review: Welcome, Caller, This is Chole by Shelley Coriell

pub date: May 1, 2012
publisher: Amulet Books
pages: 299
appeals: radio, romance, friends, family, happy main character
content: clean

summary:
Big-hearted Chloe Camden is the queen of her universe until her best friend shreds her reputation and her school counselor axes her junior independent study project. Chloe is forced to take on a meaningful project in order to pass, and so she joins her school’s struggling radio station, where the other students don’t find her too queenly.

Ostracized by her former BFs and struggling with her beloved Grams’s mental deterioration, lonely Chloe ends up hosting a call-in show that gets the station much-needed publicity and, in the end, trouble. She also befriends radio techie and loner Duncan Moore, a quiet soul with a romantic heart. On and off the air, Chloe faces her loneliness and helps others find the fun and joy in everyday life. Readers will fall in love with Chloe as she falls in love with the radio station and the misfits who call it home.

thoughts:
This is a sweet story with a great main character. What is so appealing about Chloe is she is not angsty or bitter with the difficult things that are happening to her with her friends and family. She makes fun, happy things and takes control in finding the good. She is also very forgiving of those who treat her poorly. Which is really nice and refreshing.

Besides all the meanness from many of the other characters populating the book, I liked them. Especially Duncan. He wasn't necessarily heartthrob material, but he was way sweet.

Some of the story I found unrealistic--for example her call-in show becoming uber popular in a matter of three weeks. But who cares--it was fun.

review: Wonder by R.J. Palacio

pub date: February 14, 2012
publisher: Random House Children's Book
pages: 313
source: for review at Kiss the Book
appeals: mulitple narrators, male protagonist, facial deformity, school, bullies, contemporary fiction, friendship, family
content: clean

thoughts:
I'm not sure why I picked this book up, since it's for a younger audience then I usually enjoy reading and I didn't know much about it beyond knowing it had gotten good reviews from professional reviewers.

But I'm glad I picked it up and I'm glad I then read it. It was amazing.

The story is told through 5 points of view, first person. Auggie has the largest 2 sections, the first and the last. But in the middle we get to read Auggie's story through four other people as well, his sister Via, Via's friend, and two of Auggie's friends at his new school. It gave a more complete picture of Auggie and really showed how remarkable this ten-year-old boy was. The multiple view points were one of the reasons I loved the book so much.

The novel is also extremely well-written and populated with real, flawed, and amazing characters. This is one of those books where the characters have these insights into their lives like a light bulb flashing on, but they're also insights into life in general. Just a really amazing book.

I am curious about the audience. Has anyone else read this book? Who do you think it's for? Auggie is ten, he's in fifth grade. But the level of reading for this book seems more like sixth or seventh. But would a six or seventh grader read this book about a fifth grader? Any opinons on that? I do think a teacher would need to direct students to this book. Doesn't seem like one they'd just pick up read on their own, and they should! It is a fantastic book.

summary:
I won't describe what I look like. Whatever you're thinking, it's probably worse.


August (Auggie) Pullman was born with a facial deformity that prevented him from going to a mainstream school—until now. He's about to start 5th grade at Beecher Prep, and if you've ever been the new kid then you know how hard that can be. The thing is Auggie's just an ordinary kid, with an extraordinary face. But can he convince his new classmates that he's just like them, despite appearances?

R. J. Palacio has written a spare, warm, uplifting story that will have readers laughing one minute and wiping away tears the next. With wonderfully realistic family interactions (flawed, but loving), lively school scenes, and short chapters, Wonder is accessible to readers of all levels.

review: Bright Young Thing by Anna Godbersen

pub date: October 12, 2010
publisher: HarperCollins
pages: 389
appeals: speakeasies, historical, flappers, romance, friendship
content: Cordelia sleeps with a few boys, but nothing is described. Some violence.

thoughts:
I picked this book up at a librarian conference I attended last year and meant to read it since then, but it was a promise to review this book for a coworker that finally got me to pick it up. And to keep picking it up, each time I put it down. Every time I put the book down, I didn't want to pick it back up. It took me almost two weeks to get through the almost 400 pages, and it felt like so much longer. The story didn't compel me to keep reading.

In short, it's about three girls who are more worried about their clothes and cars then they are about morals. And the adults in the book aren't much better.


