tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-47544563607980185332024-03-05T02:07:03.504-07:00Bookshop TalkWhere Everyone from Casual Readers to Bestselling Authors Gush About Their Favorite BooksAmy Finnegan {BookshopTalk.com}http://www.blogger.com/profile/10467356529486477863noreply@blogger.comBlogger469125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4754456360798018533.post-52817112090533874652016-02-15T00:00:00.000-07:002016-02-15T00:00:06.539-07:00THE MEMOIRS OF LADY HYEGYONG: THE AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL WRITINGS OF A CROWN PRINCESS OF EIGHTEENTH-CENTURY KOREA translated by JaHyun Kim Haboush, 1985<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUESd1WppD6RnVZQ8WJXST1k7PBfk1mQywB3iUOh7mZ3BdQY6G_GDZ_iM-4xFsl5vY92X1W22AmIqYLYCAC-4RkSRSob5GScF67RxmL7n3EvRW_oaHAhr81WRqOivWMP6gi5koau3DahQ/s1600/1151821.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUESd1WppD6RnVZQ8WJXST1k7PBfk1mQywB3iUOh7mZ3BdQY6G_GDZ_iM-4xFsl5vY92X1W22AmIqYLYCAC-4RkSRSob5GScF67RxmL7n3EvRW_oaHAhr81WRqOivWMP6gi5koau3DahQ/s320/1151821.jpg" width="208" /></a></div>
<style>
<!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:"MS 明朝";
mso-font-charset:78;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:-536870145 1791491579 18 0 131231 0;}
@font-face
{font-family:"Cambria Math";
panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:-536870145 1107305727 0 0 415 0;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{mso-style-unhide:no;
mso-style-qformat:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
margin:0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
.MsoChpDefault
{mso-style-type:export-only;
mso-default-props:yes;
mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
@page WordSection1
{size:8.5in 11.0in;
margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in;
mso-header-margin:.5in;
mso-footer-margin:.5in;
mso-paper-source:0;}
div.WordSection1
{page:WordSection1;}
-->
</style><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: blue;"><i>Lady Hyegyong's memoirs, which recount the chilling murder
of her husband by his father, is one of the best known and most popular
classics of Korean literature. From 1795 until 1805 Lady Hyegyong composed this
masterpiece, which depicts a court life whose drama and pathos is of
Shakespearean proportions. Presented in its social, cultural, and historical
contexts, this complete English translation opens a door into a world teeming
with conflicting passions, political intrigue, and the daily preoccupations of
a deeply intelligent and articulate woman. (Goodreads)</i></span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="color: purple;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Reviewed by Megan Hutchins, writer</span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I was thrilled to stumble across <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Memoirs-Lady-Hyegyong-Autobiographical-Eighteenth-Century/dp/0520280482">THE MEMOIRS OF LADY HYEGYONG</a> -- trying to read about Korean history in English before the Korean War has left me with precious little besides Wikipedia to look at. I fully expected it to be interesting, which it was. But Lady Hyegyong’s memoirs also proved to be one of the most heart-wrenching things I’ve ever read.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Lady Hyegyong, despite being a Crown Princess, led a truly terrifying life. Her father-in-law, King Yeongjo, locked her husband, Crown Prince Sado, in a rice chest when the latter was twenty-seven and left him there to die. Her husband was severely mentally ill and was determined to be a threat to the dynasty.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">The first three memoirs only nod to this horrific event, as speaking about it was forbidden. The mandated silence allowed for all manner of rumors and ill-fated political maneuverings that left Lady Hyegyong’s maternal family in ruins -- including the execution of her uncle and brother. By the last memoir, Lady Hyegyong’s grandson has ascended to the throne. She doesn’t want him to be mislead by the rumors that have churned through the palace for the past four decades, and finally lays down the events that led to her husband’s death.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">The first three memoirs are poignant. But the last memoir reframed and changed everything I thought I’d known about her life. Perhaps most powerfully, Lady Hyegyong doesn’t give every last detail. Her understatements chilled me. She talks about her panic and horror at seeing her first severed head -- an unfortunate victim of her husband’s. The text leaves no doubt that there were many more, but she never gives such detail again. Many events she glosses over as simply being too painful to speak of.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Lady Hyegyong presents these events with complexity, blaming neither her father-in-law nor her husband, but speaking of a hundred unfortunate events that allowed her husband to become so violent, and so unchecked in his illness. It’s haunting and utterly tragic. When I finished, I told my husband he had to go read it because I desperately needed someone to talk to about these unforgettable memoirs.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Lady Hyegyong’s writing is clear, beautiful, and easily accessible. I am deeply thankful to the translator, JaHyun Kim Haboush, for his amazing work in making these available in English.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="color: purple;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Market: Nonfiction</span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="color: purple;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Language: None</span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="color: purple;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Sensuality: See below</span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="color: purple;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Violence: See below</span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="color: purple;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Mature Themes: Everything. Murder, rape, executions, severe mental illness, politics, abuse, depression, attempted suicide, death. As noted in the review, this isn’t a text that dramatizes graphic details. So “violence” is either very low (the memoirs aren’t any more gory than my review of it) or very high (it deals extensively with the repercussions of violent acts).</span></span></span></div>
Amy Finnegan {BookshopTalk.com}http://www.blogger.com/profile/10467356529486477863noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4754456360798018533.post-7192984391930750072016-02-08T00:00:00.000-07:002016-02-08T00:00:16.337-07:00THE SCANDALOUS SISTERHOOD OF PRICKWILLOW PLACE by Julie Berry, 2014<style>
<!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:Arial;
panose-1:2 11 6 4 2 2 2 2 2 4;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:-536859905 -1073711037 9 0 511 0;}
@font-face
{font-family:"MS 明朝";
mso-font-charset:78;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:-536870145 1791491579 18 0 131231 0;}
@font-face
{font-family:"Cambria Math";
panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:-536870145 1107305727 0 0 415 0;}
@font-face
{font-family:Georgia;
panose-1:2 4 5 2 5 4 5 2 3 3;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:647 0 0 0 159 0;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{mso-style-unhide:no;
mso-style-qformat:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
margin:0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
.MsoChpDefault
{mso-style-type:export-only;
mso-default-props:yes;
mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
@page WordSection1
{size:8.5in 11.0in;
margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in;
mso-header-margin:.5in;
mso-footer-margin:.5in;
mso-paper-source:0;}
div.WordSection1
{page:WordSection1;}
-->
</style>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbt0-7QySa2OugKTGT1oZOG5GxvmeXwFVd4zihz-Tuyo8nahUQGil9R36sVX-DaWH97utg54sjj12x4P3xnWvCFgNHwzeOdyTkOAhQXmh4l9AGPiPfdaFoS0rfHhzV-0IfAGa4m-bKrmc/s1600/18885674.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbt0-7QySa2OugKTGT1oZOG5GxvmeXwFVd4zihz-Tuyo8nahUQGil9R36sVX-DaWH97utg54sjj12x4P3xnWvCFgNHwzeOdyTkOAhQXmh4l9AGPiPfdaFoS0rfHhzV-0IfAGa4m-bKrmc/s1600/18885674.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white;">
<span style="color: purple;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span id="freeText3602199670377271610"><i><span style="color: blue;">There's a murderer on
the loose—but that doesn't stop the girls of St. Etheldreda's from
attempting to hide the death of their headmistress in this rollicking
farce. The students of St. Etheldreda's School for Girls face a
bothersome dilemma. Their irascible headmistress, Mrs. Plackett, and her
surly brother, Mr. Godding, have been most inconveniently poisoned at
Sunday dinner. Now the school will almost certainly be closed and the
girls sent home—unless these seven very proper young ladies can hide the
murders and convince their neighbors that nothing is wrong. (Goodreads)</span></i></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: purple; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Reviewed by </span></span><span style="color: purple; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Julie, Children's lit enthusiast and pop
culture geek</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18885674-the-scandalous-sisterhood-of-prickwillow-place?from_search=true" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">THE SCANDALOUS SISTERHOOD OF PRICKWILLOW PLACE</a><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">
is part murder mystery, part friendship tale, and part love letter to
Victorian-era novels--but it is all entertaining! At St. Etheldreda's
School for Girls in 1890, murder most foul threatens to change the lives of the
young women who attend the institution. When their headmistress and her
brother are poisoned, the girls--Dear Roberta, Dull Martha, Disgraceful Mary
Jane, Pocked Louise, Stout Alice, Smooth Kitty, and Dour Elinor--must hide the
crime or risk being separated forever. As they take great pains to cover
up the crime, they also must find their guardian's murderer, who is still at
large and ready to strike again.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Julie Berry's novel is expertly written and
wickedly funny. The style of writing is old-fashioned, yet accessible,
and drenched with dark humor--think Lemony Snicket or Lois Lowry's THE
WILLOUGHBYS. In the very first chapter, for instance, Headmistress
Constance Plackett and her brother Alduous Godding drop dead at the dinner
table--and the schoolgirls are instantly terrified that their poor cooking
skills did the adults in. When the doorbell rings, revealing the dinner
guests for Alduous's birthday party, the girls panic--and then get
creative. The scenes that follow are the perfect mixture of humor and
whodunnit as the girls try to discover the real reason behind the deaths.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Aside from the caper itself, my favorite part
of THE SCANDALOUS SISTERHOOD was certainly its cast of characters.
Although it boasts seven protagonists, each girl gets a chance to shine and
feels fully fleshed out, despite the seemingly one-dimensional monikers.
