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2016 Reads and Reviews(Part 1) ~ Anything goes
Redwall
– Brian Jacques – 5***** What a wonderful story; I was engaged from beginning to end. Every mouse of Redwall Abbey has taken a solemn oath to never harm another living creature, unless it is an enemy seeking to harm the Order by violence. I love this message of peaceful coexistence and tolerance. The mice are willing to live-and-let-live, but they will defend to the death against those who seek to overtake their peaceable kingdom. Jacques filled the book with detailed descriptions which serve to really put the reader right into Mossflower County. It’s entertaining, scary, exciting, and inspiring. I think I’ll read more of this middle-grade series for the sheer joy of it.
LINK to my review
The Young Samurai: The Way of the Warrior - Chris Brandford5*
This book was a positive number one book for me. This is for YA or younger but that didn't stop me from enjoying this story at all. Here is Jack Fletcher a 12 year old on board the Alexandria from England to Japan. His father has the rutter (a book that shows how to get to Japan which is rare indeed at this time since the Dutch are the only ones who know how to get there). Jack has become a Monkey on board, meaning he can scale the rigging extremely well. They have come into many storms but the worse seem to be right before they get to Japan. The ship is badly damaged and stuck on a reef on one of the islands of Japan. They hope to fix the ship before any Pirates attach them, but unfortunately that doesn't happen. All on board are killed by these ninja pirates and they are looking for the Rutter but his father has hidden it in his cabin. He gives Jack the key and he goes to get it, unfortunately his father is killed by the Pirate in charge and the boat explodes and seems to kill everyone. Jack wakes up in a Japanese house and will now after he heals will be taken into this family as member of the Masamoto family. Of course not everyone is pleased with this but the father is not to be dissuaded. What happens after this is a great story of how Jack learns to live in Japan and become a Warrior. I can't wait to read the next if it is as great as this one.
Defenders of the Damned, Alan Hynd4 stars
This was a great book, full of really rollicking stories about the three famous attorneys -- Earl Rogers, Clarence Darrow (who once hired Earl Rogers to represent him) and William Fallon -- whose brief biographies are in this book. These are stories of wrecked marriages, shady dealings and legal maneuvers nobody could get away with today, aside from all the crazy stories of the people these men represented and the powerful people they made into enemies. There is not a single dull line in these pages. Read it.
Mod
A Town Like Alice
Nevil Shute
1950
4/5 stars
Jean Paget, an Englishwoman is stuck in Malaya during the Japanese invasion during WWII. The Japanese don't want to have anything to do with the women POWs and they are forced to march from prison of war camp to prison of war camp. Along the way she meets an Australian who is very impressed with her and vice a versa. They are forced to part and neither knows what really happened to each other till long after the war ends when Jean travels to Australia to try and find him. I enjoyed this engaging story very loosely based on the true story of women and children prisoners of war during WWII in Malaya. Hard to put down.
Julie wrote: "A Town Like Alice
Nevil Shute
1950
4/5 stars
Jean Paget, an Englishwoman is stuck in Malaya during the Japanese invasion during WWI..."
Loved that book!! Glad you liked it :)
A Little Princess
by Frances Hodgson Burnett, 4****sSuch a cute little book of Sara Crewe, whose father, stationed in India, sends her to boarding school in England. When she starts there she has lots of income which satisfies the insecure, jealous matron of the school. However, when things go downhill for Sara's father and his fortune, Sara's daily life takes a landslide downward. However, she is a very mature child and tries to act like she thinks a princess would act, with a fortune or without. And therein lays the story of her reaction to her situation and her encouragement of others. There is also an ongoing search for a mystery child which culminates at the end of the book. I enjoyed this children's book very much, and think it would be a wonderful book to read along with a child and discuss how he/she might react in a similar situation. I highly recommend this book :)
Mod
by Frances Hodgson Burnett, 4****sSuch a cute little book of Sara Crewe, whose father, stationed in India, sends her to boarding sc..."
I have not read this but I remember fondly the Shirley Temple movie based on the book.
Julie wrote: "Terris wrote: "A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett, 4****sSuch a cute little book of Sara Crewe, whose father, stationed in India, sends her..."