I was giving a quick synopsis of the book to a friend and as I was talking I realized not much did happen, actually. Especially Astrid's part of the story. What actually did she do besides go back and forth between Charlie and her mother? Nothing. In response to my summarizing, my friend said, "Are you sure it isn't called 'Dumb Young Things?'" I thought that was pretty funny. Harsh, I know, but it just wasn't all that appealing for me.

So overall, not my kind of book.

summary:
The year is 1929. New York is ruled by the Bright Young Things: flappers and socialites seeking thrills and chasing dreams in the anything-goes era of the Roaring Twenties.


Letty Larkspur and Cordelia Grey escaped their small Midwestern town for New York's glittering metropolis. All Letty wants is to see her name in lights, but she quickly discovers Manhattan is filled with pretty girls who will do anything to be a star…

Cordelia is searching for the father she's never known, a man as infamous for his wild parties as he is for his shadowy schemes. Overnight, she enters a world more thrilling and glamorous than she ever could have imagined—and more dangerous. It's a life anyone would kill for . . . and someone will.

The only person Cordelia can trust is Astrid Donal, a flapper who seems to have it all: money, looks, and the love of Cordelia's brother, Charlie. But Astrid's perfect veneer hides a score of family secrets.

Across the vast lawns of Long Island, in the illicit speakeasies of Manhattan, and on the blindingly lit stages of Broadway, the three girls' fortunes will rise and fall—together and apart. From the New York Times bestselling author of The Luxe comes an epic new series set in the dizzying last summer of the Jazz Age

review: How to Save a Life by Sara Zarr

pub date: October 18, 2011
publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
pages: 341
appeals: adoption, teen pregnancy, realistic fiction
content: swearing, sex though not descriptive, abuse

thoughts:
I love me this book. Love, love, love! Passionately.

The characters in this novel are so real and flawed and believable and whole and awesome. I loved them all.

I loved Jill and Mandy. Their perceptions of the world and how they dealt with crap was so believable. Their struggles and how they dealt with horrible stuff and how they grew. Their insights into their world were so great. They're like real people to me now. I was really pleased with where they ended up, too. I usually find Sara Zarr's endings a little...unsettling, but this one was fantastic. It was actually happy. All the secondary characters were just as amazing. All the little details and peronality quirks were so tangable. Jill's father was dead, and he was a solid character in this book as if he was sitting in the leather chair in their family room.




 
I feel like I'm just blabbering and not saying anything (but I guess that is what I do when I review). It's an amazing story of growth and love and acceptance and moving on. It's beautifully written. Once I started it I didn't want to put it down. I was at work and all I was thinking about was lunch so I could read more, and after lunch I was counting down the hours till I could go home and read more. And then when I did go home and finish the book, I just hugged it to my chest because I was sad it was over. (not really, but you know what I mean)
 
This is a must read book. Please read! You are totally missing out if you don't pick it up.

summary:
Jill MacSweeney just wants everything to go back to normal. But ever since her dad died, she's been isolating herself from her boyfriend, her best friends--everyone who wants to support her. You can't lose one family member and simply replace him with a new one, and when her mom decides to adopt a baby, that's exactly what it feels like she's trying to do. And that's decidedly not normal. With her world crumbling around her, can Jill come to embrace a new member of the family?


Mandy Kalinowski knows what it's like to grow up unwanted--to be raised by a mother who never intended to have a child. So when Mandy becomes pregnant, she knows she wants a better life for her baby. But can giving up a child be as easy as it seems? And will she ever be able to find someone to care for her, too?

Critically acclaimed author and National Book Award finalist Sara Zarr delivers a heart-wrenching story, told from dual perspectives, about what it means to be a family and the many roads we can take to become one.

review: Monster High by Lisi Harrison

pub date: September 2010
publisher: Poppy
pages: 272
appeals: high school, friendship, romance, monster
content: clean

thoughts:
This book took me a long time to finish because in the beginning (and middle) I was really bored. I would not have finished it if I hadn't committed to writing a review for a different book review blog. Since I had committed, I stuck with it and was surprised when the end was somewhat entertaining.

Mostly what I can say about this book is that it didn't appeal to me. It wasn't horrible and I can see a lot of people enjoying this book. I think it would be a good pick for tweens especially. There were a couple aspects of the plot that I found rather creative and fun (even in the mist of being bored).

