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<![CDATA[Jessica added 'Monster']]>
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/65648724
to: Monster (Paperback)byWalter Dean Myers
This was kind of a gut-wrenching book. Steve is stuck in jail pending his trial for murder – he allegedly served as the lookout during a robbery gone bad. At sixteen, he has to deal with the realities of jail, as well as the possibility that he might spend the rest of his life in prison. As a narrator I found Steve to be both reliable and realistically confused, which gives the book an honest, forthright feel. The use of the script/film technique pushed both Steve and the reader to view the situation in different ways. Some of the most touching scenes revolved around Steve, as filmmaker, trying to understand how others see him.
What I liked most about this book was that it was about Steve. While there is definitely commentary on the criminal justice system, that commentary is only there are as a result of Steve’s personal story. I’d recommend this one as an interesting and personal examination of one teen’s – fictional – experience with the criminal justice system.
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<![CDATA[Jessica added 'Walking Across Egypt']]>
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/78451605
Walking Across Egypt (Ballantine Reader's Circle)
byClyde Edgerton bookshelves: book-club,
to-read
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<![CDATA[Jessica
is on page 25 of Life of Pi
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http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2032459
Jessica
is on page 25 of 319 of
Life of Pi
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<![CDATA[Jessica added 'The White Darkness']]>
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/65310983
to: The White Darkness (Hardcover)byGeraldine McCaughrean
I enjoyed this book. It was very atmospheric - both in setting and in tone. I loved that Sym was in love with Titus Oates and thought that he was one of the best characters. I really enjoyed learning about the history of the exploration of Antarctica. It did frustrate me that Sym seemed a little too naive sometimes, but she's a teen. I liked the adventure aspects, and there's a twist! Also, the writing is smart. In the end, it's not just the setting that makes this book worth reading.
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<![CDATA[Jessica added 'Catching Fire']]>
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/74412163
to: Catching Fire (Hunger Games, #2)bySuzanne Collins bookshelves: book-club
Katniss is home in her fancy house next to Peeta’s and Haymitch’s fancy houses in District 12, waiting to go on tour. Though she and Peeta won the Games, things are still scary because those in charge at the Capital were very displeased with what they saw as Katniss’s act of rebellion in forcing two winners. Also, there are mumblings of uprisings in other districts. And then, it comes time for the 75th Hunger Games.
I didn’t find this book to be as compelling as The Hunger Games. Catching Fire seemed, to me, to be very contrived at every turn. I kept getting pulled out of the book by questioning whether that would have really happened, would that character really have reacted that way? I think I was still emotionally wrung out by The Hunger Games and was not ready to go through it all again. Still, it was a pleasing sequel in that all of the characters are present and accounted for, those very characters are in peril, and there are a lot of twists.
As I mentioned in my review of The Hunger Games yesterday, I’m missing my book club’s discussion of these two books, so I’m purging some random thoughts below. Beware of some spoilers.
Stars – This one only gets three stars. It was enjoyable, but not quite up to par for me. I just keeping thinking that word – contrived.
Contrivances – Really? Really? Peeta and Katniss back in the Hunger Games? Really?? Really?
Motivations – Everyone’s motivations are shifting around and are unclear in this one. Prim, clearly, is no longer the driving factor in Katniss’s actions. Is Gale? Is Peeta? Is her allegiance to the alleged uprising?
Uprisings – Would the districts really see Katniss as the symbol of the uprising? Would they react that way to her suicide pact idea?
The Fade Out - Okay, someone please tell me. Did Katniss and Peeta just sleep together, or did they “sleep” together?
The Baby – Yeah, this might belong up in motivations. The alleged pregnancy seemed, again, like a plot contrivance that appeared when needed and disappeared as convenient.
The Games – I did like the whole clock set up. And some of the new characters were cool. I liked the reappearance of the mockingjays, and wasn’t the force field thingy cool?
Team Gale v. Team Peeta – I’m still pretty clearly on Team Peeta. I like Gale and all, but there’s just something about that smooth-talking Peeta.
Hmm . . . apparently I had more issues with this one than I thought. What do you think?
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<![CDATA[Jessica added 'The Wednesday Sisters: A Novel']]>
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/78202709
to: The Wednesday Sisters: A Novel (Hardcover)byMeg Waite Clayton
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<![CDATA[Jessica added 'Life of Pi']]>
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2032459
Life of Pi (Paperback)
byYann Martel bookshelves: currently-reading
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<![CDATA[Jessica added 'Bud, Not Buddy']]>
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/78125052
to: Bud, Not Buddy (Audio CD)byChristopher Paul Curtis
Bud is a ten-year old left on his own during the depression after his mother died. He’s a spunky narrator, who has developed mechanisms for dealing with life in “the home” and in various foster homes. He’s also developed Bud Caldwell’s Rules and Things for Having a Funner Life and Making a Better Liar Out of Yourself. When things at a foster home go poorly, Bud goes on the lam and sets out to find his father.
I really enjoyed Bud as a narrator. He sees things in a childlike way, but with a touch of road-weariness. It was interesting to have the story unfold during the Depression. At times it was hard to imagine a ten-year-old out on his own, but apparently it wasn’t all that uncommon during the time period. And the rest of the characters in this book are well-drawn and memorable. The audio book was really good quality. It was narrated by James Avery, who I just realized was the uncle in Fresh Prince of Bel Air. I enjoyed this one enough, I’d recommend it on audio or in print.
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<![CDATA[Jessica added 'Let It Snow: Three Holiday Stories']]>
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/77983142
to: Let It Snow: Three Holiday Stories (Paperback)byJohn Green
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<![CDATA[Jessica added 'Tender Morsels']]>
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/77660975
Tender Morsels (Hardcover)
byMargo Lanagan bookshelves: to-read
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