I can just imagine her playing the part!
Black Beauty
– Anna Sewell – 4**** I had a copy of this book when I was a child, but for some reason I never read it, even during my “horse crazy” phase. I’m so glad I finally got to it. It’s a timeless tale with a simple message: Be kind to everyone (and everything). Sewell manages to convey this through Beauty’s experiences, both good and bad. The hardcover text edition I got from the library was also beautifully illustrated by Lucy Kemp-Welch.
LINK to my review
Mod
The Rosie Effect
Graeme Simsion
3/5 stars
This book is the sequel to The Rosie Project. In this story Don, an autistic genetics professor and his wife, Rosie move from Australia to New York City. Rosie finds herself under stress due to trying to complete 2 fields of study when she finds out she is pregnant. Don, who has trouble coping with most things, is thrown with the news of the pregnancy and tries to research children to help with the pregnancy but it lands him in trouble. Nice follow up to the first book.
Julie wrote: "The Rosie Effect
Graeme Simsion
3/5 stars
This book is the sequel to The Rosie Project. In this story Don, an autistic genetic..."
I liked this one, but I like the first book better :)
People of the Deer
– Farley Mowatt – 4**** Farley Mowatt examines the various factors that led to the demise of The People of the Deer in this fascinating book. He went into the vast Barren Plains of North central Canada to study the caribou, and the Ihalmiut people who depended on “the deer” for their very existence, living among them in the late 1940s, when their tribe had dwindled from several thousand in about 1900 to less than 50 individuals in 1947.
LINK to my review
The Ex-Debutante
– Linda Francis Lee – ZERO stars Where to start? Cardboard characters. Tortured dialogue. Ridiculous plot. “Clever” writing devices that aren’t. This is just a disaster.
LINK to my review
Malinche
– Laura Esquivel – 4**** Malinalli was a Native woman from Tabasco, whose ability to speak Spanish as well as two native languages brought her to the attention of Hernan Cortes. In this lyrical, poetic novel, Esquivel gives us a strong woman with deeply held beliefs who wanted to free her people, and realized her mistake far too late. I love Esquivel’s writing. Her imagery is vivid and tangible. This is a decidedly Mexican novel. Esquivel infuses the story with magical realism, mysticism, and spirituality. It reminds me of the oral story traditions of my grandparents.
LINK to my review
The Lost Girls
by Heather Young, 4****sI really liked this book! I don't know if I can review it without going into a lot of detail, so I'll try to keep it very basic if I can:
This is the story of a family with three daughters and the youngest one goes missing. The rest of the book is about how her absence affects the family. But, how the youngest sister goes missing is not a major part of the story until almost the end. Just the effect of her being gone is the major theme: how it affects the dad, mom, the two older sisters, and some of the community.
Now, the other interesting part is that the whole book is told by two different people: one part is told in first person by one of the older sisters starting back in the 1930's during the summer that the whole "missing sister" mystery began. The other story is told in the present by the granddaughter of the other older sister in third person! Are you confused yet?! I thought I was going to be, but as soon as I figured out who was telling which part of the story, I really liked both stories equally, and they both held my attention.
I will say that it was not really fast-paced until you start to get about three-fourths of the way through, then I couldn't put it down! Because there are two stories going simultaneously, there are two pretty big climaxes that happen, one after the other.
I really did like this story and the author's writing style a lot, and would definitely read other books that she writes!
Mod
The Night Gardener
by The Fan Brothers
The Fan brothers did a wonderful job with this beautiful children's picture book about a gardener who comes around at night and makes changes to a neighborhood which inspires a young boy and changes a neighborhood. A must read for a children's picture book collection or for those young at heart.
Book Concierge wrote: " The Ex-Debutante
– Linda Francis Lee – ZERO stars
Where to start? Cardboard characters. Tortured dialogue. Ridiculous plot. “Clever” writing devices that a..."
So, that's a thumbs down? :)
Just started The Mermaids Singing. So far I love it.