First, I liked how the plot was told from two points of view, from two girls on different spectrum of the school hierarchy, who don't like each other but by the end understand a little about each other. Second, the love triangle was fun. I know, I thought a love triangle was fun. Wonders will never cease. Anyway, I think it will play out in an interesting way in the continuing series though I wont be reading them to find out.

summary:
They prefer to call themselves RAD (Regular Attribute Dodgers), but some call them monsters. So far, the "monster" community has kept a low profile in Salem, but this year two new girls enroll at Master High School, and the town will never be the same.

Created just fifteen days ago, Frankie Stein is psyched to trade her father's formaldehyde-smelling basement lab for parties and cheerleading. But with a student body totally freaked out by rumors of monsters who might be stalking the halls, Frankie finds that life in the "normi" world can be rough for a chic freak like her.

She thinks she finds a friend in fellow new student Melody Carver--but can a normi be trusted with her big secret?

review: Uncommon Criminals by Ally Carter

pub date: June 21, 2011
publisher: Hyperion
pages: 304
source: publisher
series: Heist Society #2
appeals: Robin Hood-ish, adventure, friendship, world traveler, family
content: clean

thoughts:
I really enjoyed this book. It was a lot of fun to read, with an engaging plot and great characters. There was a lot of adventure, humor, a teeny-tiny romantic interlude, and fun.

I love reading books about characters who learn and change and grow wiser through the novel's adventures, and that was Kat. She rather irritated me in the beginning because she insisted on isolating herself from friends and family. But she learned and by the end of the book, she didn't irritate me anymore. And it wasn't just Kat I liked reading, it was all her crew, too. They are fun and funny. If Kat ditches them again...erg. Then I will have something to say that isn't flattering.

The plot was great. I love how the beginning is simple and straight forward. But by a fourth the way through, it suddenly isn't anymore. A lot of twists and turns that kept me reading and guessing on what was going to happen next and how Kat would handle the situation. 

It's been a year since I read the first in the series, Heist Society, so my recollection of that novel was a little hazy. I felt that Carter did a fantastic job at putting reminders in of previous events, without huge chunks of info dump. Which I appreciated a lot.

I wanted a little more romance. At least another kiss. A good one. But then I remember that Kat is 15, and I get why there isn't. But still...

summary:
Katarina Bishop has worn a lot of labels in her short life. Friend. Niece. Daughter. Thief. But for the last two months she’s simply been known as the girl who robbed the greatest museum in the world. That’s why Kat isn’t surprised when she’s asked to steal the infamous Cleopatra Emerald so it can be returned to its rightful owners. There are only three problems.

First, the gem is owned by the most secure auction house in the world. Second, since the fall of the Egyptian empire and the suicide of Cleopatra, no one who holds the emerald keeps it for long, and in Kat’s world, history almost always repeats itself. But it’s the third problem that makes Kat’s crew the most nervous and that is simply… the emerald is cursed. Kat might be in way over her head, but she’s not going down without a fight. After all she has her best friend—the gorgeous Hale—and the rest of her intrepid crew with her as they chase the Cleopatra around the world, realizing that the same tricks and cons her family has used for centuries are useless this time.Which means, this time, Katarina Bishop is making up her own rules.

Critics and fans alike have fallen for Heist Society (no conning necessary). With more mystery, non-stop action, romance and humor, this second novel in the hit series is just as irresistible.

review: Sisterhood Everlasting by Ann Brashares

pub date: June 14, 2011
publisher: Random House
pages: 349
source: LibraryThing Early Reviewer
appeals: sisterhood of the traveling pants
content: a little swearing including f-word, off-page sex

thoughts:
I was a huge fan of the first three Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants books. I loved Tibby and Bee and Lena and Carmen's friendship and their growth as characters. I loved the arc of their individual and shared stories through those first three books.

I pretend the fourth Sisterhood book never happened. It was unwrapping the perfect package that the third book left for me and throwing the contents all around and leaving the Sisters in utter upheaval. Worse, it was as if the lessons learned in the first three books had never been learned. All four girls were back to where they were at fifteen, dealing with their college problems as if they hadn't grown at all. As if they hadn't learned anything. All of them took five huge steps backward and it was irksome. Maybe that's realistic, but then heck, I wanted fantasy.

