false 4 78 77 true 5627824 read 1 true 1130430 currently-reading 0 true 1130429 to-read 27 false 1130481 realistic-fiction 18 false 1611225 being-different 12 false 1796195 thrillers-and-adventure 9 false 1134066 world-historical-fiction 9 false 1134095 humorous 8 false 1130494 non-fiction 8 false 1134032 fantasy 7 false 1134240 graphic-novels 7 false 1134061 american-historical-fiction 6 false 1796575 survival 5 false 1130498 biographies-and-memoirs 4 false 1134023 science-fiction 4 false 1786372 if-you-like-jane-austen 3 false 1134067 poetry 2 false 1130490 futuristic 2 false 1134081 award-winners 2 false 2238942 beliefs 2 false 1134323 mysteries 1 false 2012251 if-you-like-harry-potter 1 false 1198231 glbtq 1 false 1134069 classics 0 false 1134074 horror http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/14788667 to: The White Darkness (Hardcover) by Geraldine McCaughrean
bookshelves: award-winners, being-different, realistic-fiction, survival, thrillers-and-adventure
2008 Printz Award Winner

Sym is in love with Titus Oates, the legendary (and very dead) Antarctic explorer. Well, a girl needs a best friend when she's a half-deaf freak! So when Uncle Victor kidnaps -- errr, creatively borrows -- Sym and takes her on a trip to the Antarctic, she's thrilled. But the Antarctic is a beautiful, harsh land. When Uncle Victor's mad obssessions take them beyond the camp, Sym has to figure out what (and who) she really believes. Nothing it what it seems... especially in the Antarctic.

Sym is the ultimate unreliable narrator, and as the plot unfolds, the people surrounding her will send chills down your spine. I like how Sym takes control of her life and finds brilliance & strength inside herself. It just takes some time to get into the story (slow starter!).

Read this if you want a topsy-turvy, first-person, confusing puzzle of a story!

--Courtney

]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/35792700 My Bonny Light Horseman: Being an Account of the Further Adventures of Jacky Faber, in Love and War (Bloody Jack, Book 6) by L.A. Meyer
bookshelves: currently-reading
]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/35791751 to: Bound (Mass Market Paperback) by Donna Jo Napoli
bookshelves: survival, world-historical-fiction
Xing Xing's father is dead, and she is stuck living with her stepmother and half sister in China during the Ming Dynasty. Her stepmother binds her sister's feet so that they become "golden lilies" and Wing Pei may marry well... but the feet are infected. And the money is running out. As Stepmother gets crueler everyday, Xing Xing must find a way to save herself: no fairy godmothers, no loving princes, no magical balls. Experience the story of Cinderella in a way you never imagined.

I'm fascinated by the way that our cultures influence our concepts of beauty -- like the bound feet (or "golden lilies") that endured for centuries in China. Xing Xing is strong, letting neither stereotypes nor social limitations hold her back, while remaining a compassionate person. Totally fascinating character. This heroine rocks!

Read this if you believe that life is more than our circumstances: it's what we make it out to be!

--Courtney ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/35790853 to: Quiet, Please: Dispatches From A Public Librarian (Hardcover) by Scott Douglas
bookshelves: biographies-and-memoirs
Experience the real world of pubic libarianship. Whether it's the polite family looking for Dr. Seuss, the rude adult who threatens to beat you up, or the crazy lady who'd like to sue the extraterrestrial aliens living in her basement -- it's all at the library. It's no joke to say that it can be an exhilirating, sometimes terrifying, often rewarding job. Because this is the public library: where everyone (and he means EVERYONE) is welcome. And it's your job to serve them all.

What can I say? I thought this was an awesome book. If you think being a librarian is quiet and bookish, you're in for a ride. And if you want to know if it's all true, ask any librarian: the craziest things happen at the library. That's what makes it one of the most entertaining, challenging, cool jobs in the world.

Read this if you want the library you thought you knew to become a bigger, louder, funnier place!

--Courtney ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/35786974 to: Breaking Dawn (Twilight, #4) by Stephenie Meyer
bookshelves: thrillers-and-adventure
Marriage may not have been Bella's intention, but as her wedding day draws closer, she knows that it is the best thing she'll ever do. Who wouldn't want to be married to Edward forever? But Edward will have to keep his part of the bargain: to make Bella a vampire, so she can spend eternity with him. If he doesn't, the Volturi will come to destroy them all. If he does, the werewolves will see it as a violation of the treaty, and kill them all. Sometimes, love means losing your life.

Okay, I'm not going to lie: parts of this book weirded me out. Seriously. I know that a lot of people loved it, but I think she tried to cram way too much into this final book! I would have split this into two novels: becoming a vampire, and facing the Volturi. However, it was still a satisfyingly fairy-tale ending -- and how would could we ask for anything less when it comes to Bella and Edward?

Read this if you believe that true love does conquer all!

--Courtney ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/35630033 to: The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Vol. 1: The Pox Party (Hardcover) by M.T. Anderson
bookshelves: american-historical-fiction
]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/33821181 to: An Abundance of Katherines (Hardcover) by John Green
Can mathematical formulas actually predict when relationships will end? Colin Singleton, who fears that his high point in life passed when he made it onto an obscure gameshow for child geniuses, certainly thinks so! After Colin ends up on the "dumpee" end of his 19th relationship with a Katherine, he and his friend Hassan set out on an epic road trip to Gutshot, Tennessee, where they hope to figure themselves out...and maybe, just maybe, meet some girls who aren't named Katherine!

Like Pudge in Looking for Alaska, Colin is searching for truth and happiness in life, and he can only begin to discover those by drastically changing his course and stepping outside of his comfort zone into the unknown. If you enjoyed Alaska's mix of life lessons, philosophy, humor and esoteric facts, you'll find more of it here. Be prepared for a bit of a math lesson!

--Ian ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/33175811 to: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time (Paperback) by Mark Haddon
bookshelves: being-different, humorous, mysteries, realistic-fiction
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time has to rank as one of the most unique perspectives I've ever seen in a book. The entire story is narrated by Christopher, a highly-functioning, mathematically brilliant autistic 15-year-old. He lives largely alone in his head, and his existence is thrown for a loop when he discovers that Wellington, his neighbor's dog, has been brutally murdered. With his amazing powers of logic and love for Sherlock Holmes stories, Christopher launches an investigation into the killing.

If you've ever wondered how those with autism view and interact with the world, this book will enlighten you. Haddon treats his character with the utmost sensitivity and respect. Christopher's perspective is hilarious and heartbreaking; I loved the way that he could articulate the minute details of human behavior and his surroundings that many people wouldn't normally pay a passing thought to. In addition to math, Christopher has an amazing knack for facts and observation, although he doesn't generally catch nuances, which leads to trouble from time to time! Give this one a try if you're tired of the same old perspectives.

--Ian
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