characters lives and while reading, mine. I’ve seen some images of the upcoming movie version and they *nailed* it. I’m so excited for the movie and to read the other books in the series.

2 small notes: 

1.) While I was reading, I honestly thought this book was written by a woman, sorry James Dashner.

2.)  Read the epilogue! Sometimes people skip it. Do not skip it!

Punk Rock and True Love

In 1986 Omaha, Park is just trying to survive high school, which isn't easy since he's only Asian (well, half Asian) kid in his high school. His life gets turned upside down when Eleanor shows up on the bus one day. Eleanor is big (tall and wide), ginger, and has an... unconventional wardrobe. As a result of bus politics, Park is guilted into giving her the other half of his seat and slowly a friendship develops. Matters are complicated by Eleanor's rough home life and the fact that she feels the need to hide her troubles from Park.

This is Rainbow Rowell's first YA book and in my opinion, she hits it out of the park. She perfectly captures the anxiety, confusion, and excitement of first love. I especially loved the slow buildup as Park, despite his feelings of awkwardness, woos Eleanor with comic books and good music. Both characters seemed incredibly real. The only criticism of the book I've heard is that some didn't like how focused Eleanor and Park were on their relationship, but they're 15! And in love for the first time! Of course they're going to be thinking about the other person all the time.

This book broke my heart and I can't wait to read her next one.

Five stars!

The Ocean at the End of the Lane

So, if you haven’t heard yet (how’s life under that rock?), Neil Gaiman published a new book last month—‘The Ocean at the End of the Lane’. Both of us, Zelda and Madeleine, loved the book.

Zelda: I have no negative things to say except it ended too soon. I read the inside flap description but that doesn't do the book justice.

Madeleine: I usually read a lot about a book before it comes out—the official description, the blurbs, and maybe a few reviews. When Gaiman first announced the book, there was no description, just the beautiful cover. As the publication date approached, I liked not knowing what to expect, so I avoided all descriptions and reviews. It was a good choice—I went into it without preformed opinions and was blown away by the story.

Zelda: The only thing that could have made this better is if Neil Gaiman read it to me himself.

Madeleine: Neil Gaiman read a bit of it to me! Well, me and a couple hundred other people. I was very lucky to get to see him when he stopped for a reading in Minnesota. Here’s a blurry picture from my phone that proves how close I was (third row).

Madeleine: I almost felt bad going—he had been up until 3 AM the night before signing things. Here I am promoting author abuse by attending his readings. But he was very gracious about everything. The evening as a whole was wonderful. And, you know, I proceeded to contribute to author abuse by getting my copy signed.

Zelda: You mentioned the cover earlier. Let us discuss the cover for a moment. Gorgeous. Just stunning. I love the title, the font…everything.

Madeleine: Did you know? There’s a picture on the back of the book of a child standing on a drainpipe—that’s a real picture of our esteemed author. I’ve heard that the book is a bit autobiographical. I can definitely see the unnamed narrator as a young Neil—bookish, thoughtful and aware, and able to see the supernatural in everyday life.

Zelda: I’ll admit, I cried a little bit before I even really knew the characters. For such a short book I was surprised at how much I cared about the characters and for how well developed they were.

Madeleine: At the reading, Gaiman talked a bit about how the book came about. He usually chooses to write his books, and plans them out. ‘The Ocean at the End of the Lane’ started out as a short story for his wife. He couldn’t tell where the story was going, but kept writing. He finished and looked at this word count and realized he had written a novel. I wonder if the characters and the story felt so real and organic, because they weren’t planned out, but came from some subconscious pool (or is it an ocean?) of story and myth.

Zelda: Gaiman has always impressed me but this was so creative and engaging that he brought himself to a whole new level. This was better than I thought it would be and I just want to tell everyone I see to read it. Maybe I am gushing too much and now someone will read this and then be disappointed, but I can't help it.

Madeleine: I agree.  ‘The Ocean at the End of the Lane’ may be my favorite book by Neil Gaiman yet. It’s a simple story, but it’s dark and beautiful and evocative.