Fourth book? There never was any fourth Sisterhood book...

So I approached this fifth book in the series with some trepidation. Though I loved high school Bee and Lena and Carmen and Tibby, did I really want to read what Brashares had in store for them as adults?

This is definitely an adult book, and not because of content. It was the way it was written. There is very little outside action. So much of this book is introspection. And though introspection is great (in small doses), I am a plot person and I wanted more action to keep the story moving, not more thoughts and feelings and internal sorrows. I thought the middle was slow and dull because of it.

The following might be considered slightly spoilery...I don't think so, but maybe...so I'm giving you warning...

Near the beginning of the book there was a catastrophe. I cried. The Sisters felt guilt and grief and a little bit of blame towards each other. And they allowed the catastrophe to isolate them from each other. I found that hard to believe. After being through so much and helping each other through so much in 30 years of friendship, I was utterly shocked at their behavior. And I didn't believe that they would really respond that way. I expected them to rally together, not pull apart. So that was irritating. And to me, unbelievable. But maybe that's just me in denial. And wanting the fantasy, not the reality.

Part of the reason I thought it was a little slow was because I understood the catastrophe in a way that the Sisters didn't, and I'm not sure why. Was it written so the reader would understand? Or was it supposed to be a surprise to the reader and I am just uncommonly brilliant? Not sure, but I knew what really happened right when it did and it took the Sisterhood until the end to discover the truth. And since I knew most of the truth for most of the book, it felt like a long time for the Sisters to figure it out.

But, for my complaining above, in the end I did enjoy the book. I closed it on the last page, then opened it and reread the ending again. The ending I believed (though it's probably the most improbably aspect of the whole book). And it stuck with me. I thought about it the whole next day. I liked the Sisterhood grown up and responsible (for the most part) and succeeding. It left me with a feeling of hope. And let's face it, I love these girls. How can I not love their story? (with the exception of the fourth book that never was).

So yes, a good book that I recommend for Sisterhood fans.

summary:
Now Tibby, Lena, Carmen, and Bridget have grown up, starting their lives on their own. And though the jeans they shared are long gone, the sisterhood is everlasting.

Despite having jobs and men that they love, each knows that something is missing: the closeness that once sustained them. Carmen is a successful actress in New York, engaged to be married, but misses her friends. Lena finds solace in her art, teaching in Rhode Island, but still thinks of Kostos and the road she didn’t take. Bridget lives with her longtime boyfriend, Eric, in San Francisco, and though a part of her wants to settle down, a bigger part can’t seem to shed her old restlessness.


Then Tibby reaches out to bridge the distance, sending the others plane tickets for a reunion that they all breathlessly await. And indeed, it will change their lives forever—but in ways that none of them could ever have expected.


As moving and life-changing as an encounter with long-lost best friends, Sisterhood Everlasting is a powerful story about growing up, losing your way, and finding the courage to create a new one.

review: My Life Undecided by Jessica Brody

pub date: June 7, 2011
publisher: Farrar, Straus, Giroux
pages: 320
appeals: humor, romance, friendship, queen bees, contemporary, realistic fiction
content: Sex was mentioned briefly a few times, there were also a few swear words, not many.

thoughts:
I really enjoyed Brody's sense of humor, in this book as well as in her first YA, The Karma Club. I love books that make me laugh, and this one definitely did that.

What I liked the most was Brooks voice. It was intelligent, self-deprecating, humorous (as stated earlier), and likable. I liked her and was rooting for her success the whole book.

The progression of the plot was great. Brooks is horrible at making wise decisions and has gotten into much trouble because of it. So she starts a blog where she will post every decision she needs to make and let her readers decide what she should do. Her readers don't see things the way she does and Brooks ends up doing a lot of things she doesn't want to do, but does them because she promised she would. It was great. I loved how her reader's responses affected her life.

This story has a love triangle, which has become a turn off for me of late, but it was wonderful in this book. This love-triangle was done right. There was no lightning bolt of love. There was no overboard passion. There were two boys that liked the same girl. The relationships developed naturally and over time. It was a fun romance without the characters needing to kiss each other every page or long expositions on why Brooks needed the boy(s). Good stuff.