For instance, while Stout Alice begins as the pudgy, plain girl of the group,
she becomes a standout character. She flourishes as an actress, attracts a
suitor, and plays an important role in preventing outsiders from learning about
the murders. Other memorable characters include Dour Elinor and
Disgraceful Mary Jane, who are obsessed with death and boys, respectively, and
provide many of the comic one-liners that readers will enjoy.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">This novel is an excellent choice for anyone
who is comfortable laughing at the darkly Dickensian elements of life.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-size: large;">Market: Middle grade
fiction</span></span><br />
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia;">Violence: None
aside from references to the central murders. However, the girls'
comic-but-clumsy attempts to keep the murders hidden might frighten or disturb
younger readers. </span><span style="color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; orphans: auto; text-align: start; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia;">Language:
None.</span><span style="color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; orphans: auto; text-align: start; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia;">Sensuality:
Oblique references to adult relationships, especially by Disgraceful Mary Jane</span></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; orphans: auto; text-align: start; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;">Adult
Themes: Death, murder/crime</span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: purple;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Second review by Rosalyn E.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Julie Berry's newest novel<em>, The Scandalous Sisterhood of Prickwillow Place</em>, is nothing like her previous,<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><em>All the Truth that's In Me<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></em>(excepting a historical setting)--which may be a good thing. As moving as that book was, I found this one utterly delightful. It mixes so many of the things I love: a good mystery, Victorian manners, clever girl heroines, and humor.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span><br />
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />The seven students at Prickwillow Place, Mrs. Plackett's boarding school for young ladies, are horrified one night at<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><span class="aBn" data-term="goog_719797100" style="border-bottom: 1px dashed rgb(204, 204, 204); position: relative; top: -2px; z-index: 0;" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ" style="position: relative; top: 2px; z-index: -1;">Sunday</span></span><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>dinner when their mistress and her ne'er-do-well brother suddenly drop dead at the table of apparent poison. Instead of doing the expected thing--notify the police--the girls decide (at the suggestion of Smooth Kitty) to bury the bodies in the garden and keep up the pretense of their existence so that they don't have to return to their various unhappy home situations. From this point, of course, a wild romp ensues, beginning almost at once when the neighborhood descends for the surprise birthday party Mrs. Plackett planned for her brother. As the girls try to maintain the façade that their mistress still exists, keep house, negotiate suitors (the older girls appear to be 16-17ish), and solve a mystery, the plot continues to escalate. The premise is wildly implausible, but Berry executes it with such panache that I didn't mind at all.<br /><br />While some reviewers have complained about the adjectives preceding the girls' names, I found them funny (and a fairly Victorian touch). Smooth Kitty is the clear leader, but I also loved Stout Alice, who was stout of both form and heart, Pocked Louise (a clever young scientist)--even Dour Elinor, with her fascination for all things macabre, had her charm.<br /><br />The dialogue was witty, the characters interesting (if not always likeable), the situations funny, the bits of romance sweet, and the writing clever. Overall, a terrific middle grade novel. I'm not honestly sure how this appeals to the target 10-14 year old demographic, but I loved it.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;">Market:
Middle-grade/YA (marketed as MG, but several of the characters are YA</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia;">Language: mild</span><span style="color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia;">Sensuality: mild</span><span style="color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia;">Violence:
moderate--it does deal with murder, after all</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;">Mature Themes:
murder, death by poison</span></div>
</div>
Amy Finnegan {BookshopTalk.com}http://www.blogger.com/profile/10467356529486477863noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4754456360798018533.post-39794345329031824572016-02-01T00:00:00.000-07:002016-02-01T00:00:01.510-07:00SNOW LIKE ASHES by Sarah Raasch, 2014<style>
<!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:"MS 明朝";
mso-font-charset:78;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:-536870145 1791491579 18 0 131231 0;}
@font-face
{font-family:"Cambria Math";
panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:-536870145 1107305727 0 0 415 0;}
@font-face
{font-family:Georgia;
panose-1:2 4 5 2 5 4 5 2 3 3;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:647 0 0 0 159 0;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{mso-style-unhide:no;
mso-style-qformat:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
margin:0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
.MsoChpDefault
{mso-style-type:export-only;
mso-default-props:yes;
mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
@page WordSection1
{size:8.5in 11.0in;
margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in;
mso-header-margin:.5in;
mso-footer-margin:.5in;
mso-paper-source:0;}
div.WordSection1
{page:WordSection1;}
-->
</style>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV1KqUCnK1yFH6M4mFX_AvGsESEnwaGwEsSzrhYYnEJmyCWvTswfk2_K663I4Z1liT5I5hXFxCg6I5qseGBvt_SCMe22qh4JqLCDkkWM4w-qT_KY8C8_knrsiVwMc42cu9ShgEnB2nmDc/s1600/17399160.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV1KqUCnK1yFH6M4mFX_AvGsESEnwaGwEsSzrhYYnEJmyCWvTswfk2_K663I4Z1liT5I5hXFxCg6I5qseGBvt_SCMe22qh4JqLCDkkWM4w-qT_KY8C8_knrsiVwMc42cu9ShgEnB2nmDc/s1600/17399160.jpg" height="320" width="211" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #181818;"><span id="freeText4250339659594123915"><i><span style="color: blue;">Sixteen years ago the
Kingdom of Winter was conquered and its citizens enslaved, leaving them
without magic or a monarch. Now, the Winterians’ only hope for freedom
is the eight survivors who managed to escape, and who have been waiting
for the opportunity to steal back Winter’s magic and rebuild the kingdom
ever since. Orphaned as an infant during Winter’s defeat, Meira
has lived her whole life as a refugee, raised by the Winterians’
general, Sir. Training to be a warrior—and desperately in love with her
best friend, and future king, Mather — she would do anything to help her
kingdom rise to power again. (Goodreads)</span></i></span></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #181818;"><span id="freeText4250339659594123915"></span><span style="color: purple;">Reviewed by Natalie</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Sara Raasch, I may be in love with you. </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Snow-Like-Ashes-Sara-Raasch/dp/0062286935/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=1-1&qid=1426094995" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">SNOW LIKE ASHES</a><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">, aka So
Like Amazing, is a beautiful book to behold.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #181818;">
<br />
I honestly don't know how to express my love for this book without completely
undermining it's brilliance. It moved so fast and it was heaped with action
that I was just left sitting on the couch with my eyes glazed over while an
immensely satisfied grin played across my face. Yup, I went into a book-coma.
It was that good.<br />
<br />
Meira and the other seven people of her camp, one of which who is the future
king of Winter, are what's left of the free Winterians. The others have all
been thrown into work camps in the kingdom of Spring by Angra, the evil
overlord (not is official title, but basically). Meira and the others have
their hearts set on freeing their people, and to do so, they must regain
Winter's Royal Conduit. Every kingdom has their own conduit, an item filled
with magical properties that only the ruler of that kingdom can use for the
benefit of their people. But naturally, Angra broke it in half and has one part
of it lying around his neck. Good luck getting that without dying. I'd say
more, but that would cut into your time of driving to the nearest bookstore,
buying this novel, and dropping to the floor in front of the cash register and
reading it then and there. There's just so much that happens in this book, so
much adventure, that you need to get on this horse now.<br />
<br />
Before this review ends though, I thought I'd touch base with the triangular
love occurring in this book. Lemme tell you, I was in the shower debating with
myself after having finished this book. Both boys are beautiful and swoon
worthy. I know which one I would choose, at least as far as book one goes, but
honestly, I have no qualms with this love triangle. It wasn't even overbearing
to the story, you could see it forming, there were hints, but it didn't make me
annoyed. It made me intrigued. Course, I only really debated it when I wasn't
scaling buildings, uncovering conspiracies, and breaking out of cages with
Meira, the marvelous protagonist of this novel. So don't that let scare you
away from this book, because there's so much more to it then two swoon inducing
boys that you shouldn't complain about having to read about.<br />
<br />
All in all, it was amazing, brilliant, beautiful, and any other adjective
that's synonymous to those.</span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #181818;"><br />
High-five Sara Raasch, high-five.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #181818;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #181818;">HAPPY READING!!!</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;">Market: Young Adult</span><br />
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia;">Language: Mild</span><span style="color: black;"><u1:p></u1:p><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia;">Sensuality: Mild
(just angst really)</span><span style="color: black;"><u1:p></u1:p><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-size: large;">Violence: Moderate
(battles and such)</span></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-size: large;">Mature Themes:
Nothing really mature</span></span></div>
</div>
Amy Finnegan {BookshopTalk.com}http://www.blogger.com/profile/10467356529486477863noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4754456360798018533.post-9502851686911137642016-01-25T00:00:00.000-07:002016-01-25T00:00:01.373-07:00NINTH WARD by Jewell Parker Rhodes, 2010<style>
<!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:Arial;
panose-1:2 11 6 4 2 2 2 2 2 4;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:-536859905 -1073711037 9 0 511 0;}
@font-face
{font-family:"MS 明朝";
mso-font-charset:78;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:-536870145 1791491579 18 0 131231 0;}
@font-face
{font-family:"Cambria Math";
panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:-536870145 1107305727 0 0 415 0;}
@font-face
{font-family:Georgia;
panose-1:2 4 5 2 5 4 5 2 3 3;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:647 0 0 0 159 0;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{mso-style-unhide:no;
mso-style-qformat:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
margin:0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
.MsoChpDefault
{mso-style-type:export-only;
mso-default-props:yes;
mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
@page WordSection1
{size:8.5in 11.0in;
margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in;
mso-header-margin:.5in;
mso-footer-margin:.5in;
mso-paper-source:0;}
div.WordSection1
{page:WordSection1;}
-->
</style>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9JcNikv5aPCZPtDL9HSF_XrJXG-Dzn1oH4aE3FgfrExRtHliEhdBq4v5380PPkbfiAlQdHlxPeSpeaR3f1kOiNMSer8YUT6ux0YQCuWsHNb5ODcraBP3sfkwlCGFSKrAqOmwdoygsiKc/s1600/7118768.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9JcNikv5aPCZPtDL9HSF_XrJXG-Dzn1oH4aE3FgfrExRtHliEhdBq4v5380PPkbfiAlQdHlxPeSpeaR3f1kOiNMSer8YUT6ux0YQCuWsHNb5ODcraBP3sfkwlCGFSKrAqOmwdoygsiKc/s1600/7118768.jpg" height="320" width="219" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: purple;"><span style="background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat; background-size: initial;"><span id="freeText14098647776315196970"><i><span style="color: blue; font-size: large;">Twelve-year-old Lanesha
lives in a tight-knit community in New Orleans' Ninth Ward. She doesn't
have a fancy house like her uptown family or lots of friends like the
other kids on her street. But what she does have is Mama Ya-Ya, her
fiercely loving caretaker, wise in the ways of the world and able to
predict the future. So when Mama Ya-Ya's visions show a powerful
hurricane--Katrina--fast approaching, it's up to Lanesha to call upon
the hope and strength Mama Ya-Ya has given her to help them both survive
the storm. (Goodreads)</span></i></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: purple; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: purple; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Reviewed by Julie, children's literature enthusiast and pop culture geek</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I'm
writing this review at the end of February, as Black History Month draws to a
close. Throughout the month, I've seen several lists and blog posts that
feature wonderful children's books celebrating black history. One book
that has been wrongfully missing from these lists is </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Ninth-Ward-Jewell-Parker-Rhodes/dp/0316043087/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1425856867&sr=1-1&keywords=NINTH+WARD+by+Jewell+Parker+Rhodes" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">NINTH WARD</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> by Jewell
Parker Rhodes.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">NINTH WARD can be classified as historical fiction, although the
history it presents may be recent in the minds of older readers. The
story takes place during the onset of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans,
Louisiana's Ninth Ward. Readers see the disaster through the eyes of the
narrator, twelve-year-old Lanesha as she struggles to survive the flood.
Although Lanesha doesn't have much, she has her friend TaShon, her guardian
Mama Ya Ya, and the ghostly apparition of her deceased mother to remind her of
the strength she has.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Lanesha is one of my favorite recently-discovered
characters. She narrates her own story with beautiful, spare prose that
sheds a light into her as a person: she loves math, vocabulary, and learning,
and she hopes to be an architect one day. Although she has an
"uptown family" consisting of relatives that want nothing to do with
her, she forms her own sense of community among her friends and guardians in
Ninth Ward. Her gift of sight, which allows her to see and speak with
ghosts, gives her a special understanding of the place she was born into,
including its rich past and current social and political problems. Her
voice is mature and interesting, and I enjoyed reading what felt like a very
honest and balanced account of what life was like for young victims of
Hurricane Katrina.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Although Black History Month is confined to February, it is
important to continue reading about and celebrating these stories throughout
the course of the year. NINTH WARD is a gripping story of survival and
hope featuring a fantastic main character, but it also provides an important
glimpse into recent history, an event from which many people are still
recovering.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-size: large;">Market: Middle
grade/YA fiction</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white;">
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia;">Violence: References
to gang-related violence in protagonist's neighborhood. One character is
hurt by bullies.</span><span style="color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; orphans: auto; text-align: start; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia;">Language:
Mild insults, bullying language</span><span style="color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; orphans: auto; text-align: start; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-size: large;">Sensuality:
None</span></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; orphans: auto; text-align: start; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-size: large;">Adult themes: Natural
disasters, poverty, loss and grief</span></span></div>
</div>
Amy Finnegan {BookshopTalk.com}http://www.blogger.com/profile/10467356529486477863noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4754456360798018533.post-18692508276620891532016-01-18T00:00:00.000-07:002016-01-18T00:00:02.670-07:00THE KISS OF A STRANGER by Sarah M. Eden, 2008<style>
<!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:"Cambria Math";
panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:-536870145 1107305727 0 0 415 0;}
@font-face
{font-family:Calibri;
panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:-520092929 1073786111 9 0 415 0;}
@font-face
{font-family:"Bookman Old Style";
panose-1:2 5 6 4 5 5 5 2 2 4;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:3 0 0 0 1 0;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{mso-style-unhide:no;
mso-style-qformat:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
margin-top:0in;
margin-right:0in;
margin-bottom:10.0pt;
margin-left:0in;
line-height:115%;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
.MsoChpDefault
{mso-style-type:export-only;
mso-default-props:yes;
font-size:11.0pt;
mso-ansi-font-size:11.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
.MsoPapDefault
{mso-style-type:export-only;
margin-bottom:10.0pt;
line-height:115%;}
@page WordSection1
{size:8.5in 11.0in;
margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in;
mso-header-margin:.5in;
mso-footer-margin:.5in;
mso-paper-source:0;}
div.WordSection1
{page:WordSection1;}
-->
</style>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrSmzFMf6h1HP1L50V3cNV1Ffj01UQAB4fCw2rvEyrgg5_Y9zujrj0NXTT4Va9ZZ6hs-2j0Cefyt1LP7vEAO0m4KKsI1nCtOMZxAcg-P16ilIFOT9y8lnC3uD2Cg7So2_SUx78Q27nWxw/s1600/10048521.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrSmzFMf6h1HP1L50V3cNV1Ffj01UQAB4fCw2rvEyrgg5_Y9zujrj0NXTT4Va9ZZ6hs-2j0Cefyt1LP7vEAO0m4KKsI1nCtOMZxAcg-P16ilIFOT9y8lnC3uD2Cg7So2_SUx78Q27nWxw/s1600/10048521.jpg" height="320" width="215" /></a></div>
<style>
<!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:Times;
panose-1:2 0 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:3 0 0 0 1 0;}
@font-face
{font-family:"MS 明朝";
mso-font-charset:78;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:-536870145 1791491579 18 0 131231 0;}
@font-face
{font-family:"Cambria Math";
panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:-536870145 1107305727 0 0 415 0;}
@font-face
{font-family:Georgia;
panose-1:2 4 5 2 5 4 5 2 3 3;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:647 0 0 0 159 0;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{mso-style-unhide:no;
mso-style-qformat:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
margin:0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
a:link, span.MsoHyperlink
{mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
color:blue;
text-decoration:underline;
text-underline:single;}
a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed
{mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
color:purple;
mso-themecolor:followedhyperlink;
text-decoration:underline;
text-underline:single;}
p
{mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-margin-top-alt:auto;
margin-right:0in;
mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
margin-left:0in;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Times;
mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";}
.MsoChpDefault
{mso-style-type:export-only;
mso-default-props:yes;
mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
@page WordSection1
{size:8.5in 11.0in;
margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in;
mso-header-margin:.5in;
mso-footer-margin:.5in;
mso-paper-source:0;}
div.WordSection1
{page:WordSection1;}
-->
</style>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i><span style="color: blue;">When
Crispin, Lord Cavratt, thoroughly and scandalously kisses a serving woman in
the garden of a country inn, he assumes the encounter will be of no
consequence. But he couldn't be more mistaken, the maid is not only a lady of
birth, she's the niece of a very large, exceptionally angry gentleman, who
claims Crispin has compromised his niece beyond redemption. The dismayed young
lord has no choice but to marry Miss Catherine Thorndale, who lacks both money
and refinement and assumes all men are as vicious as her guardian uncle.