Zelda: Just go read it. All I can say is you won't regret it.

Archived

Wow. I mean WOW. This book was so engrossing I don't even know what to say about it yet. I loved it. There. I loved it.

The plot. THE PLOT!! It's so genius and creepy and fantastic. Bodies shelved like books? Check. The Librarians are the only ones who can "read" them. Done. The bodies are called Histories and wake up sometimes and they have to be "re-shelved" creepy and sold. AND, as if you needed more convincing, murder!

I read some mixed reviews on this one and frankly that makes me sad. Don't over think it! Just enjoy the uniqueness of this and the fun characters. This was really well written and that is something all the mixed reviews agreed on. Some were questioning why the archive exists. Honestly, I didn't even think about that. I was told it exists by the author so it exists. I didn't any further explanation yet. I imagine book 2 will tell me more. Yes, this is a series. On the plus side, book 2 has a great cover that follows the same style, so kudos to your cover gods, Victoria Schwab. (C'mon January of 2014!! You will bring me a great book AND winter. We can't go wrong together!)

Wait for it, another book without absent parents?! Step back and enjoy the family life. Now there was death in the main family but her parents are still there. Through the whole book! I'm liking this trend. Do other authors just start out with some parents then they get to the end and say, "Oh shoot...they had parents didn't they? Well...maybe no one will noticed...yeah they won't notice." Well, we noticed.

Romantic interests. This is another one with a female character that didn't need to be saved every 5 seconds and wants some independence, but is open to some making out. I approve of this.

The next book is called Unbound and I have no idea where they will head with this one but I don't care. Sign me up. Where can I apply to be a Librarian here? I have no experience with dead bodies, but I'm willing to learn. Also, I can be a bit jumpy and I'm not a good runner but I could chase them if need be. For at least a minute.

Ok, I've rambled long enough. 5 stars to this lovely book.

Go read this. Seriously, drop what you're doing and go read this book.

Circumnavigating Fairyland

I loved 'The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making' by Catherynne Valente. You'll probably love it too if you like whimsical fantasy and/or playing with words and language and/or works by Neil Gaiman, Erin Morgenstern, Jasper Fforde, or even C. S. Lewis.

'The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland on a Ship of Her Own Making' is the story of September, a girl from Nebraska growing up during what seems to be World War II (she feels a bit abandoned by her father who is fighting abroad and by her mother who is working in an airplane factory). To her delight, the Green Wind shows up and offers to take her on an adventure to Fairyland, which she accepts without looking back because she is "Somewhat Heartless" (like all children), and a book-loving girl after my own heart who knows exactly what a trip to Fairyland means. She explores Fairyland, makes friends, and confronts the evil Marquess, whose recent changes to Fairyland have not been received well. Oh, and she builds a ship to circumnavigate Fairyland too.

Here are the top reasons why you should read this book.

• The title. Despite it's length and the fact that I can rarely remember it completely, who wouldn't want to read 'The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making'?

• The Wyverary. The Honorable Wyvern A-Through-L is a half-Wyvern (think dragon), half-library (his father was a library) who goes by Ell. His siblings grew up in the library with his siblings M-Through-S and T-Through-Z. Ell knows about anything that starts with the letters A through L, but is less helpful if you need to know what a Marid is. Ell becomes great friends with September and accompanies her on her quest. I'd like to adopt him.

• The language. I started bookmarking pages with quotations I wanted to share with you, but ended up with too many pages bookmarked. Here's what I mean:
• "The earth, my dear, is roughly trapezoidal, vaguely rhomboid, a bit of tesseract, and altogether grumpy when its fur is stroked the wrong way! In short, it is a puzzle, my autumnal acquisition, like the interlocking silver rings your aunt Margaret brought back from Turkey when you were nine" (5).
• "For the wishes of one's old life wither and shrivel like old leaves if they are not replaced with new wishes when the world changes. And the world always changes. Wishes get slimy, and their colors fade, and soon they are just mud, like all the rest of the mud, and not wishes at all, but regrets" (61).
• "That's what a map is, you know. Just a wish to go back home--someday, somehow" (169).