At one point Brooks was asked how many boys she'd had sex with. Everyone was surprised that she hadn't slept with anyone. She's only fifteen. I'm was surprised they thought she'd slept with one person, the fact they thought she'd slept with multiple boys kind of horrified me.

If you like realistic romance then pick up this book!

summary:
PLEASE READ THIS! MY LIFE DEPENDS ON IT!



Okay, maybe that was a bit melodramatic, but I’m sorry, I’m feeling a bit melodramatic at the moment.

Here’s the deal. My name is Brooklyn Pierce, I’m fifteen years old, and I am decisionally challenged. Seriously, I can’t remember the last good decision I made. I can remember plenty of crappy ones though. Including that party I threw when my parents were out of town that accidentally burned down a model home. Yeah, not my finest moment, for sure.

But see, that’s why I started a blog. To enlist readers to make my decisions for me. That’s right. I gave up. Threw in the towel. I let someone else be the one to decide which book I read for English. Or whether or not I accepted an invitation to join the debate team from that cute-in-a-dorky-sort-of-way guy who gave me the Heimlich Maneuver in the cafeteria. (Note to self: Chew the melon before swallowing it.) I even let them decide who I dated!

Well, it turns out there are some things in life you simply can’t choose or have chosen for you—like who you fall in love with. And now everything’s more screwed up than ever.

But don’t take my word for it, read the book and decide for yourself. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll scream in frustration. Or maybe that’s just me. After all, it’s my life.

review: Everfound by Neal Shusterman

pub date: May 3, 2011
publisher: Simon and Schuster
pages: 512
format: audio from library
appeals: awesome and exciting and mind blowing and suspenseful and completely rocked my world
appeals (for real): friendship, adventure, death, adventure,
content: violence--a lot of kids die in this book. so sad

thoughts:
I love Neal Shusterman! 

Let me say that again: I LOVE NEAL SHUSTERMAN!

Passionately. I've read seven of his books and I've loved every one. There are very few authors I can say that about. If you haven't read his books, you're missing out. I'm just sayin.

Everfound is the third in the Skinjacker trilogy, following Everlost and Everwild. The ending of Everwild was seriously wild. It was disturbing (in a good way...sorta) and I could not wait until Everfound. It was worth the wait. Everfound is complete awesomeness.

The limbo between life and death that is the world of Everlost is SOOO very original. There are rules that govern the world and they are so cool and twisted and surprising. I never knew what was going to happen next. It was exciting to listen to with all the surprises and twists and turns in the plot.

One thing I really respect about Shusterman's villains is that they don't know they're villains. They think they are doing the right thing, and that is how it is with this series. The fact that Evil Hightower in Everfound is so convinced that she is right and all the horrible things she does is for the benefit of all mankind, makes her beyond wicked. Much more than if she knew she was wrong. She gave me the shivers. I listened to this book while driving and I screamed so much at Evil Hightower I went hoarse.

The ending was perfect. Perfect. But that didn't make it any less sad when it ended. Though I impatiently listened until I discovered how it would all resolve, once I'd reached the end I wanted more.

I loved all the original characters (even if they were evil, I loved how evil they were!). But I especially loved Allie and Nick and Mickey. My favorite new character was Clarence. He was awesome. Saying goodbye was hard.

Okay, so after all that rambling, I don't think I actually wrote much of the particulars, just gushed about how much I loved this book. It was just that good.

And if you like listening to books, you should get this series on audio. Nick Podehl is an awesome reader. He gave me the shivers, too.

summary:
I'm not pasting in the summary. Unless you've read the first two, it gives spoilers. And spoilers should not be allowed where this series in concerned.

review: The Piper's Son by Melina Marchetta

pub date: March 8, 2011 
publisher: Candlewick Press
pages: 336
appeals: family, contemporary fiction, realistic, frienship, romance
content: a lot of swearing, a lot of the f-bomb, sex,

thoughts:
I was really excited about this book because I loved Saving Francesca. Sadly for me, I didn't enjoy this book much.

First of all, it read more like an adult book with adult problems. Thomas tells his story half of the book, but his Aunt Georgie tells the other half. She's in her forties, is pregnant, and is having relationship issues. Their stories together show a whole picture of their family situation which is the point of the book. It was just too adultish. I wanted YA.