(Goodreads)</span></i> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: purple;">Reviewed by Brooke – Wife, Mother, Reader</span></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">This is
a bit of a "Cinderella" story (my favorite by the way).
Catherine lives in a horrible situation. She is a lady, but under
the cruel rule of her uncle. Crispin, a gentleman, kisses Catherine,
thinking it harmless. Crispin being the gentleman that he is, agrees to
marry Catherine when her uncle insists. The marriage saves Catherine from
her situation with her uncle, but now she is married to a stranger.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Kiss-Stranger-Sarah-Eden/dp/1608611752">THE
KISS OF A STRANGER</a> </span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">has a bad guy, a really good bad guy. The Uncle
fills this role well. Crispin is a wonderful hero. He has good
morals. He may at times not know what’s right, but he wants to be the
true good guy. Catherine is a damsel in distress. Crispin saves her
like the Prince saves Cinderella from the Wicked Stepmother.
Although Catherine is shy, she and Crispin have some really fun banter.
Catherine comes out of her shell when she is not under the rule of her
uncle. I like the dynamic between these two characters. One of my favorite
characters (besides the hero and heroine), is Crispin's sister, Lizzie.
She is a wonderful supporting character, loving and kind when Catherine
needs a friend. Another favorite minor character is Philip Jonquil.
He is such a good character that the author has written a book with him
as the main character. He is witty and adds humor to the book.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">
</span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white;">Sarah M.
Eden writes lovely historical romances and I recommend her books if you like
clean romance.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: purple; font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: purple; font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-size: large;">Market: Adult Clean
Historical Fiction</span></span><br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background: white; color: purple; font-family: Georgia;">Language: None</span><span style="color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background: white; color: purple; font-family: Georgia;">Sensuality:
Mild, Kissing</span><span style="color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background: white; color: purple; font-family: Georgia;">Violence:
None</span></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: purple; font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-size: large;">Mature
Themes: Mild, Bullying by Uncle</span></span></div>
</div>
<span style="background-color: white;">
</span><span style="background-color: white;"></span>Amy Finnegan {BookshopTalk.com}http://www.blogger.com/profile/10467356529486477863noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4754456360798018533.post-90586143497013713892016-01-11T00:00:00.000-07:002016-01-11T00:00:00.832-07:00THE SCREAMING STAIRCASE by Jonathon Stroud, 2013<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI8mrOGl1GN6x5NWiEnFU7IrAx_-YeZBmqHNSBNtWv7yZMs6voJWlo_WDsW7GVu5mSPL9-jvJ7OpMZq5KEnKtQJPYOVWP6oAdO6BbRexkLL1hGS4fVx4bWSbdadn4tPx_19-DOsPEoM_E/s1600/13555073.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI8mrOGl1GN6x5NWiEnFU7IrAx_-YeZBmqHNSBNtWv7yZMs6voJWlo_WDsW7GVu5mSPL9-jvJ7OpMZq5KEnKtQJPYOVWP6oAdO6BbRexkLL1hGS4fVx4bWSbdadn4tPx_19-DOsPEoM_E/s1600/13555073.jpg" height="320" width="209" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
<o:AllowPNG/>
</o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
</xml><![endif]-->
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves/>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:DoNotPromoteQF/>
<w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther>
<w:LidThemeAsian>JA</w:LidThemeAsian>
<w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/>
<w:EnableOpenTypeKerning/>
<w:DontFlipMirrorIndents/>
<w:OverrideTableStyleHps/>
<w:UseFELayout/>
</w:Compatibility>
<m:mathPr>
<m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/>
<m:brkBin m:val="before"/>
<m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/>
<m:smallFrac m:val="off"/>
<m:dispDef/>
<m:lMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:rMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/>
<m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/>
<m:intLim m:val="subSup"/>
<m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/>
</m:mathPr></w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
DefSemiHidden="true" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99"
LatentStyleCount="276">
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="59" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]-->
<!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
</style>
<![endif]-->
<!--StartFragment-->
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: blue; font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-size: large;">For more than fifty years, the country has been
affected by a horrifying epidemic of ghosts. A number of Psychic Investigations
Agencies have sprung up to destroy the dangerous apparitions. Lucy Carlyle, a
talented young agent, arrives in London hoping for a notable career. Instead
she finds herself joining the smallest, most ramshackle agency in the city, run
by the charismatic Anthony Lockwood. When one of their cases goes horribly
wrong, Lockwood & Co. have one last chance of redemption. Unfortunately
this involves spending the night in one of the most haunted houses in England,
and trying to escape alive. (Goodreads)</span></span></i></div>
<div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<!--EndFragment--><span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Reviewed by Valette
M.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Lucy Carlyle makes a
plucky and determined heroine -- she has to be to continue to face down ghosts
night after night. She is adventurous, yet moderately levelheaded and makes a
nice support of a team consisting of Lockwood (who prefers to charge in guns
-- </span><i style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">ahem -- </i><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">rapiers blazing) and George, who's perhaps a little
bit too reserved. The chemistry in the team was very entertaining, consisting
of the rough bumps and snappishness of a family but also the fierce
loyalty and general camaraderie. They worked together well, almost
mesmerizingly so in a battle scene. And yet they weren't infallible, and there
were times when their age bled through, serving to put things in perspective
and up the ante.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Lockwood-Co-The-Screaming-Staircase/dp/1423164911/ref=tmm_hrd_title_0" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">THE
SCREAMING STAIRCASE</a><b style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </b><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">starts out with quite a kick. The reader is
thrown directly into the action with no info dump needed to get a hold of the
dramatic and intricate, perhaps far more so than currently seen, world. Ghost
hunting, though always carrying an intrinsic fear, was never so intense. The
stakes upped. And then they upped again. And right when the plot was tying up,
it didn't. So to those of you who've missed the feel of biting your nails, this
one's for you. Though it could be considered a 'ghost' book, Jonathan Stroud
has broken all the tropes of the genre to bring us a swashbuckling, plot-hole
free narrative that just gets better and better.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">The Bartimeaus Trilogy is one of my favorite series by far. The magic system
and depth of the alternate history blew my mind. I can safely say that Lockwood
and Co is well on its way to attaining the same. Again set in an alternate
London, this time the people are coping with The Problem, a serious rash of
hauntings. Reality melds smoothly with paranormal activity, in the newest book
from Jonathan Stroud, and also the newest book on my favorites list.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Market: Young Adult</span></span></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><span style="color: purple;">Language: Mild if any</span><span style="color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><span style="color: purple;">Sensuality: None</span><span style="color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><span style="color: purple;">Violence: Mild
(Dismembering of ghosts, etc)</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Mature Themes: The
Spooky and the ethereal</span></span></div>
</div>
</div>
Amy Finnegan {BookshopTalk.com}http://www.blogger.com/profile/10467356529486477863noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4754456360798018533.post-50968667716765731832016-01-04T00:00:00.000-07:002016-01-04T00:00:00.883-07:00LOVE, AUBREY by Suzanne LaFleur, 2009<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje5ItV7q7PkU-FgJ9Vo7TyQugGP_q8CCJc2dO26rrzR2RCUIIHIZaE5UxTsyQ0Xh1HQ6hN9W6fm_7HNaI6mhuV7d6SXjV6modyYLOxEz6E8wiDPdina8zzLOYiTQ5AxakswAqN-iS7c6Y/s1600/5982448.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje5ItV7q7PkU-FgJ9Vo7TyQugGP_q8CCJc2dO26rrzR2RCUIIHIZaE5UxTsyQ0Xh1HQ6hN9W6fm_7HNaI6mhuV7d6SXjV6modyYLOxEz6E8wiDPdina8zzLOYiTQ5AxakswAqN-iS7c6Y/s1600/5982448.jpg" height="320" width="217" /></a></div>
<style>
<!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:Times;
panose-1:2 0 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:3 0 0 0 1 0;}
@font-face
{font-family:"MS 明朝";
mso-font-charset:78;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:-536870145 1791491579 18 0 131231 0;}
@font-face
{font-family:"Cambria Math";
panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:-536870145 1107305727 0 0 415 0;}
@font-face
{font-family:Georgia;
panose-1:2 4 5 2 5 4 5 2 3 3;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:647 0 0 0 159 0;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{mso-style-unhide:no;
mso-style-qformat:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
margin:0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
a:link, span.MsoHyperlink
{mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
color:blue;
text-decoration:underline;
text-underline:single;}
a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed
{mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
color:purple;
mso-themecolor:followedhyperlink;
text-decoration:underline;
text-underline:single;}
p
{mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-margin-top-alt:auto;
margin-right:0in;
mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
margin-left:0in;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Times;
mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";}
.MsoChpDefault
{mso-style-type:export-only;
mso-default-props:yes;
mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
@page WordSection1
{size:8.5in 11.0in;
margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in;
mso-header-margin:.5in;
mso-footer-margin:.5in;
mso-paper-source:0;}
div.WordSection1
{page:WordSection1;}
-->
</style><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i><span style="color: blue;">A tragic accident has turned eleven-year-old
Aubrey’s world upside down. Starting a new life all alone, Aubrey has
everything she thinks she needs: SpaghettiOs and Sammy, her new pet fish. She
cannot talk about what happened to her. Writing letters is the only thing that
feels right to Aubrey, even if no one ever reads them. </span></i></span><i style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="color: blue;">With the aid of her loving grandmother and new friends, Aubrey learns that she
is not alone, and gradually, she finds the words to express feelings that once
seemed impossible to describe. The healing powers of friendship, love, and
memory help Aubrey take her first steps toward the future. (Goodreads)</span></i></span><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Reviewed by Jaina, who spends most of her
time reviewing books at </span><a href="http://ireadtilldawn.blogspot.com/" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Read Till
Dawn</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Gosh, I love </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Love-Aubrey-Suzanne-LaFleur/dp/0375851593" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">LOVE,
AUBREY</a><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> so much. And oh, how it makes me cry! I have read many sad fictional
books, from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (honestly, so many people die
in that book!) to books about the Titanic and the last Romanovs, but most of
them can't bring me to tears. They can make me really, really sad, it's true,
but they can't make me actually cry. This book, though, gets the waterworks
flowing in the first three chapters and never lets them stop. And this may
sound miserable, but it's actually wonderful.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">You see, this is a story of pain and grief and abandonment, but it's also the
story of love and friendship and strength at the worst of times. It is the
story of Aubrey, whose father and sister died in a car accident. Her mother was
so incredibly consumed with grief she ran away from home a few months after the
funeral, leaving Aubrey behind to take care of herself. The story is told in
first person past tense, which worked well for the story by providing a
compelling contrasts with the first person present flashback scenes in which
Aubrey remembers life before the car accident. Instead of an info-dump at the
beginning of the story we gradually find out the events of Aubrey's past as she
is forced to remember them, which (you guessed it!) provides haunting snapshots
throughout the story of how much Aubrey has lost.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">The saddest parts of the narrative, however, are probably
the letters Aubrey writes. At the beginning of the book she writes letters to
her sister's imaginary friend Jilly as a way to sort of indirectly talk to a
piece of her sister. As she begins to come to grips with everything that has
happened to her, she starts to write more directly to her mother, father, and
sister, telling them what she wishes she could say to them in person. She signs
each letter "Love, Aubrey," which is the source of the title.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">This is, without a doubt, one of my all-time favorite
books. It's heart-wrenching, but it's also realistic and heartwarming.