Mod
The Sellout
Paul Beatty
4/5 stars
Bonbon, a black man lives and farms in Dickens, California. He had been raised by a hard man with a different way of looking at education which was why he was home schooled. In the meantime, Dickens has been removed as a town. Bonbon with the help of his friend Hominy, a former Little Rascal, tries to get Dickens back on the map. He also tries changing the education system in the town by segregating the school with unexpected results.
This is a hard book to review and I am afraid I don't have the skills to do a good review of this year's Man Booker Prize. Never the less, it was a book hard to put down. Witty, funny, thought provoking and outrageous is what comes to mind while I was reading this book. Not everyone will appreciate the topic of this dark satire but this book will remain in my memory for a long time.
Julie wrote: "The Sellout
Paul Beatty
4/5 stars
Bonbon, a black man lives and farms in Dickens, California. He had been raised by a hard man with a..."
This book sounds totally loopy and thus irresistible.
The Mermaids Singing by Lisa Carey4 stars!
I approached this book cautiously, but once I started reading I could not stop. Much of the story takes place in Ireland and I was afraid it would be another teary-eyed paean to the greatness of the Irish heritage and all the blarney and Guinness that go with that. Luckily, the book went off in a totally different direction, focusing on three generations of women in a family from the Isle of Mermaids, and how they struggle to figure out who they are, how to use their considerable powers as three different kinds of beautiful women, and above all, how they can somehow learn to stand each other. Acting as a backdrop for that story is the legend about the mermaids dragging human men to their deaths in the ocean and the figure of a pirate queen who also used to inhabit the island, inspiring terror in all who crossed her. The story is beautifully written and quite thought-provoking, although it's so focused on women's issues I don't think male readers would be able to see the point.
Mod
The Sellout
Paul Beatty
4/5 stars
Bonbon, a black man lives and farms in Dickens, California. He had been raised by a h..."
Definitely!
Mod
C is for Corpse
– Sue Grafton – 3*** I love Kinsey Millhone; she’s smart, determined, hard-working, loyal to her friends, and strong in mind and body. I also like that Grafton occasionally gives us a little humor to ease the tension of some very dark situations. It’s an entertaining series, and I’ll keep reading it.
LINK to my review
I continue to read Caldecot-winning picture books for a challenge ...
Song of the Swallows
– Leo Politi – 4**** This lovely picture book tells the story of the Swallows of Capistrano. Full of the soft light of a summer evening, the detailed illustrations give me the same feeling of peace as a walk through a garden. I can practically hear the tinkle of the fountain, or the twitter of the birds, and smell the roses.
LINK to my review
Summer
– Edith Wharton – 3.5*** Wharton’s novel of a young woman’s awakening sexuality shocked readers when it was first published in 1917. Wharton knew the social makeup of turn-of-the century America, and used her novels to explore the nuances of the “rules” – spoken and unspoken – by which people, especially women, had to live. It’s a slim novel, and a great introduction to Wharton’s writing.
LINK to my review
Cinderella
– Marcia Brown – 4**** This is a new translation / adaptation of Charles Perrault’s famous story, with wonderful illustrations by Marcia Brown. What I really like about this version of the story is the way that Cinderella is portrayed as a very kind young woman, but clearly not a doormat. She speaks up for herself when it counts.
LINK to my review
Mod
The Girl with All the Gifts
M.R. Carey
4/5 stars
Melanie and others like her, were rounded up and sent to a medical facility to be studied. She is a zombie, who feeds on the flesh of others but there is something different about her and she is befriended and protected by her teacher. When the facility is overrun, Melanie, 2 soldiers, her teacher and the doctor studying the zombies get away, trying to reach a different facility.
Books about zombies are not my idea of a good read but I could not put this book down. Exciting and heart warming.
Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm by Kate Douglas Wiggin, 4****sThis is just an adorable book about a sweet, outgoing, intelligent girl with a wonderful optimistic view of life and how she touches the lives of those she comes in contact with. Yes, it's very similar to Anne of Green Gables, Pollyanna, and Heidi. But if you love those girls, you'll also love Rebecca!
I remember reading this when I was very young. My sister gave me this book and told me I would enjoy it and she was right. Lovely story.