Second of all, there were A LOT of characters and it was difficult to keep track of who was who. Especially because we're told about all these people, but we don't meet most of them until later in the story, if at all. Very confusing. I didn't know who they were talking about half the time.

And third, the characters from Saving Francesca weren't the same. I guess it has been 5 years, but I missed the way they were. And overall, I didn't love the new characters. They didn't speak to me.

So, a disappointing book.

blurb:
Award-winning author Melina Marchetta reopens the story of the group of friends from her acclaimed novel Saving Francesca - but five years have passed, and now it’s Thomas Mackee who needs saving. After his favorite uncle was blown to bits on his way to work in a foreign city, Tom watched his family implode. He quit school and turned his back on his music and everyone that mattered, including the girl he can’t forget. Shooting for oblivion, he’s hit rock bottom, forced to live with his single, pregnant aunt, work at the Union pub with his former friends, and reckon with his grieving, alcoholic father. Tom’s in no shape to mend what’s broken. But what if no one else is either? An unflinching look at family, forgiveness, and the fierce inner workings of love and friendship, The Piper’s Son redefines what it means to go home again.

review: Bitter End by Jennifer Brown

pub date: May 10, 2011
publisher: Little, Brown
pages: 368
source: ALA Midwinter 2011
appeal: realistic fiction, physical abuse, friendship, family,
content: swearing (including f-word), abuse, off the page sex


thoughts:
This was a tough book to read. A tough book to write a review about.

It took me a while to read because Alex and her relationship with Cole was disturbing and frustrating, as it was meant to be. So I didn't pick it up as often as I would have had it been a fantasy or a nice, happy book.


I thought Brown did a fantastic job of showing how the relationship between Alex and Cole developed. Alex is a smart girl, she knew that he was abusive and couldn't believe that she was still with him, but still stuck with him. Her reasoning was plausible, but frustrating for me to read about. I was upset at the people that were around her. Especially her father. Also frustrating. But very realistic and once again, plausible.
 This is a really well-written. Sad, but if that is the kind of book you like to read, then this is for you.

summary:
When Alex falls for the charming new boy at school, Cole, a handsome, funny, sports star who adores her, she can't believe she's finally found her soul mate-someone who truly understands her and loves her for who she really is.

At first, Alex is blissfully happy. Sure, Cole seems a little jealous of her relationship with her best friends, Zack and Bethany, but what guy would want his girlfriend spending all of her time with another boy? But as the months pass, Alex can no longer ignore Cole's small put-downs, pinches, or increasingly violent threats. As Alex struggles to come to terms with the sweet boyfriend she fell in love with and the boyfriend whose "love" she no longer recognizes, she is forced to choose - between her "true love" and herself.

review: What Happened to Goodbye by Sarah Dessen

pub date: May 10, 2011
publisher: Penguin
pages: 416
source: ALA Midwinter
appeals: contemporary, SARAH DESSEN, family, friendship,
content: um...I don't remember

thoughts:
What Happened to Goodbye is Classic Dessen. Lonely girl with a problem gathers friends by accident, along with a boy who later becomes more than just a friend. Girl successfully conquers problem and makes peace with herself.

Okay, I'm making it sound like Classic Dessen is bad, but it's not. It's really good. Classic Dessen works. I own most all her books and love them.

The thing is, I'm not sure what to write about this particular book. I liked Dave. I liked the friends Mclean accidentally acquires. I liked Mclean's family, especially how first impressions aren't the whole story. I thought her growth as a character was realistic and I really felt for her. After finishing the book, I kept thinking about her and her story for days afterward.

But that is all I have to say about it.  


Except, "hey, I read a book and it was good. You should read it, too! If you like Dessen, you'll like this one. If you like realistic fiction or problem novels or family drama or reading in general, you'll like this one! You should give it a try!"

summary:
Another town. Another school. Another Mclean. Ever since her parents' bitter divorce, Mclean and her father have been fleeing their unhappy past. And Mclean becomes a pro at reinventing herself with each move. But in Lakeview, Mclean finds herself putting down roots and making friends—in part, thanks to Dave, the most real person Mclean's ever met. Dave just may be falling in love with her, but can he see the person she really is? Does Mclean herself know?

review: Shine by Lauren Myracle

pub date: May 1, 2011
publisher: Amulet
pages: 376
source: NetGalley
appeals: mystery, friendship, contemporary, realistic fiction
content: quite a bit of swearing including the f-word, sexual assault, bigotry, hate crime, alcohol and drug abuse, some other stuff -- Definitely for older teens.


thoughts:
This is a powerful, harsh, realistic, sad, amazing novel. So well written. And interesting. So much of it broke my heart. But there was good mixed in with the bad and the sad. By the end I did feel there was hope, whereas at the beginning not so much. Seriously, broke my heart.