Aubrey has had the unthinkable happen to her family, and she responds the way
any real person would - through denial, through tears, and through shutting
down at any reminder of what has happened. But as the story goes along, she
learns to cope and to forgive and to live her new life with her grandmother and
best friend/neighbor Bridget.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">This is an amazing book, and I wholeheartedly recommend
it. But please, know what you are getting into. This is not a light or easy
read, and if you don't want to read a book that will make you cry, then don't
pick this one up. But know that it does not just toy with the emotions: it is
sad because terrible, tragic things happen in life, and sometimes you have to
cry about them.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Market: Middle Grade</span></span><br />
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst">
<span style="color: purple;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">
Language: None<br />
Sensuality: None<br />
Violence: Mild/Moderate (Aubrey has flashbacks to the car accident that killed
her father and sister)</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Mature Themes: Dealing with the realities of death and parental abandonment</span></span></div>
</div>
Amy Finnegan {BookshopTalk.com}http://www.blogger.com/profile/10467356529486477863noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4754456360798018533.post-10205036314579661332015-12-28T00:00:00.000-07:002015-12-28T00:00:01.201-07:00DOOMED QUEENS: ROYAL WOMEN WHO MET BAD ENDS, FROM CLEOPATRA TO PRINCESS DI by Kris Waldherr, 2008<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_fuolPpky416TNmFkpyJwmr19fjKATUfKLfIdFLWz-FgrMME9usfvNyofvNxLNtnSFTvi27pUtgXGJ2LfC9cr6okkjvS5ugVZQNXJcsG_kpw_p6ijLvohqIF2djAJimT7hu20swKtPF8/s1600/2764071.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_fuolPpky416TNmFkpyJwmr19fjKATUfKLfIdFLWz-FgrMME9usfvNyofvNxLNtnSFTvi27pUtgXGJ2LfC9cr6okkjvS5ugVZQNXJcsG_kpw_p6ijLvohqIF2djAJimT7hu20swKtPF8/s1600/2764071.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-repeat: initial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 0.0001pt; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"></span></span><i><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span id="freeText6168764243633435673">Marie Antoinette,
Anne Boleyn, and Mary, Queen of Scots. What did they have in common? For
a while they were crowned in gold, cosseted in silk, and flattered by
courtiers. But in the end, they spent long nights in dark prison towers
and were marched to the scaffold where they surrendered their heads to
the executioner. And they are hardly alone in their undignified demises.
Throughout history, royal women have had a distressing way of meeting
bad ends—dying of starvation, being burned at the stake, or expiring in
childbirth while trying desperately to produce an heir. From Cleopatra (suicide
by asp), to Princess Caroline (suspiciously poisoned on her coronation
day), there's a gory downside to being blue-blooded when you lack a Y
chromosome. (Goodreads)</span></span></span></span></i><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Reviewed by Julie, children's literature enthusiast and pop culture geek</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Kris Waldherr's nonfiction book </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Doomed-Queens-Royal-Cleopatra-Princess/dp/0767928997/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1425784046&sr=1-1&keywords=Doomed+Queens%3A+Royal+Women+Who+Met+Bad+Ends%2C+from+Cleopatra+to+Princess+Di" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">DOOMED QUEENS</a><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> is a dark, fun look into history. Offering short chapters on 50 female royals, DOOMED QUEENS offers biographical and historical context before delving into the ghastly end of each monarch's rule. From Cleopatra to Brunhilde, Mary Stuart to Alexandra Romanov, Waldherr covers a wide range of time and place. Any fan of women's history will be sure to find a couple of chapters to peruse.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I finished this book in one day and have returned to it several times since. Waldherr's writing is well-informed and superb, striking the right balance between wit and irreverence. The humorous tone (the end of each chapter, for instance, offers a "cautionary moral" to the queen's story) provides a nice balance to the dark subject matter. Quizzes, timelines, and symbolic graphics (a skull wearing a crown indicates, for example, that the queen suffered death by beheading) make the book simply fun to read. More importantly, Waldherr has done her research: although each chapter, at two or three pages long, provides a simple overview of each woman's life and death, the source notes are thorough. While focusing on the macabre, DOOMED QUEENS can be a good starting point for anyone looking to learn more about famous (or infamous) women in history.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">If you're interested in this book, be sure to get your hands on a material copy. Half of the fun is the gorgeous book design. It includes lavish illustrations of each subject, as well as graphics throughout the chapters. According to other reviews I've read, not all of these details are available in e-book format. Believe me, the reading experience will be worth your trip to the library or bookstore!</span></span><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-size: large;">Market: Adult
non-fiction</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-repeat: initial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 0.0001pt; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia;">Violence: Explains
the sticky ends that classify many of these queens as
"doomed"--anything from beheading to death by paparazzi</span><span style="color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia;">Language: Clean</span><span style="color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-size: large;">Sensuality:
References to extramarital affairs</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-size: large;">Adult themes: Royalty and ruling, power, death</span></span></div>
</div>
Amy Finnegan {BookshopTalk.com}http://www.blogger.com/profile/10467356529486477863noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4754456360798018533.post-34875110034668460232015-12-21T00:00:00.000-07:002015-12-21T00:00:01.323-07:00THESE BROKEN STARS by Megan Spooner & Amie Kaufman, 2013<style>
<!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:Arial;
panose-1:2 11 6 4 2 2 2 2 2 4;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:-536859905 -1073711037 9 0 511 0;}
@font-face
{font-family:Times;
panose-1:2 0 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:3 0 0 0 1 0;}
@font-face
{font-family:"MS 明朝";
mso-font-charset:78;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:-536870145 1791491579 18 0 131231 0;}
@font-face
{font-family:"Cambria Math";
panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:-536870145 1107305727 0 0 415 0;}
@font-face
{font-family:Georgia;
panose-1:2 4 5 2 5 4 5 2 3 3;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:647 0 0 0 159 0;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{mso-style-unhide:no;
mso-style-qformat:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
margin:0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
p
{mso-style-priority:99;
mso-margin-top-alt:auto;
margin-right:0in;
mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
margin-left:0in;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Times;
mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";}
.MsoChpDefault
{mso-style-type:export-only;
mso-default-props:yes;
mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
@page WordSection1
{size:8.5in 11.0in;
margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in;
mso-header-margin:.5in;
mso-footer-margin:.5in;
mso-paper-source:0;}
div.WordSection1
{page:WordSection1;}
-->
</style>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht2ap9UdCWBpL3vBpw7qJqjbl2ni5y0vMI2eXW6NMWHRWF2EIeS30czjQHRKzXtrWPMzus-unnIXiCtTwmdOk4__5MWVcNNyhNawdEmWx7INb21TPqSaHRbgEdP-NfGCvidRTCV3ZVWMI/s1600/13138635.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht2ap9UdCWBpL3vBpw7qJqjbl2ni5y0vMI2eXW6NMWHRWF2EIeS30czjQHRKzXtrWPMzus-unnIXiCtTwmdOk4__5MWVcNNyhNawdEmWx7INb21TPqSaHRbgEdP-NfGCvidRTCV3ZVWMI/s1600/13138635.jpg" height="320" width="210" /></a></div>
<div style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: blue;"><i><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span id="freeText13816184308955788288">Luxury spaceliner
Icarus suddenly plummets from hyperspace into the nearest planet. Lilac
LaRoux and Tarver Merendsen survive -- alone. Lilac is the daughter of
the richest man in the universe. Tarver comes from nothing, a cynical
war hero. Both journey across the eerie deserted terrain for help.
Everything changes when they uncover the truth. (Goodreads)</span></span></span></i></span><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Reviewed by Valette M.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">One look at that
gorgeous cover and I was sold. And a few hours later, I'm happy to report that
this story totally lives up to that dress.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">From the get-go we have two dynamic characters (The </span><i style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">only </i><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">two
characters for the majority of the book) that are completely opposite: Lilac,
the society darling dripping with money and the necessary arrogance to keep
fortune-hunters away, and Tarver, a man for rugged terrains and a recently
returned war hero. I found Lilac very sympathetically and sweetly portrayed.
Instead of loathing the rich girl with daddy issues, I loved her. She tried to
get better, and recognized when it was better to bow to authority or dig in her
heels all the way. She was level-headed, courageous, and blessedly whine-free.
The authors took no short cuts with her character, and Tarver was no different.
Unfortunately, so many young adult authors simply paste down a generic hunk for
the love interest and call it good </span><i style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">('Can't you see the figure we just
described for you? No wonder she falls in love with him!') </i><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">playing off
the tropes of YA to let the reader fill in the gaps.That may be fine for a
fairytale, but the romance can never reach those desperately beautiful heights
that make us squeal and nibble our nails. Thankfully, that was not this book.
Tarver had his own detailed past, his own clear motives for choices and he did
not exist solely through his feelings for Lilac. There was poetry and hunting
and hiking through the woods. And there was plenty of squealing and nail
nibbling. It was nice.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I never knew crossing fields and forests and mountains could be so exciting!
