Quick Summary - The Tucks accidentally drank from a spring that makes them incapable of injury and, more importantly, unable to die. They're somewhat...moreQuick Summary - The Tucks accidentally drank from a spring that makes them incapable of injury and, more importantly, unable to die. They're somewhat social outcasts and unable to stay in one place for a long time because soon their friends and neighbors noticed the Tucks' odd proclivity to never age! When Winnie Foster comes across their spring of everlasting life, this complicates their lives considerably and leads to a new challenge in their lives.
Tuck Everlasting is an adorable and sweet book - and a quick read to boot! It harkens back to an earlier age in young adult literature when more was expected out of young readers. The beautiful descriptions, the slightly elevated vocabulary, the use of metaphors and similes, and the writing style in general creates a good elementary primer on more advanced literary topics. It's a great book to include in a 5th grade curriculum to introduce students to these ideas. Rather than including current books that focus more on sensationalism and easy reading in a curriculum, this book has all the necessary elements to draw students in while also challenging them to a more advanced reading level. Highly recommend!!!(less)
Quick Summary - The Blue Bistro follows a woman with a transient lifestyle as a hotel concierge who starts a job as a Nantucket restaurant assistant m...moreQuick Summary - The Blue Bistro follows a woman with a transient lifestyle as a hotel concierge who starts a job as a Nantucket restaurant assistant manager after being left penniless by her scumbag boyfriend. Over the course of the novel she learns the ways of the restaurant world, rubs shoulders with important and wealthy Nantucket residents, makes friends, and finds love.
The Blue Bistro is an okay beach read - I went in with exactly those expectations and, after the slow-ish start up, was fairly entertained for the majority of the book. The best parts were by far centered around Adrienne's (main character) shifts in the restaurant, which are well-written in Hilderbrand's fast paced style. I have to say that the underlying "mystery" is INCREDIBLY weak, bordering on pathetic. Within the first couple chapters readers have solved this "mystery" and it's really not that earth-shattering. The love story is expected, predictable, and (while fun to read) slightly boring. Overall, if not for the restaurant moments this book would have been a dud. There are so many beach reads out there that it's not necessary to clutter your bookshelf with this one!(less)
Dan Ariely attacks an interesting aspect of cognition - how we may not be as in control of our own behaviors/tendencies as we tend to believe. Really,...moreDan Ariely attacks an interesting aspect of cognition - how we may not be as in control of our own behaviors/tendencies as we tend to believe. Really, this is a book that is riding the wave of "pop psychology" books, first popularized by Malcolm Gladwell and his trio of books (Outliers, The Tipping Point, etc). Ariely is clearly very qualified in writing about cognitive influences - the amount of studies that he participated/co-wrote/spearheaded is astounding. Perhaps because of the sheer amount of knowledge Ariely has on the subject, he bites off more than he can chew. The first few chapters are gripping and truly eye-opening - the impact of "free," our ability to be persuaded, how advertisers harness all of this to their best abilities. But after these chapters, the book becomes a somewhat tedious process during which Ariely tries to cram the multitude of studies he has performed into a small space. Consequentially, some topics are covered so fast that you're left with an abrupt ending, while other studies languish over many chapters for no particular reason. Ariely had a great idea for a book, had a great beginning, and apparently had a fast approaching publishing deadline. I wish that he would have taken more time (and perhaps more pages/another book) to cover topics in a better, more complete manner and that he would not feel the pressure to include every study he has ever participated in!(less)
Wonderful book! After reading my "kids'" summer reading books I was incredibly disappointed...what were these teachers thinking??? Thank goodness for...moreWonderful book! After reading my "kids'" summer reading books I was incredibly disappointed...what were these teachers thinking??? Thank goodness for City of Ember, which restored my faith in current children's literature! Reminiscent of sci-fi classics such as Ender's Game, but with a more modern, relevant twist. The people of the City of Ember live underground (although are unaware of this) and the first "pioneers" were brought there approximately 240 years ago. The original Builders of the city expected the city only to last 220 years, and outfitted it as such. Storage rooms full of light bulbs (the only source of light), canned foods, and the other comforts of life are consequentially running out - as is the generator that provides power to their light bulbs. Doon and Lina, two 12-year-olds who recently ended their schooling and began their lifetime jobs, become the rebels in the Ember community. Doon has felt the deterioration of Ember for quite a while and uses his job as a Pipeworks repairman to try to solve the secret of the generator. Lina has discovered a box that has been passed down through her family for generations - the Builders placed a note in it that details the escape plan for citizens of Ember. Using the note Lina found (which her sister Poppy managed to rip to shreds) and Doon's access to the Pipeworks, the two do what the adults in Ember have failed to imagine - look for an escape from their own city.(less)
**spoiler alert** Not worth re-reading and/or suggesting to anyone else. Although at times it was funny, overall I felt bad for the characters and mys...more**spoiler alert** Not worth re-reading and/or suggesting to anyone else. Although at times it was funny, overall I felt bad for the characters and myself! I felt like the author was talking down to me, the fact that the protagonist is a 30 year old woman who narrates in a more juvenile way than her 16 year old sister makes her INCREDIBLY hard to empathize with or to root for at all...
Basic Summary - Isabel Spellman works as a PI for her parents and has a 15-year-old sister who is a bit crazy but idolizes Isabel. The driving force behind the entire novel is that Isabel believes her parents' new neighbor is suspicious...and that's it. She stalks him, tries to break into a less than exciting locked room in his apartment, follows him, etc etc...Perhaps not surprisingly, he turns out being a good guy with valid reasons behind his "suspicious behavior." Really. That's it. This only comes to a head in the last two chapters or so. The only way readers can get through the rest of the book is with the comic relief of Rae (Isabel's sister) and Henry Stone - a cop who has somehow become sucked into the weirdness of the Spellman family and adopted Rae as his own personal project (mainly because he can't get rid of her).
Not the WORST but definitely left me feeling less than satisfied.(less)
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