The writing was beautiful. Which was nice since so much of what happened to Cat and her friends wasn't beautiful. I really loved reading how Cat grew during the two weeks or so of the novel. Left on her own she wouldn't have been able to do it. But because of what happened to Patrick, she found the strength to do what she needed to help him.  

I guessed who had hurt Patrick and why, but I still liked the reveal.


blurb:
When her best guy friend falls victim to a vicious hate crime, sixteen-year-old Cat sets out to discover who in her small town did it. Richly atmospheric, this daring mystery mines the secrets of a tightly knit Southern community and examines the strength of will it takes to go against everyone you know in the name of justice.


Against a backdrop of poverty, clannishness, drugs, and intolerance, Myracle has crafted a harrowing coming-of-age tale couched in a deeply intelligent mystery. Smart, fearless, and compassionate, this is an unforgettable work from a beloved author.

review: The Peach Keeper by Sarah Addison Allen

pub date: March 22, 2011
publisher: Bantam
pages: 288
source: LibraryThing Early Reviewer
appeals: magical realism, contemporary, friendship, romance
audience: adult

thoughts:
I love, Love, LOVE Sarah Addison Allen's books. I was SO excited to get this book through LibraryThing's Early Reviewer. I must admit that Allen's first two books are my favorite, Garden Spells and The Sugar Queen. But The Peach Keeper is still really good. And though I love YA, sometimes it's nice to read a book with characters that are my age.

 The main stories are about Paxton and Willa, now thirty, who went to high school together but had never been friends. But they are brought together now because of something that happened to their grandmothers when they were young girls. Both generations come together through the mystery of the Blue Ridge Madam.


There are many things I love about Allen's books. I love the romance. Willa and Paxton both have their own love interests, both of which were fun, but it was Paxton and Sebastian's story I really loved. Willa's romance wasn't as wonderful, though still fun. I just didn't see the development so much. There is also Allen's magical realism. It is fantastic! The dynamics of family and friend relationships. The characters. Seriously, I love them all. Even Paxton's mean and crabby grandma.


Enough gushing. Now go forth and read.


summary:
It’s the dubious distinction of thirty-year-old Willa Jackson to hail from a fine old Southern family of means that met with financial ruin generations ago. The Blue Ridge Madam—built by Willa’s great-great-grandfather during Walls of Water’s heyday, and once the town’s grandest home—has stood for years as a lonely monument to misfortune and scandal. And Willa herself has long strived to build a life beyond the brooding Jackson family shadow. No easy task in a town shaped by years of tradition and the well-marked boundaries of the haves and have-nots.

But Willa has lately learned that an old classmate—socialite do-gooder Paxton Osgood—of the very prominent Osgood family, has restored the Blue Ridge Madam to her former glory, with plans to open a top-flight inn. Maybe, at last, the troubled past can be laid to rest while something new and wonderful rises from its ashes. But what rises instead is a skeleton, found buried beneath the property’s lone peach tree, and certain to drag up dire consequences along with it.

For the bones—those of charismatic traveling salesman Tucker Devlin, who worked his dark charms on Walls of Water seventy-five years ago—are not all that lay hidden out of sight and mind. Long-kept secrets surrounding the troubling remains have also come to light, seemingly heralded by a spate of sudden strange occurrences throughout the town.

Now, thrust together in an unlikely friendship, united by a full-blooded mystery, Willa and Paxton must confront the dangerous passions and tragic betrayals that once bound their families—and uncover truths of the long-dead that have transcended time and defied the grave to touch the hearts and souls of the living.