(Let's be honest. There are some parts of Lord of the Rings that are
just...meh.) But mix with that the bite in Lilac and Tarver's interactions,
Lilac's character arc as she experiences a world she never dreamed existed, and
-- to top it all off -- ghostly apparitions that may be telling the future. Or
maybe Lilac's just going mad. Science fiction smashed into romance, creating an
intricate whirl-wind of a tale.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I haven't had the pleasure of reading anything by Meagan Spooner and can only
looking forward to reading more from Amie Kaufman, but </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/These-Broken-Stars-Starbound-Novel/dp/1423171020/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1425852938&sr=1-1-fkmr0&keywords=THE+BROKEN+STARS+by+Megan+Spooner+%26+Amie+Kaufman" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">THESE BROKEN STARS</a><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> was a
satisfying read with a solid difference in the styles between to the two
point-of-views. It was easy to tell what character was narrating, and the
present tense was a good fit.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-size: large;">Market: Young Adult</span></span></div>
<div style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; word-spacing: 0px;">
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia;">Language: Mild</span><span style="color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; orphans: auto; text-align: start; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia;">Sensuality:
Mild to Moderate</span><span style="color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; orphans: auto; text-align: start; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia;">Violence:
Mild</span></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; orphans: auto; text-align: start; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-size: large;">Mature Themes: None</span></span></div>
</div>
Amy Finnegan {BookshopTalk.com}http://www.blogger.com/profile/10467356529486477863noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4754456360798018533.post-69243969787831013412015-12-14T00:00:00.000-07:002015-12-14T00:00:11.020-07:00AS YOU WISH: INCONCEIABLE TALES FROM THE MAKING OF THE PRINCESS BRIDE by Cary Elwes, 2014<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo7us6DSsu4JRJaGv6DK6OHhMEfRKza_nJMRrCVnWhfucQLDSt5C-lQ_Nn7QC5AlycQLL3NvjVAbPCy1_taEwkMLPKE1DS_yg99dNopbiub4fzyEmxNsJ9vdATArU2ZItn_a-lBQuLUeM/s1600/21412202.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo7us6DSsu4JRJaGv6DK6OHhMEfRKza_nJMRrCVnWhfucQLDSt5C-lQ_Nn7QC5AlycQLL3NvjVAbPCy1_taEwkMLPKE1DS_yg99dNopbiub4fzyEmxNsJ9vdATArU2ZItn_a-lBQuLUeM/s1600/21412202.jpg" height="320" width="211" /></a></div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="color: blue;"><i><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span id="freeText9436955671634270627">From actor Cary Elwes, who played the iconic role of Westley in <i>The Princess Bride</i>,
comes a first-person account and behind-the-scenes look at the making
of the cult classic film filled with never-before-told stories,
exclusive photographs, and interviews with costars Robin Wright, Wallace
Shawn, Billy Crystal, Christopher Guest, and Mandy Patinkin, as well as
author and screenwriter William Goldman, producer Norman Lear, and
director Rob Reiner. (Goodreads)</span></span></span></i></span><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span id="freeText1319213965780206626">Reviewed by</span></span><span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="background-color: white; display: inline ! important; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"> Jaina, who spends most of her time reviewing books at <a href="http://ireadtilldawn.blogspot.com/">Read Till Dawn</a></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Wow, what a book!</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">As a long-time Princess Bride enthusiast, I absolutely loved reading this behind the scenes look at filming the movie. I mean, Elwes literally lost consciousness when filming the scene where Count Ruben knocks him out! And Andre the giant fell into a drink-induced sleep on the floor of a posh hotel the night of the first read-through! And Elwes had only two months of training for the famous duel - half of which he spent with a broken toe!</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">These are just a few of the many, many tidbits about the film scattered throughout </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/As-You-Wish-Inconceivable-Princess/dp/1476764026" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">AS YOU WISH</a><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">. I am now dying to re-watch the movie. I mean, I always want to re-watch it, but now I really really want to because I know what was going on behind the scenes, and even inside their heads as they were acting the scene. Like how they took six takes to film the Kiss That Surpassed Them All, just because Elwes and Wright kept saying "no, I think we need to try again! *giggle*" Or how Wally Shawn was incredibly nervous while filming the battle of wits, because he'd heard he was the third pick for Vizzini and he honestly thought Rob Reiner was going to tell him he was fired for not being good enough at the part. It's tragic, really, that he was so miserable and insecure in the part while he did such an amazing job with it.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">It's obvious that the movie is very close to Elwes' heart, and that he had a lot of fun filming it. I never really considered what it must have been like for the actors who brought the now-iconic film to life, and I certainly never really realized how hard Elwes and Mandy Mantinkin worked for the famous duel scene. While a cynical part of me wonders if there was more drama going on during the filming than Elwes might like to depict in his rosy picture of life on set, I sincerely hope I'm wrong. After all, The Princess Bride is a one-of-a-time movie experience. Why couldn't its filming be just as special?</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">All in all, a wonderfully informative book that provides all the juicy insider details about the behind-the-scenes for arguably the best movie ever made, told from the point of view of our darling Wesley and filled with short inserts by everyone from Rob Reiner to Billy Crystal. If you're a fan of The Princess Bride, then this is definitely the book for you!</span></span><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-size: large;">Market: Nonfiction</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-size: large;">
Language: None that I can remember<br />
Sensuality: None<br />
Violence: None</span></span><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-size: large;">Mature Themes: Mild (Andre the giant's heavy drinking habits are mentioned a
few times, but he is never roaringly drunk</span></span><!--EndFragment-->
</div>
Amy Finnegan {BookshopTalk.com}http://www.blogger.com/profile/10467356529486477863noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4754456360798018533.post-19677781258019464972015-12-07T00:00:00.000-07:002015-12-07T00:00:01.076-07:00DEEP SECRET by Diana Wynne Jones, 1997<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid8Imk54qaCCthz-c3EFKbcbrvUa4nZXQS3K4zIyLFWwTeVzFywcZNoR08lrrWeZOGAEc81v10fQ2RH8SNtS9shM79AxR7agdijiiWVF2Dx2Gg2ugQ1Llobz6pKlfHhIPfWWDK28WzMvk/s1600/20518962.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid8Imk54qaCCthz-c3EFKbcbrvUa4nZXQS3K4zIyLFWwTeVzFywcZNoR08lrrWeZOGAEc81v10fQ2RH8SNtS9shM79AxR7agdijiiWVF2Dx2Gg2ugQ1Llobz6pKlfHhIPfWWDK28WzMvk/s1600/20518962.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a></div>
<div>
<i><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span id="freeText4862519759481524760">Rupert Venables is a Magid. It's
a Magid's job to oversee what goes on in the vast Multiverse. Actually,
Rupert is really only a junior Magid. But he's got a king-sized
problem. Rupert's territory includes Earth and the Empire of Korfyros.
When his mentor dies Rupert must find a replacement. But there are
hundreds of candidates. How is he supposed to choose? And interviewing
each one could take forever. Unless...What if he could round them all up in one place? Simple! </span>(Goodreads)</span></span></span></i><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Reviewed by Emily, bibliophile and eternal student</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Deep-Secret-Diana-Wynne-Jones/dp/0765338076" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">DEEP SECRET</a><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> is a tangled tale. Of course, it's told by Diana Wynne Jones, and that is a pretty normal state for her stories to be in, which is part of why I love them so much.</span></span></div>
</div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Besides all the crazy magical stuff happening behind the scenes, so to speak, this story is essentially about a convention at which half of the participants or so are there for reasons entirely related to the crazy magical stuff - and they don't even know it. Still, a fan convention is probably about the only place that you would be able to walk a wounded centaur down the hall without any comments other than how<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><i>real</i><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>he looked, and not have people calling security.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I think my very favorite part of the book, though, is the description of Nick, who is not a morning person. When I read it, I was shrieking with laughter. I laughed so hard that I couldn't breathe. It's not so much what he does and says as people's reactions to his state of shambling zombie activity.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">In any case, I highly recommend Diana Wynne Jones's books, and</span> <i style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Deep Secret</i> <span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">in particular.</span></span></div>
</div>
</div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia;">Market: Young Adult
Fantasy</span><span style="color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia;">Language: Mild</span><span style="color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia;">Sensuality: Mild</span><span style="color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-size: large;">Violence: Mild to
moderate</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-size: large;">Mature Themes: War,
responsibility</span></span></div>
</div>
Amy Finnegan {BookshopTalk.com}http://www.blogger.com/profile/10467356529486477863noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4754456360798018533.post-34891176337169770272015-11-30T00:00:00.000-07:002015-11-30T00:00:05.381-07:00THE DRAGON'S TOOTH by N. D. Wilson, 2011<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOIuaFuWFFzbEA9adnXoMKTxbPgKe9FuOB-U9c5WNN4i6XBsJpF2z-JdAyS_HGWY8s9uvdOA7J9rkdx2FwVKyBsIoh42Co1c__PeDEFqDZpjK0ERVv3Q9XGWqemnNKkncuHbKAy63tw7c/s1600/9848566.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOIuaFuWFFzbEA9adnXoMKTxbPgKe9FuOB-U9c5WNN4i6XBsJpF2z-JdAyS_HGWY8s9uvdOA7J9rkdx2FwVKyBsIoh42Co1c__PeDEFqDZpjK0ERVv3Q9XGWqemnNKkncuHbKAy63tw7c/s1600/9848566.jpg" height="320" width="212" /></a></div>
<div>
<i><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span id="freeText16331714455566090543">For two years, Cyrus
and Antigone Smith have run a sagging roadside motel with their older
brother, Daniel. Nothing ever seems to happen. Then a strange old man
with bone tattoos arrives, demanding a specific room. Less than
24 hours later, the old man is dead. The motel has burned, and Daniel is
missing. And Cyrus and Antigone are kneeling in a crowded hall,
swearing an oath to an order of explorers who have long served as
caretakers of the world's secrets, keepers of powerful relics from lost
civilizations, and jailers to unkillable criminals who have terrorized
the world for millennia. (Goodreads)</span></span></span></span></i><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Emily, bibliophile and eternal student</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">When I first read this book, I thought it was good, and that I could stand to read it again, because admittedly I didn't feel that I had understood everything about it.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I am now convinced that this is one of those books that you go back to, year after year, that grow with you and teach you something different every time.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Also, it's a ripping good yarn.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">There are so many things I love about this book that it's hard to pick just a few, but I'll try anyway.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">First, the siblings, Daniel, Antigone, and Cyrus Smith. They needle each other. They argue and tease and terrify one another, but they stick together, and they undoubtedly love one another in a way that only siblings can.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Second, the story. Cyrus Smith is an impetuous 12-year-old boy who makes many mistakes, and makes things worse when he tries to fix them. He's given an ancient artifact by a man named Billy Bones - a shard of a dragon's tooth. Cyrus is thrust into a world where some myths still walk the earth and many nightmares are real. He and his sister Antigone must find their missing brother Daniel, and to do that they must complete a set of impossible tasks without allies, guidance, or assets, and survive the attacks of those who covet the dragon's tooth.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Of course, there are many other things that I love about these books - the descriptions, the names, the clever weaving of old myths and new imagination, to name just a few - but instead of wasting time reading this review, I urge you to go read</span> <i style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Dragons-Tooth-Ashtown-Burials/dp/0375863966">THE DRAGON'S TOOTH</a>.</i></span><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Market: Middle
Grade/Young Adult Fantasy</span></span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><span style="color: purple;">Language: Mild</span><span style="color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><span style="color: purple;">Sensuality: None</span><span style="color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><span style="color: purple;">Violence:
Considerable, but not horribly graphic.</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Mature Themes: death,
involuntary parental absence, the true nature of good and evil.</span></span></div>
</div>
Amy Finnegan {BookshopTalk.com}http://www.blogger.com/profile/10467356529486477863noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4754456360798018533.post-11520978598252298622015-11-23T00:00:00.000-07:002015-11-23T00:00:08.278-07:00THE WAY OF KINGS by Brandon Sanderson, 2010<style>
<!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:Arial;
panose-1:2 11 6 4 2 2 2 2 2 4;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:-536859905 -1073711037 9 0 511 0;}
@font-face
{font-family:"MS 明朝";
mso-font-charset:78;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:-536870145 1791491579 18 0 131231 0;}
@font-face
{font-family:"Cambria Math";
panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:-536870145 1107305727 0 0 415 0;}
@font-face
{font-family:Georgia;
panose-1:2 4 5 2 5 4 5 2 3 3;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:647 0 0 0 159 0;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{mso-style-unhide:no;
mso-style-qformat:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
margin:0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
.MsoChpDefault
{mso-style-type:export-only;
mso-default-props:yes;
mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
@page WordSection1
{size:8.5in 11.0in;
margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in;
mso-header-margin:.5in;
mso-footer-margin:.5in;
mso-paper-source:0;}
div.WordSection1
{page:WordSection1;}
-->
</style>
<br />
<style>
<!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:Times;
panose-1:2 0 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:3 0 0 0 1 0;}
@font-face
{font-family:"MS 明朝";
mso-font-charset:78;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:-536870145 1791491579 18 0 131231 0;}
@font-face
{font-family:"Cambria Math";
panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:-536870145 1107305727 0 0 415 0;}
@font-face
{font-family:Georgia;
panose-1:2 4 5 2 5 4 5 2 3 3;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:647 0 0 0 159 0;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{mso-style-unhide:no;
mso-style-qformat:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
margin:0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
.MsoChpDefault
{mso-style-type:export-only;
mso-default-props:yes;
mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
@page WordSection1
{size:8.5in 11.0in;
margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in;
mso-header-margin:.5in;
mso-footer-margin:.5in;
mso-paper-source:0;}
div.WordSection1
{page:WordSection1;}
-->
</style>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwWjNukuni4DiX19mycP2uTTWtzbmF2YQWNlvXW8C8GL3IKi-mFudEZPBspd9wFOVDR6675mcwNKh5e2SEP047j_89bJAzmH7d3vYcquqGg0DthCPTzDIZEV4XlSik5CWrx4VYILX-GEE/s1600/7235533.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwWjNukuni4DiX19mycP2uTTWtzbmF2YQWNlvXW8C8GL3IKi-mFudEZPBspd9wFOVDR6675mcwNKh5e2SEP047j_89bJAzmH7d3vYcquqGg0DthCPTzDIZEV4XlSik5CWrx4VYILX-GEE/s1600/7235533.jpg" height="320" width="211" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white;">
<span style="color: purple;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span id="freeText4245302381853633236"><i><span style="color: blue;">Roshar is a world of
stone and storms. Uncanny tempests of incredible power sweep across the
rocky terrain so frequently that they have shaped ecology and
civilization alike. Animals hide in shells, trees pull in branches, and
grass retracts into the soiless ground. Cities are built only where the
topography offers shelter.<br /><br />It has been centuries since the fall
of the ten consecrated orders known as the Knights Radiant, but their
Shardblades and Shardplate remain: mystical swords and suits of armor
that transform ordinary men into near-invincible warriors. Men trade
kingdoms for Shardblades. Wars were fought for them, and won by them. (Goodreads)</span></i></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Reviewed by Emily,
bibliophile and eternal student</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Epic.