Charlene wrote: "I remember reading this when I was very young. My sister gave me this book and told me I would enjoy it and she was right. Lovely story."I also thought I had read it years ago but it wasn't on any of my "you have read" lists. And when I read it, it didn't seem familiar (as a reread) at all! I know it's a children's book, but it just makes me feel good :)
Why The Monkees Matter: Teenagers, Television and American Pop Culture by Rosanne Welch, 4****sA very well-written, informative, insightful book about the influence of The Monkees on "Teenagers, Television, and American Pop Culture." I enjoyed it very much. Which Monkee was your favorite? ;)
Mod
Why The Monkees Matter: Teenagers, Television and American Pop Culture by Rosanne Welch, 4..."The Beatles were breaking up when I got into music so The Monkees, The Partridge Family and Bobby Sherman were some of the first groups/singers I got into. I think Mickey was my favorite though everyone else was into Davy Jones.
Warden Ragen of Joliet, Gladys Erickson with Joseph Ragen4 stars
This is not just the memoir of the pioneering warden of the notorious prisons at Joliet and Menard; it contains the biographies of some of the inmates (both the tall and the small), and the biography, in effect, of the Illinois prison system itself, going all the way back to the beginning when one of the inmates was a 76-year-old veteran of the American Revolution. This book talks about what does and doesn't work in running a prison; the particular challenges Ragen was facing when he was appointed to take over in the 1930s; and how everything Ragen built stood to collapse whenever the state got a new governor. Notably, I only found the book dragged when they were describing the step-by step process of this or that inmate's escape. Things picked up again when they got back into describing how the warden focused on making these prisons into safe places for convicts to learn to re-enter society with a set of skills and a sense of hope for the future. I found this book very, very educational.
Julie wrote: "Terris wrote: "Why The Monkees Matter: Teenagers, Television and American Pop Culture by R..."Oh, that's so funny! I know so many people liked Davy, but the other three all have their "lovers" too. I guess you're one of them ;)
The Mother Tongue: English and How It Got That Way by Bill Bryson, 4****sA wonderful history of English, with all of its eccentricities and word-play. If you like words, then you'll like this book! And if you are a Bill Bryson fan, as I am, you won't be disappointed :)
Mod
Why The Monkees Matter: Teenagers, Television and American Pop Culture by Rosanne Welch, 4...""Hark hark my love."
**sniggers**
Long story
Esperanza Rising
by Pam Munoz Ryan, 4****sA wonderful story about a thirteen-year-old Mexican girl, Esperanza, from a well-to-do family who, after the death of her father, is forced to move with her mother and family servants to southern California. They must become migrant workers picking fruits and vegetables and living in a migrant camp. Through the eyes of this privileged child, the reader learns how it feels to "come down" in life, and also how it feels to be "looked down on" by others because of one's ethnicity and social standing, or lack thereof.
Esperanza also does a lot of growing up because of missing her grandmother who doesn't get to come along with them when they leave Mexico, and because of her mother's illness. She has to do a lot of growing up fast.
This story is based on the author's own grandmother's story, and it gives some of the history of migrant workers in the 1930's. It really is a story that includes several different issues that could be taught to younger children and middle-aged children. And even I, as an adult, was interested in learning of this era! Now I understand why it is on Amazon's Top 100 Children's Books List!
Money, Money, Money
– Ed McBain – 3.5**** This is the first book by McBain that I’ve read, and it will not be the last! Fast-paced, intricate plotting and colorful characters make for a quick and enjoyable read, despite the high body count. It may be Christmas but the criminals are busy, and so are the police. I was interested from page one to the very end.
LINK to my review
Time of Wonder
– Robert McCloskey – 5***** McCloskey is probably best known for Make Way for Ducklings, but I think I like this book even more. Here the reader explores an island with two girls. The illustrations are simply beautiful – in color, detail, scope, feel. Some are bright at a summer day, others muted by “fog.” The stars sparkle in the night sky, and the waves pound the shore during a storm.