• The other characters, especially Lye, a golem made out of soap, and Saturday, a marid that September rescues and befriends, and Gleam, a paper lantern. Oh, and the green smoking jacket, a partially-anthropomorphized coat given to September by the Green Wind that I would very much like to own. 

'The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland on a Ship of Her Own Making' was a pleasure to read, and I'm looking forward to reading the next book, 'The Girl Who Fell Beneath Fairyland and Led the Revels There'. 5 stars.

The Fault in Our Stars

Warning: This review contains spoilers. If you haven't read The Fault in Our Stars, proceed at your own risk!

Even though The Fault in Our Stars by John Green is centered around two teens with cancer, it does not end up cliched or seem as if the author were trying too hard to make this story about cancer. This isn't a perfect book, but it doesn't disappoint.

Sixteen-year-old Hazel started off with thyroid cancer, but now it has moved to her lungs. Her and her oxygen tank go to a support group for teens with cancer every week, and it is there that she meets sweet, suave Augustus Waters. She is instantly attracted to him because he's hot and because he is of course smart, witty and sweet. Augustus or Gus had osteosarcoma and lost half of his leg due to the disease, but it seems that he is in remission. Hazel tries to resist falling in love with him because she knows she is going to die soon and doesn't want to hurt him, but it is inevitable (I mean he's gorgeous, intelligent, and sweet, so how couldn't she?!). The two lovebirds bond over Hazel's favorite book entitled An Imperial Affliction, and they travel to Amsterdam to visit the author, and it is there that they truly fall in love. It is only when they get back that Gus tells Hazel that his cancer has returned in full force. So, instead of Hazel dying and breaking Gus' heart, the opposite happens.

This book was well-written, and was very honest about what it means to have cancer and cope with all that comes with it. However, I didn't like how predictable it was in terms of Gus having cancer and dying instead of Hazel. I saw that coming right away. Even so, their love story is so real and believable. Green has done a wonderful job making these two teenagers come to life despite their bouts with cancer. I don't like some of the name-dropping of bands and movies and such in the dialogue but the story and characters were so great that I didn't mind too much.

Because I knew that someone was going to die, it was difficult to let myself love the characters because it was going to be a heartbreaking ending. I did not want to spend an evening sobbing on the couch. In consequence, I distanced myself from the characters so I wouldn't be so devastated when one of them died. I think this made the book less enjoyable since I wouldn't let myself become too caught up in the story and emotions.

I had heard so many good things about this book before reading it, that I had pretty high expectations. The Fault in Our Stars was all I expected it to be, but I wish I could have discovered it without having any preconceived notions about what kind of a book it would be.

Spy Camp

I love this series. Absolutely love it. Ben Ripley makes me so happy. Who knew I could love this one just as much as this first book? I enjoyed the adventures they went on in this one since they left the school and ventured into the wilderness to learn new spy tactics.

I was a bit annoyed time to time with how stupid they portrayed Hale. I know he is dumb and that is the point but at times it was a bit much. This did not detract for my overall enjoyment of the story.

This book is perfect for girls, boys or adults. It is quite fluffy and just frankly a lot of fun to read. I mean c'mon, spy school is such a great idea!! There is so much you can do and I just love the way the story flows so effortlessly.

Erica is such a badass. She is just so effortlessly cool. I can't get enough of her in these books. Ben has his little crush on her but I enjoy that the crush isn't such a big focus. It's there and you are reminded of it at times but it isn't overdone.

Let me also plug the author website right here. I went there to see on the off chance if he knew what book would come after Spy Camp and he has some really good places on there. You can print off his signature so you instantly have a signed copy of his books! There are also shirts available which I thought was pretty funny.

All in all, I am so happy that I've read these books. Can't wait for more from Ben Ripley!

Life After Life (After Life After Life...)