That's what I thought when I saw <a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Way-Kings-Stormlight-Archive/dp/0765365278">THE WAY OF KINGS</a> on the shelf, mostly because of its
proportions. It's what I thought when I started reading it, and realized that
Brandon Sanderson had created a world that was alien to our own, and when I
started to realize the scope of the story and the size of the cast of
characters.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">It's
what I told everyone after I'd read it, because there's really not a better
word to describe this book. The main characters have choices to make that will
change the course of their world, Roshar, forever.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Theirs
is a harsh world where storms that kill are a way of life; a place where plants
move like animals, and animals, plants; where long-ago battles created the
Shattered Plains, and princes now hunt its chasms for fiends with gems as
hearts. Where slaves carry bridges and die on the arrows of creatures that sing
as they kill - and their world is about to be shattered by the Last
Desolation.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">So
yes, it may take 100 pages to understand all the terms Brandon Sanderson throws
at you, but the tale told is more than worth it.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-size: large;">Market: Adult
Fantasy </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white;">
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia;">Language: Invented
swearwords</span><span style="color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; orphans: auto; text-align: start; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia;">Sensuality:
Mild</span><span style="color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; orphans: auto; text-align: start; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-size: large;">Violence:
Admittedly present, and somewhat graphic</span></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; orphans: auto; text-align: start; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-size: large;">Mature
themes: Depression, death, regret, ethical discussions on self-defense and
thievery.</span></span></div>
</div>
<span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia;"></span><span style="font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span>
Amy Finnegan {BookshopTalk.com}http://www.blogger.com/profile/10467356529486477863noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4754456360798018533.post-24788109569358725502015-11-16T00:00:00.000-07:002015-11-16T00:00:00.243-07:00FIREBIRD by Sharyn November, 2005<style>
<!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:Arial;
panose-1:2 11 6 4 2 2 2 2 2 4;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:-536859905 -1073711037 9 0 511 0;}
@font-face
{font-family:"MS 明朝";
mso-font-charset:78;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:-536870145 1791491579 18 0 131231 0;}
@font-face
{font-family:"Cambria Math";
panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:-536870145 1107305727 0 0 415 0;}
@font-face
{font-family:Georgia;
panose-1:2 4 5 2 5 4 5 2 3 3;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:647 0 0 0 159 0;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{mso-style-unhide:no;
mso-style-qformat:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
margin:0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
.MsoChpDefault
{mso-style-type:export-only;
mso-default-props:yes;
mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
@page WordSection1
{size:8.5in 11.0in;
margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in;
mso-header-margin:.5in;
mso-footer-margin:.5in;
mso-paper-source:0;}
div.WordSection1
{page:WordSection1;}
-->
</style>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLqppVfL64JdTCb95B9HV_hbQuv4La8BDIyUnanArsrzwIRuDMSN2UvjAPp2dEOS3Lq-PPU_bbrBOcAJUSRTl0c4jl0-um-HxeVVRIHZp2ssOHCI4F_5z_UhmYWR5RNMeBvV_spket3nc/s1600/40160.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLqppVfL64JdTCb95B9HV_hbQuv4La8BDIyUnanArsrzwIRuDMSN2UvjAPp2dEOS3Lq-PPU_bbrBOcAJUSRTl0c4jl0-um-HxeVVRIHZp2ssOHCI4F_5z_UhmYWR5RNMeBvV_spket3nc/s1600/40160.jpg" height="320" width="211" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="color: purple;"><span id="freeText5695946664469176376"><i><span style="color: blue;">Firebirds is more than
simply an anthology -- it is a celebration of wonderful writing. It
gathers together sixteen original stories by some of today's finest
writers of fantasy and science fiction. Together, they have won
virtually every major prize -- from the National Book Award to the World
Fantasy Award to the Newbery Medal -- and have made best-seller lists
worldwide. The writers featured in Firebirds all share a
connection to Firebird Books, an imprint that is dedicated to publishing
the best fantasy and science fiction for teenage and adult readers. (Goodreads)</span></i></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Reviewed by Emily, bibliophile and perpetual student</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Firebirds-Anthology-Original-Fantasy-Science/dp/0142403202/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1426111230&sr=1-1&keywords=FIREBIRDS" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">FIREBIRDS</a><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> is an impressive collection; many of my
favorite authors are featured, and their stories do not disappoint. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">"Cotillion" by Delia Sherman is an
updated take on the ballad of Tam Lin - though still somewhat removed from the
present, since it takes place in 1969.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Megan Whalen Turner's contribution, "The Baby
in the Night Deposit Box", is an interesting twist on the idea of
changelings. When the president of of the Elliotville Bank finds a baby in his
new night deposit box, he determines that he's going to keep her. Of course,
it's never quite that simple to adopt a baby, especially when she can't leave
the bank . . .</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">"Max Mondrosch" is a sad little story from Lloyd
Alexander about a man who just can't find a job, and how can they, when no one
seems to notice him?</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">"Byndley", by Patricia A. McKillip, takes the wizard
Reck on "Firebirds" is an impressive collection; many of my favorite
authors are featured, and their stories do not disappoint. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">"Beauty", by Sherwood Smith, explores the
idea of true beauty and how we perceive it.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Diana Wynne Jones' "Little Dot", is a cat
story told from the perspective of the cat. Little Dot owns a wizard, and when
he gets roped into fighting the fearsome Beast of Ettmoor, she knows she has to
save him. With the help of all her friends and a hint from a mysterious (and
probably magical) lady, she may just be able to defeat the Beast before it gets
hold of her wizard.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Of course, there are many other wonderful stories
in this book, including a short graphic novel about the Wild Hunt. I highly
recommend it.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-size: large;">Market: Young Adult
fantasy</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white;">
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia;">Language: Mild to
Moderate</span><span style="color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; orphans: auto; text-align: start; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia;">Sensuality:
Moderate (nothing too graphic, though)</span><span style="color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; orphans: auto; text-align: start; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia;">Violence:
Moderate</span></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; orphans: auto; text-align: start; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-size: large;">Mature
Themes: abandonment, hopelessness, the true nature of beauty.</span></span></div>
</div>
Amy Finnegan {BookshopTalk.com}http://www.blogger.com/profile/10467356529486477863noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4754456360798018533.post-76368684890701976872015-11-02T00:00:00.000-07:002015-11-02T00:00:04.823-07:00PERFECT LIES by Kiersten White, 2014<style>
<!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:Arial;
panose-1:2 11 6 4 2 2 2 2 2 4;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:-536859905 -1073711037 9 0 511 0;}
@font-face
{font-family:Times;
panose-1:2 0 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:3 0 0 0 1 0;}
@font-face
{font-family:"MS 明朝";
mso-font-charset:78;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:-536870145 1791491579 18 0 131231 0;}
@font-face
{font-family:"Cambria Math";
panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:-536870145 1107305727 0 0 415 0;}
@font-face
{font-family:Georgia;
panose-1:2 4 5 2 5 4 5 2 3 3;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:647 0 0 0 159 0;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{mso-style-unhide:no;
mso-style-qformat:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
margin:0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
p
{mso-style-priority:99;
mso-margin-top-alt:auto;
margin-right:0in;
mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
margin-left:0in;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Times;
mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";}
.MsoChpDefault
{mso-style-type:export-only;
mso-default-props:yes;
mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
@page WordSection1
{size:8.5in 11.0in;
margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in;
mso-header-margin:.5in;
mso-footer-margin:.5in;
mso-paper-source:0;}
div.WordSection1
{page:WordSection1;}
-->
</style>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEmvNpw3Ij2HhqP5axqbySpOSG_tszRa4SKtbJrjLG1WsbMxGyIvkY9LjmoBzHaJETz5HPuHYfIFk00RCvNHlMIu3jnl4xX-GIGaoTC5Kqs5sKfa_RdA7bUGgaA9yGQXWA8dvZISCZmrY/s1600/12578370.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEmvNpw3Ij2HhqP5axqbySpOSG_tszRa4SKtbJrjLG1WsbMxGyIvkY9LjmoBzHaJETz5HPuHYfIFk00RCvNHlMIu3jnl4xX-GIGaoTC5Kqs5sKfa_RdA7bUGgaA9yGQXWA8dvZISCZmrY/s1600/12578370.jpg" height="320" width="210" /></a></div>
<div style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span id="freeText8894648247705105503">Annie and Fia are ready to fight back. The
sisters have been manipulated and controlled by the Keane Foundation
for years, trapped in a never ending battle for survival. Now they have
found allies who can help them truly escape. After faking her own death,
Annie has joined a group that is plotting to destroy the Foundation.
And Fia is working with James Keane to bring his father down from the
inside. But Annie's visions of the future can't show her who to
trust in the present. And though James is Fia's first love, Fia knows
he's hiding something. The sisters can rely only on each other - but
that may not be enough to save them. (Goodreads)</span></span></span></span></i><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Reviewed by Valette M.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Annie and Fia are two
desperately loyal sisters who would do anything to keep the other safe, even if
it means they themselves get ripped apart. In this stunning sequel to Mind
Games the coin is flipped -- Annie seemingly free but Fia trapped back at the
school. However thick the web of intrigue binding Fia with the Keane's, the
stronger prison is the one that she builds in her own mind as her choices
gradually kill her. Keirsten White portrays this dance along the edge of
madness masterfully, and the frenetic, terrified tone of her sections are
haunting in first person. I could feel the fragile threads of her mind and was
tied to my chair as they unraveled. Calm, caring, centered Annie creates a nice
juxtaposition to her sister as she grows stronger and more self-assured. Before
now, mostly in Fia's mind, she was portrayed as weaker somehow. After all, she
is blind. Of course that doesn't stop her, and she takes the world head on.
Both sisters were fascinating.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The twisting plot from
Mind Games deepens with </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Untitled-2-Kiersten-White/dp/0007506341/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=1-1&qid=1425852229" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">PERFECT LIES</a><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">, though I felt like the focus was more on
the characters, and understandably so. Mr. Keane, Jason, and Lerner are in it
to win and they will do so unscrupulously, not caring for the lives they shred.
And Fia's life has been shredded. She has been shredded and faces
self-destruction as she struggles to make choices with no morals to guide her.
Kill this person. Trap this person. It will all be worth it in the end if she
can bring down the leader, right? She will protect Annie. I loved the closure
the ending provided, almost bittersweet. And was great to read a book with a
focus on sibling loyalty. Filled with shifting timelines, more thriller and edge
than Mind Games, Perfect Lies is dramatic, concise, and sharp.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Kiersten White uses
language beautifully to convey the stirring tale of two sisters who just want
the madness to end. This tale is wrenching and darkly intense. Kiersten White
continues to set the bar higher, and I look forward to what she gives us next.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-size: large;">Market: Young Adult</span></span></div>
<div style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; word-spacing: 0px;">
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia;">Language: Mild</span><span style="color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; orphans: auto; text-align: start; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia;">Sensuality:
Moderate to heavy</span><span style="color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; orphans: auto; text-align: start; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia;">Violence:
Moderate</span></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; orphans: auto; text-align: start; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-size: large;">Mature Themes:
Depression, Loss</span></span></div>
</div>
Amy Finnegan {BookshopTalk.com}http://www.blogger.com/profile/10467356529486477863noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4754456360798018533.post-33029279414129199562015-10-26T00:00:00.000-06:002015-10-26T00:00:06.555-06:00A DEATH-STRUCK YEAR by Makiia Lucier, 2014<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7Y8nhBN7TIWt9bhFXZUMcaurgyAx1HawWPXoZUJv12xRZgShBq_iRE92OZTg0FFGFN0rwD-iGamrdQIWlshOLrZJk4Jh7LeEP6AHyBmcj5K14AtbMZZ4jHOEbJWJUEDW6dbJFwSz9Bqk/s1600/18222767.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7Y8nhBN7TIWt9bhFXZUMcaurgyAx1HawWPXoZUJv12xRZgShBq_iRE92OZTg0FFGFN0rwD-iGamrdQIWlshOLrZJk4Jh7LeEP6AHyBmcj5K14AtbMZZ4jHOEbJWJUEDW6dbJFwSz9Bqk/s1600/18222767.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a></div>
<style>
<!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:Times;
panose-1:2 0 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:3 0 0 0 1 0;}
@font-face
{font-family:"MS 明朝";
mso-font-charset:78;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:-536870145 1791491579 18 0 131231 0;}
@font-face
{font-family:"Cambria Math";
panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:-536870145 1107305727 0 0 415 0;}
@font-face
{font-family:Georgia;
panose-1:2 4 5 2 5 4 5 2 3 3;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:647 0 0 0 159 0;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{mso-style-unhide:no;
mso-style-qformat:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
margin:0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
.MsoChpDefault
{mso-style-type:export-only;
mso-default-props:yes;
mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
@page WordSection1
{size:8.5in 11.0in;
margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in;
mso-header-margin:.5in;
mso-footer-margin:.5in;
mso-paper-source:0;}
div.WordSection1
{page:WordSection1;}
--></style><span style="color: purple;"><span id="freeText15444382437351099721"><i><span style="color: blue; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">For Cleo Berry, the
people dying of the Spanish Influenza in cities like New York and
Philadelphia may as well be in another country--that's how far away they
feel from the safety of Portland, Oregon. And then cases start being
reported in the Pacific Northwest. Schools, churches, and theaters shut
down. The entire city is thrust into survival mode--and into a panic.