LINK to my review
Book Concierge wrote: " Money, Money, Money
– Ed McBain – 3.5****
This is the first book by McBain that I’ve read, and it will not be the last! Fast-paced, intricate plotting ..."
I recently read The Blackboard Jungle by Evan Hunter and really enjoyed it. Then I found out that Evan Hunter is Ed McBain! I thought that was kind of interesting. I haven't read any Ed McBain books, but I may have to after reading your review! ;)
Long Man
– Amy Greene – 4**** Greene delivers a riveting story that explores the question: What cost, progress? The Dodson’s loss of their home is representative of the hundreds of families displaced by such projects. The novel is peopled with strong characters, with tangled relationships. Their competing loyalties are what made the decisions so difficult: to stay or to go, to delay or to embrace change
LINK to my review
Gimme a Call by Sarah Mlynowski, 3.5 ***sThis is a cute YA novel about Devi, as a high school senior, having the ability to call on her cellphone (mysteriously) back to her freshman self -- time travel! It is about how senior Devi tries to tell freshman Devi how to live her life to make things turn out better for her at the end of her senior year (got that?). However, every time freshman Devi does something different than she did in her original history, things change immediately for senior Devi which turns out to be pretty funny -- sometimes! But in the end both freshman and senior selves learn important lessons about life. It was light and enjoyable. I listened to the audio book and Cassandra Campbell did an excellent job of reading, as usual :)
Mod
The Lady And Her Monsters
Roseanne Montillo
4/5 stars
This was a very interesting book and it covers a multitude of topics surrounding Mary Shelley's life and her famous book Frankenstein including grave stealing, re-animation of tissue, medicine, literature and the social mores during the time period. The author even covers the strange story of what happened to the BBC's Alastair Cooke's remains.
Truly Madly Guilty
by Liane Moriarty, 4****sThis is an interesting story of three couples and how one afternoon barbecue changes all their lives. And in true Liane Moriarty style, the reader doesn't get to know "what happened" until at least half way through the book. So the mystery of trying to figure it out makes the story even more exciting. I have enjoyed three of Moriarty's books and will look around for more!
I read, and loved, both The Piano Teacher: The True Story of a Psychotic Killer and Alone: Orphaned on the Ocean. Not so thrilled with Rising Tide: The Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 and How It Changed America but really loved Category 5: The Story of Camille, Lessons Unlearned from America's Most Violent Hurricane. I have moved on to The King of Vodka: The Story of Pyotr Smirnov and the Upheaval of an Empire, which looks OK so far. We shall see.
Mod
I loved The King of Vodka-so interesting.
Mod
Dan vs Nature
– Don Calame – 2** When Dan’s mother buys him a “survival week experience” so he can bond with her new fiancé, Dan and his friend Charlie concoct a plan to scare Hank away. This sounded like a decent premise for a YA novel but Calame’s reliance on scatological humor and descriptions that only a 13-year-old boy will find funny just lost me. It should have been a fast read, but it didn’t hold my attention, and it took me a full week to finish it.
LINK to my review
The Anteater of Death
– Betty Webb– 3***
As cozy mysteries go, this is a pretty good one. A zookeeper is an interesting – and different – occupation for an amateur sleuth. Webb gives tidbits of information on the animals Teddy cares for, as well as the joys and challenges of living aboard a refitted trawler. There were plenty of suspects to keep me guessing, and a reasonably satisfactory ending. I’ll definitely read more of this series.
LINK to my review
Library Lovers
Books mentioned in this topic
A Christmas Memory (other topics)The Prince and the Pauper (1881) (other topics)
The Koala of Death (other topics)
A Lone Star Christmas (other topics)
Our Souls at Night (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Roseanne Montillo (other topics)M.R. Carey (other topics)
Paul Beatty (other topics)
Paul Beatty (other topics)
Paul Beatty (other topics)
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This is a pretty good series. I like the premise of the House Mouse cleaning service for these cozy mysteries; Trochek gives the reader a nice cast of colorful supporting characters who work for the heroine. Callahan Garrity is a strong, intelligent, resourceful woman. It’s a speedy read, the action is fast-paced, and I like the characters. I’ll read more of the series.
LINK to my review