Remember the Choose Your Own Adventure books? If you were me, you would start a story and three steps in, you'd die or suffer some other horrible fate. So, you'd go back to the beginning, start again, but make a different decision when you died, only to die again two choices later. You'd start again, over and over, trying to get to a happy, satisfying ending, preferably one where you found a treasure chest of gold. Reading Life After Life by Kate Atkinson was a bit like listening to someone read aloud a Choose Your Own Adventure book, but with fewer ninjas, ant people, and abominable snowmen, and more twentieth century fates and well-developed characters. And much better writing.

Life After Life tells the story/stories of Ursula Todd. The book opens with a brief scene in 1930s Germany, when a young woman (Ursula) attempts to kill Hitler. From there, we jump back to February 11, 1910--the day Ursula is born in the middle of a snowstorm. The doctor isn't able to reach her mother in time, and she dies. We jump back to February 11th, this time the doctor makes it, and saves Ursula. Five years later, she drowns at the beach. The circle repeats, and this time a gentleman painting the beach scene sees Ursula and saves her. And Ursula slowly grows up, we see different versions of her life, with flashes back to very slightly different versions of February 11, 1910. Ursula doesn't completely remember her past lives, but she grows up with a disturbing sense of déjà vu that guides her (Spanish Flu turns out to be a particularly hard death to avoid).

Throughout the book, the opening scene with Hitler was in the back of my mind. Could she do it? Knowing what had happened, could she prevent the second world war--the war, the bombings, the genocide? The second half of the book really turns into a World War II novel (one of my favorite types of book), including one version of her life where Ursula ends up befriending Eva Braun, Hitler's longtime companion, prior to the war while living in Germany, giving her an unwelcome front row seat to everything.

While the premise and story were fascinating, what I really loved about this book were the well-written characters, especially her father, who calls her Little Bear, her very believable siblings (who range from the very likeable Pamela and Teddy to the rather repulsive Maurice), and her slightly crazy aunt, Izzie. Even Ursula is fascinating. She's always Ursula, but she is also slightly different each time according to her life experiences. I felt like I knew these characters by the end.

Speaking of the end of the book, the way to book wrapped up was my only real quarrel with it. I won't spoil anything, but I felt like I was missing something. The few chapters on the end seemed very random. I don't know why they were chosen to end the book. Did I miss the whole point of the book? What exactly was Atkinson trying to do? What did they mean? I have one other question about the end, but I need to find someone else who has read it to discuss it, because I don't want to spoil it for all of you!

In the end, this was a wonderful book--from the premise, to the writing, to the characters. It kept me interested and thinking the entire time. 5 stars.

Amped

About time I finally write a blog post!

Amped is a wonderful book written by Daniel H Wilson. I must say I was quite impressed to read in his author bio that he has a PhD in Robotics. I didn't know that was a thing, but I approve.

I have to start off by saying that I wasn't sure what to expect with this story. Amped takes you on a journey through the lives of those with medical implants that completely alter the brain. The main character, Owen, is an Amp. Owen has epilepsy but the implant prevents him from having seizures. Have a kid with ADD? No problem! Give them an implant and they will have improved m

ental focus. The implant can make you smarter, faster, and most of all, an apparent threat to the unaltered people of the world.

I was immediately hooked into this technology thriller. I couldn't wait to find out what happened to Owen. It took me a while to even figure out the main character and his personality which would usually turn me off from a story but this was so intriguing I couldn't wait to get on with the story.

The view we see from Owen's life begins when the Supreme Court has begun to pass laws that basically state that amps don't count as people. The "normal" community can't enter in contracts with the amps, which basically means they are left homeless, jobless and in a whole new class of undesirable status. Why would anyone want to do that? We all know that is going to be a bad idea. Who let them vote that in?!

Joseph Vaughn (the nemesis of the amp communities) and fear let them vote that in. That is the scariest part of this story. I could actually see something awful happening in the book that could be real. Fear and lack of understanding create a lot of the problems we currently have in our world and sometimes it seems as though technology is only hurting us. I love technology but that doesn't mean I don't worry about it running our lives. Hell, it kind of does already.

I can't wait to read others by this author. His writing is fast paced and so refreshingly honest. I loved this.