Headstrong and foolish, seventeen-year-old Cleo is determined to ride
out the pandemic in the comfort of her own home, rather than in her
quarantined boarding school dorms. But when the Red Cross pleads for
volunteers, she can't ignore the call. As Cleo struggles to navigate the
world around her, she is surprised by how much she finds herself caring
about near-strangers. Strangers like Edmund, a handsome medical student
and war vet. Strangers who could be gone tomorrow. And as the bodies
begin to pile up, Cleo can't help but wonder: when will her own luck run
out? (Goodreads)</span></i></span></span><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Reviewed by Julie,
Children's lit enthusiast and pop culture geek</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I
really love historical fiction coming-of-age stories, and </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Death-Struck-Year-Makiia-Lucier/dp/0544164504/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1425855469&sr=1-1&keywords=A+DEATH-STRUCK+YEAR" style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">A DEATH-STRUCK YEAR</a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">
touches on a darkly fascinating moment in US (and world) history: the Spanish
Influenza pandemic of 1918. To a contemporary reader, the flu is a
sickness that is unpleasant, but might involve a couple of sick days on the
couch before getting back to normal life. The Spanish Influenza, however,
was responsible for the deaths of between 50-100 million people in a two-year
period. A huge number of these victims were young and previously healthy,
which made this disease even more threatening and unpredictable.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Makiia
Lucier's A DEATH-STRUCK YEAR examines the courage it takes to be in the throes
of unpredictable danger. At the beginning of the novel, Cleo, a
seventeen-year-old student, is unaware of her strengths and unsure of what the
future holds for her. When influenza appears in Portland, Oregon, Cleo
decides to protect herself from the illness by remaining at home instead of her
quarantined boarding school. However, a newspaper ad seeking Red Cross nurses
unexpectedly inspires her to help the sick and risk her own life in the
process. Throughout the novel, Cleo cares for patients, bonds with her
fellow nurses, and strikes up a relationship with a young doctor. I loved
accompanying Cleo through her journey as she learns that, while her future may
be undefined, her strength knows no bounds.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I
also liked how A DEATH-STRUCK YEAR painted a vivid portrait of World War I-era
America during the pandemic. Small details--including the ever-present
white masks meant to protect from the disease--inform readers about what it was
like to live during this time. Minor characters and plot threads are also
very telling: for instance, one of Cleo's neighbors abandons his family for
fear of contracting the flu. This example provides a stark contrast to
the heroic selflessness of the Red Cross nurses who risked illness (and worse)
in order to help the sick. For a riveting story based on a true national
disaster, be sure to pick up A DEATH-STRUCK YEAR.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: purple; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: purple; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Market: YA fiction</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><span style="color: purple;">Violence: A
character reflects on wartime violence </span><span style="color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; orphans: auto; text-align: start; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><span style="color: purple;">Language:
None</span></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; orphans: auto; text-align: start; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Sensuality:
Chaste kissing. Short discussions about contraception. (These are
not central to the plot, but rather give historical context about WWI-era
medicine. Margaret Sanger, the birth control advocate and nurse, and her
ideas are a topic of discussion among Cleo and the nurses.)</span></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; orphans: auto; text-align: start; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="color: purple;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Adult Themes:
Sickness, death, loss/grief</span></span><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
Amy Finnegan {BookshopTalk.com}http://www.blogger.com/profile/10467356529486477863noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4754456360798018533.post-39118531030857768822015-10-19T00:00:00.000-06:002015-10-19T00:00:08.100-06:00THE WHISPERING SKULL by Jonathon Stroud, 2014<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimQqEtzoiMrMFX7_5i8Mg_H9Vob8S7xusb3n8MkhRsr5ZosJlftmnUv_hwG2VF76UHKdloBLsou9p9L0SSVBVMEa7NrFfHNEI46ZPhLAfvNIZDL8Tusqij-NGTJJU5Pr-9ISJWva8n-To/s1600/14059024.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimQqEtzoiMrMFX7_5i8Mg_H9Vob8S7xusb3n8MkhRsr5ZosJlftmnUv_hwG2VF76UHKdloBLsou9p9L0SSVBVMEa7NrFfHNEI46ZPhLAfvNIZDL8Tusqij-NGTJJU5Pr-9ISJWva8n-To/s1600/14059024.jpg" height="320" width="211" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white;">
<style><!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:Arial;
panose-1:2 11 6 4 2 2 2 2 2 4;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:-536859905 -1073711037 9 0 511 0;}
@font-face
{font-family:"MS 明朝";
mso-font-charset:78;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:-536870145 1791491579 18 0 131231 0;}
@font-face
{font-family:"Cambria Math";
panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:-536870145 1107305727 0 0 415 0;}
@font-face
{font-family:Georgia;
panose-1:2 4 5 2 5 4 5 2 3 3;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:647 0 0 0 159 0;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{mso-style-unhide:no;
mso-style-qformat:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
margin:0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
.MsoChpDefault
{mso-style-type:export-only;
mso-default-props:yes;
mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
@page WordSection1
{size:8.5in 11.0in;
margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in;
mso-header-margin:.5in;
mso-footer-margin:.5in;
mso-paper-source:0;}
div.WordSection1
{page:WordSection1;}
--></style><i><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"></span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span id="freeText2633780560776340571">In the six months since
Anthony, Lucy, and George survived a night in the most haunted house in
England, Lockwood & Co. hasn't made much progress. Quill Kipps and
his team of Fittes agents keep swooping in on Lockwood's investigations.
Finally, in a fit of anger, Anthony challenges his rival to a contest:
the next time the two agencies compete on a job, the losing side will
have to admit defeat in the Times newspaper. Things look up when a
new client, Mr. Saunders, hires Lockwood & Co. to be present at the
excavation of Edmund Bickerstaff, a Victorian doctor who reportedly
tried to communicate with the dead. Saunders needs the coffin sealed
with silver to prevent any supernatural trouble. All goes well-until
George's curiosity attracts a horrible phantom. (Goodreads)</span></span></span></span></i><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Reviewed by Valette M.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">A snappy sequel to The Screaming Staircase,
featuring our favorite crew of tough, yet refined, psychic agents who continue
with enough zest to balance out the darker aspects of the story. Lucy,
determined and utterly loyal to her ghost-hunting agency, is blissfully free of
the pitt-falls action-inclined females typically trip over. And she works so
smoothly with George and Lockwood it's an equal pleasure to see them fighting a
ghost or drinking cocoa in their kitchen. We see their metals tested, literally,
and watch their dynamic trio evolve. No stale characters here, just heroes with
enough flair to survive a world like theirs.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">After the climax of The Screaming
Staircase, I was interested to see what </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Lockwood-Co-Book-Whispering-Skull/dp/142316492X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1425784792&sr=1-1&keywords=Lockwood+%26+Co%3A+Book+2%2C+The+Whispering+Skull+by+Jonathan+Stroud" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">THE WHISPERING SKULL</a><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> had in mind: it's
hard to top what happened there. After all, I thought, there's only so much you
can do with ghosts before they lose their chill. I was wrong. This is a
ghostish story set not to paralyze the reader but to send a pleasant shiver up
the spine. And it certainly does, with the haunting of a vicious new specter
set against the backdrop of an abandoned sanitarium. Don't read this book in
the dark, and the grisly ghosts we meet ensure it's a bad choice while eating
too. Mr. Stroud has excellently plotted an entirely new adventure with plenty
of ghosts, enough sword-play and perfectly human villains to run your nails.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Set in an alternate history, Stroud's world
rings disturbingly true to our own. The Problem (ghosts only started appearing
50 years ago) and its affects on society are so masterfully incorporated into
the story the fact that restless spirits do appear feels completely natural.
Looking for a series with depth to snag your interest? Well this is it! In
short, this book was no less enjoyable than the first, and I can safely say
Lockwood & Co. has earned it's place next to Stroud's also wonderful
series, The Bartimeaus Trilogy.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-size: large;">Market: Young Adult</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white;">
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia;">Language: None</span><span style="color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia;">Sensuality: None</span><span style="color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia;">Violence: Mild (The
dismembering of ghosts)</span></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-size: large;">Mature Themes: The
spooky and the ethereal</span></span></div>
</div>
Amy Finnegan {BookshopTalk.com}http://www.blogger.com/profile/10467356529486477863noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4754456360798018533.post-76490784940736184852015-10-12T00:00:00.000-06:002015-10-12T00:00:06.514-06:00IN THE SHADOWS by Kiersten White and Jim Di Bartolo, 2014<style>
<!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:Arial;
panose-1:2 11 6 4 2 2 2 2 2 4;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:-536859905 -1073711037 9 0 511 0;}
@font-face
{font-family:"MS 明朝";
mso-font-charset:78;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:-536870145 1791491579 18 0 131231 0;}
@font-face
{font-family:"Cambria Math";
panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:-536870145 1107305727 0 0 415 0;}
@font-face
{font-family:Georgia;
panose-1:2 4 5 2 5 4 5 2 3 3;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:647 0 0 0 159 0;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{mso-style-unhide:no;
mso-style-qformat:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
margin:0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
.MsoChpDefault
{mso-style-type:export-only;
mso-default-props:yes;
mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
@page WordSection1
{size:8.5in 11.0in;
margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in;
mso-header-margin:.5in;
mso-footer-margin:.5in;
mso-paper-source:0;}
div.WordSection1
{page:WordSection1;}
-->
</style>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgckMYxDpDCBD1GYZrY0C9E7I0lazYIDfBDVBdNUdK6VOIaqB-rV-nJGks4wbBIG2IFcUvNyyP5169uSbvA1Zks6klqkRe2lnxPuKNa7V5oUyOxJalhrlr_WrAHLgFculJWsc63YRy78W4/s1600/18527495.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgckMYxDpDCBD1GYZrY0C9E7I0lazYIDfBDVBdNUdK6VOIaqB-rV-nJGks4wbBIG2IFcUvNyyP5169uSbvA1Zks6klqkRe2lnxPuKNa7V5oUyOxJalhrlr_WrAHLgFculJWsc63YRy78W4/s1600/18527495.jpg" height="320" width="211" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white;">
<span style="color: blue;"><i><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span id="freeText6661520558217384677">Cora and Minnie are
sisters living in a small, stifling town where strange and mysterious
things occur. Their mother runs the local boarding house. Their father
is gone. The woman up the hill may or may not be a witch. Thomas
and Charles are brothers who’ve been exiled to the boarding house so
Thomas can tame his ways and Charles can fight an illness that is
killing him with increasing speed. Their family history is one of sorrow
and guilt. They think they can escape from it . . . but they can’t.</span> (Goodreads)</span></span></i></span><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Reviewed by Valette M.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I've enjoyed all of
Kiersten White's work, and though I'm not as familiar with Jim Di Bartolo, I
believe I can say they showed their finest through </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/In-Shadows-Kiersten-White/dp/0545561442/ref=tmm_hrd_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1425845842&sr=1-2" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">IN THE SHADOWS</a><i style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">.</i></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: black;">The character work was
masterful, particularly in the art portion of the book. Bartolo painted with
such deft detail and powerful emotion that, to be cliche, the characters seemed
to walk off the page. Both the text and the art story matched up seamlessly in
their character portrayal with incredibly gorgeous hues and descriptions.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I'm not a fan of graphic
novels, and, thankfully, this was </span><i style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">not </i><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">a graphic novel. The art
has such class that each painting could feasibly stand on its own, with
anguish, hope, happiness, and all the other tales of human life displayed in
such striking scenes. Trust me, no interest is lost for the fact that the
action is painted. I was equally pleased with the written story and found it to
be heavy in intrigue, friendship, romance, and the supernatural. It is very
emotional and well matched with the intensity of the art story. And the
beginning of the book, the text and art story seem to be generally unrelated.