Resonant with insight into the deep and lasting power of friendship, love, and tradition, The Peach Keeper is a portrait of the unshakable bonds that—in good times and bad, from one generation to the next—endure forever.

review: like mandarin by kirsten hubbard

pub date: March 8, 2011
publisher: Random House
pages: 320
source: ALA Midwinter
challenges: debut author, Contemps
appeals: contemporary, friendship, mother daughter relationships,
content: swearing (including many F-bombs), talk about sex, some underage drinking, an incident of sexual assault,


goodreads:
It's hard finding beauty in the badlands of Washokey, Wyoming, but 14-year-old Grace Carpenter knows it's not her mother's pageant obsessions, or the cowboy dances adored by her small-town classmates. True beauty is wild-girl Mandarin Ramey: 17, shameless and utterly carefree. Grace would give anything to be like Mandarin.


When they're united for a project, they form an unlikely, explosive friendship, packed with nights spent skinny-dipping in the canal, liberating the town's animal-head trophies, and searching for someplace magic. Grace plays along when Mandarin suggests they run away together. Blame it on the crazy-making wildwinds plaguing their badlands town.


Because all too soon, Grace discovers Mandarin's unique beauty hides a girl who's troubled, broken, and even dangerous. And no matter how hard Grace fights to keep the magic, no friendship can withstand betrayal.


me:
This isn't the kind of book I normally read. It doesn't romance or humor or high school drama or a supernatural element. But the blurb on the back intrigued me and I've read the author's blog a few times, so I decided to give it a try.


This book was real, and gritty, and sad, and reflected life in a way that was honest for the characters. The ending is hopeful, if not particularly happy, which I appreciated. I was a little worried it wouldn't be so as I got closer to finishing.


This is the story of two lost young women, Grace and Mandarin, told through the eyes of Grace. It was interesting how her perceptions of Mandarin changed as she knew her better, and how Grace herself changed through the association. In the beginning, Grace was more a groupie than a friend, but that changed and when Grace becomes a true friend that is when she's able to help Mandarin.

It's really an amazing book. The langauge Hubbard uses, the descriptions, are beautiful. She is a skilled author. I was amazed at the way she painted Washokey. I knew it, though I've never been there before. Great themes, great characters.
 Like Mandarin reminded me a lot of Sara Zarr's books. That kind of realistic look at life without pretty bows tying up the ending. Just people doing the best they can with what they have. Learning by their mistakes and moving on.

review: Sean Griswold's Head by Lindsey Leavitt

pub date: March 1, 2011
publisher: Bloomsbury USA
pages: 288
source: ALA Midwinter
appeals: contemporary, romance, family, illness, friendship, sports, cycling,
content: clean

blurb from goodreads:
According to her guidance counselor, fifteen-year-old Payton Gritas needs a focus object—an item to concentrate her emotions on. It's supposed to be something inanimate, but Payton decides to use the thing she stares at during class: Sean Griswold's head. They've been linked since third grade (Griswold-Gritas—it's an alphabetical order thing), but she's never really known him.

The focus object is intended to help Payton deal with her father's newly diagnosed multiple sclerosis. And it's working. With the help of her boy-crazy best friend Jac, Payton starts stalking—er, focusing on—Sean Griswold . . . all of him! He's cute, he shares her Seinfeld obsession (nobody else gets it!) and he may have a secret or two of his own.

In this sweet story of first love, Lindsey Leavitt seamlessly balances heartfelt family moments, spot-on sarcastic humor, and a budding young romance.


me:
Way. Cute. Book.

Really, I mean it.

Payton is a fun character and it was a joy to be inside her head for (almost) 300 pages. Her emotions and reactions to life's disappointments were real and deep. I never actually cried (though I might've been close), but I definitely laughed out loud. At different parts, obviously.

And Sean is so cute! Personality mostly, though he does have a nice head (even if it is blonde). And he's so sweet! The way he tells Payton he likes her...priceless. And I appreciate that he's just a normal high school kid, not the Hottest Guy Ever. I'm half in love with him myself.  

Payton's friend, Jac, was a great best friend and really tried to help Payton. Though she kind of irritated me. I'm more like Payton myself and hate to make a scene, so when Jac makes a scene, I got upset right along with Payton. I have to agree with Jac though, Payton's family is super cool. Especially her dad.

Obviously its the characters in this book that stick out the most to me. Because they are just so great. Original and real. Loved them.

I really enjoyed reading this book. So cute.

So now I've added Princess for Higher to my TBR list on goodreads. This is the kind of author I want to read again.