As things lead towards the finale, however, both tales spiral tighter and
closer until they collide with a heart wrenching bang. No matter what twists
you expect, this is a book that will demand to be reread from a different
perspective as soon as it's finished.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I could go on and on about
the style. The art in combination with the text was an entirely new experience
and was quite exhilarating. This unique story of love and loss and struggle all
brilliantly portrayed by two talented creators was beautiful. I will absolutely
be researching more of Jim Di Bartolo's work and continuing to keep an eye out
for Kiersten White's future books.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-size: large;">Market: Young Adult</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white;">
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia;">Language: Mild if any</span><span style="color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; orphans: auto; text-align: start; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia;">Sensuality:
Mild</span><span style="color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; orphans: auto; text-align: start; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia;">Violence:
Mild</span></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; orphans: auto; text-align: start; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-size: large;">Mature
Themes: None</span></span></div>
</div>
Amy Finnegan {BookshopTalk.com}http://www.blogger.com/profile/10467356529486477863noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4754456360798018533.post-37270609874706901552015-10-05T00:00:00.000-06:002015-10-05T00:00:10.591-06:00THE FIRST YEAR (THE BLACK MAGE #1) by Rachel E. Carter, 2014<style>
<!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:"MS 明朝";
mso-font-charset:78;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:-536870145 1791491579 18 0 131231 0;}
@font-face
{font-family:"Cambria Math";
panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:-536870145 1107305727 0 0 415 0;}
@font-face
{font-family:Georgia;
panose-1:2 4 5 2 5 4 5 2 3 3;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:647 0 0 0 159 0;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{mso-style-unhide:no;
mso-style-qformat:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
margin:0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
.MsoChpDefault
{mso-style-type:export-only;
mso-default-props:yes;
mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
@page WordSection1
{size:8.5in 11.0in;
margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in;
mso-header-margin:.5in;
mso-footer-margin:.5in;
mso-paper-source:0;}
div.WordSection1
{page:WordSection1;}
-->
</style>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqgfxHis7KyQ3VKxbyzgHUXSC7_1ITNWZg-oWhime1Q4vs6Qapcw7QeuzK-TkqeFXOMuuZUfsI5imzpz75y89tG0x2hzec64NRuqvqERZMFJP402QW9bn1x-Pxqyp0acAS_D2bw_71Ga8/s1600/23365048.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqgfxHis7KyQ3VKxbyzgHUXSC7_1ITNWZg-oWhime1Q4vs6Qapcw7QeuzK-TkqeFXOMuuZUfsI5imzpz75y89tG0x2hzec64NRuqvqERZMFJP402QW9bn1x-Pxqyp0acAS_D2bw_71Ga8/s1600/23365048.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white;">
<i><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span id="freeText940437330221353934">For 15-year-old Ryiah,
the choice has always been easy. Become a warrior and leave the boring
confines of her lowborn life behind. Set to enroll in the School of
Knighthood on the eve of her next birthday, plans suddenly shift when
her twin brother discovers powers. Hoping that hers will soon follow,
she enrolls with Alex at the Academy instead -the realm's most notorious
war school for those with magic. Yet when she arrives, Ry finds
herself competing against friend and foe for one of the exalted
apprenticeships. Every "first-year" is given a trial year to prove their
worth -and no amount of hard work and drive will guarantee them a spot.
It seems like everyone is rooting for her to fail -and first and
foremost among them Prince Darren, the school prodigy who has done
nothing but make life miserable since she arrived. When an
accidental encounter leads Ryiah and Darren to an unlikely friendship,
she is convinced nothing good will come of it. But the lines become
blurred when she begins to improve -and soon she is a key competitor for
the faction of Combat... Still, nothing is ever as it seems -and when
the world comes crashing down around her, Ry is forced to place faith in
the one thing she can believe in -herself. Will it be enough? (Goodreads)</span></span></span></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white;">
<span style="color: purple;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span id="freeText940437330221353934"></span>Review by Natalie</span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #181818;">*rubs hands together*<br />
Let's begin, shall we?<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/First-Year-Black-Mage-Book/dp/1502433524/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1426094254&sr=1-1&keywords=THE+FIRST+YEAR+%28THE+BLACK+MAGE+%231%29+by+Rachel+E.+Carter">THE FIRST YEAR</a> starts out fast and continues that pacing for the remainder of the
book, which I appreciate <b>immensely.</b> I started it and before I
knew it I was 60 pages in with a crazed look of sleep deprivation on my face,
but did that make me go to sleep? Nope, I had too much anticipation to keep
reading. Which carried through into the school day where my <b>Nook's
battery died and killed a part of my soul in the process.</b> Thank God
for rechargeable batteries.<br />
<br />
Anyway.<br />
<br />
Ryiah and her twin Alex set out to attend the Academy, a school for mages.
Before you can really "attend" the school though, you have to pass
the first year where they pick 15 students from a group of, well, more than 15
students.<br />
I love the way the author used the concept of magic and mages. I thought it was
original and her writing was extremely believable because <b>WHEW</b>, the
way the teachers worked the students at the Academy made my heart beat fast and
feel as if I had just run their workout course. It was brutal. The workouts
were crazy, and it didn't help that <b>Darren had to go and piss me off
time and time again.</b> Darren. I wanna talk about Darren.<b>YOU</b> probably
want me to talk about Darren. Fine, I will. What can I say? I'm a people
pleaser. ;)<br />
<br />
That is, after I talk about Ryiah (mwauhahaha got you didn't I?)<br />
<br />
Ryiah, the main character, is great. She's completely hot headed and gets
herself into <b>all</b> kinds of crap, but she's endearingly rash.
And I loved that the author never cut her a break. Nothing came easy to Ryiah,
making her work for <b>everything.</b> And when I say <b>everything</b> I
mean <b><i>everything.</i> </b>She had GREAT character growth, it was
completely realistic. I can't wait to see her in the next book. It's gon' be
good!<br />
<br />
<b>Now</b> we can talk about Darren. You're welcome.<br />
<br />
Darren is the younger son of the King of Jerar, the non-heir as he's sometimes
referred to. How to describe this boy?<br />
*taps chin in deep thought*<br />
He's broody. (Aren't <b>all</b> the good ones, though)<br />
He's a prince. (Therefore capable of fulfilling your(my) Kate Middleton dreams)<br />
He's freaken powerful. See that charred tree over there? Yup, <b>he </b>smoked
that. Cuz he's powerful. A prodigy to be exact. True story.<br />
He's....he's...<b> <i>frustrating</i> </b>. So wishy washy in his
feelings. But, like I said, aren't all the good ones. And Ryiah certainly
didn't help with her impulsiveness to certain situations. (What <b>situations</b> you
ask? Entertaining ones. And get your mind out of the gutter, not that kind.
Well, not <b>ALL</b> that kind)<br />
<br />
But yeah, I like Darren. He pissed me off. But he's a cutie underneath it all,
I can tell. (*taps head* I'm psychic)<br />
<br />
My only problem with this book was the world building. I understand that the
story was set solely at the Academy and we'll probably get to learn the world
in the sequels, but I don't know anything about Jerar outside of the
Academy.<br />
<br />
Happy Reading!!!</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-size: large;">Market: Young Adult</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white;">
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia;">Language: Mild</span><span style="color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; orphans: auto; text-align: start; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia;">Sensuality:
Mild</span><span style="color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; orphans: auto; text-align: start; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-size: large;">Violence:
Mild</span></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; orphans: auto; text-align: start; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-size: large;">Mature
Themes: One slight rape attempt, but it was over </span></span><span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 18pt;">before anything could happen</span></div>
</div>
Amy Finnegan {BookshopTalk.com}http://www.blogger.com/profile/10467356529486477863noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4754456360798018533.post-26893782635459391152015-09-28T00:00:00.000-06:002015-09-28T00:00:10.238-06:00SPLITTING AN ORDER by Ted Kooser, 2014<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaHeXscGa2K3cYsCktmWCNLLe3WoyFOQK5MMJolHovV4QPd9bdIelS3KwDa9ymfNO8IlLBbIYgu8OvAQZbQsG5FQgpTOwIUVLUAsZTKZllDXBYwUs_1LnXfss4CAhw-vPeHn-poWkXYz4/s1600/20949619.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaHeXscGa2K3cYsCktmWCNLLe3WoyFOQK5MMJolHovV4QPd9bdIelS3KwDa9ymfNO8IlLBbIYgu8OvAQZbQsG5FQgpTOwIUVLUAsZTKZllDXBYwUs_1LnXfss4CAhw-vPeHn-poWkXYz4/s1600/20949619.jpg" height="320" width="195" /></a></div>
<style>
<!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:Arial;
panose-1:2 11 6 4 2 2 2 2 2 4;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:-536859905 -1073711037 9 0 511 0;}
@font-face
{font-family:"MS 明朝";
mso-font-charset:78;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:-536870145 1791491579 18 0 131231 0;}
@font-face
{font-family:"Cambria Math";
panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:-536870145 1107305727 0 0 415 0;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{mso-style-unhide:no;
mso-style-qformat:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
margin:0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
.MsoChpDefault
{mso-style-type:export-only;
mso-default-props:yes;
mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
@page WordSection1
{size:8.5in 11.0in;
margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in;
mso-header-margin:.5in;
mso-footer-margin:.5in;
mso-paper-source:0;}
div.WordSection1
{page:WordSection1;}
--></style><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #222222;"></span><span style="color: #222222;"></span></span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"></span></span><i><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span id="freeText9107922569741504457">Pulitzer Prize winner
and best selling poet Ted Kooser calls attention to the intimacies of
life through commonplace objects and occurrences: an elderly couple
sharing a sandwich is a study in transcendent love, while a tattered
packet of spinach seeds calls forth innate human potential. This
long-awaited collection from the former U.S. Poet Laureate—ten years in
the making—is rich with quiet and profound magnificence. (Goodreads)</span></span></span></span></i><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Julie, children's literature enthusiast and
pop culture geek</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">For even the most avid reader, the word
"poetry" might evoke shudders and horrible memories of deciphering
rhyme schemes and interpreting hazy symbols. But poetry can be a lot more
accessible than readers might think. When the focus is on beautiful language,
used to immortalize everyday events, poetry is a lot more palatable and, dare I
say, even a thrill to read. One of my favorite recent works is </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Splitting-Order-Ted-Kooser/dp/1556594690/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1425783717&sr=1-1&keywords=splitting+an+order" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">SPLITTING AN ORDER</a><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> by Ted Kooser, Pulitzer Prize winner and former Poet Laureate of the
United States.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">SPLITTING AN ORDER succeeds in the way it
takes seemingly small, mundane events--and makes them beautiful. Kooser
is a master of language, and he uses it as a tool to take the average and make
it evocative. For example, in "Two Men on an Errand," a normal man
transforms into "a balloon of a man . . . with some of the life let
out of him" who "sags" in a car repair shop's waiting room,
although his fists, "white boulders, alabaster," show hints of
remaining strength. Here, Kooser shows that condensed language can still
tell--or at least, suggest--a fantastic story. The poems' titles hint at
the variety of subjects and inspirations: "At Arby's, At Noon,"
"110th Birthday," "The Woman Whose Husband Was Dying," and
"Painting the Barn," among others. Each one can be quickly
devoured and easily digested, but I recommend slow, thorough savoring.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">My favorite piece in SPLITTING AN ORDER is not
actually a poem, but a short essay called "Small Rooms in
Time." In this piece, Kooser reflects on a crime, the murder of a
fifteen-year-old boy in a house where Kooser himself had previously
lived. What follows is a moving, honest examination of violence intruding
upon safety, as well as nostalgia's lasting influence throughout periods of
change. The combination of these two ideas results in a jarring,
emotional piece in which Kooser urges us to "think about the way in which
the rooms we inhabit, if only for a time, become unchanging places within us,
complete with detail.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Check out SPLITTING AN ORDER for a short, but satisfying
read. Kooser's works always help remind me why I love language.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: purple; font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: purple; font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-size: large;">Market: Adult
poetry--appropriate for YA too</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white;">
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia;">Violence: Aside
from the crime in the essay referenced above, none</span><span style="color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; orphans: auto; text-align: start; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia;">Language:
Appropriate and beautiful</span><span style="color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; orphans: auto; text-align: start; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia;">Sensuality:
Moments of romance, nothing overtly sensual</span></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; orphans: auto; text-align: start; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-size: large;">Adult
Themes: Love, aging</span></span></div>
</div>
Amy Finnegan {BookshopTalk.com}http://www.blogger.com/profile/10467356529486477863noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4754456360798018533.post-69933269872379304552015-09-21T00:00:00.000-06:002015-09-21T00:00:10.669-06:00THE ARCHIVED by Victoria Schwab, 2013<style>
<!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:Arial;
panose-1:2 11 6 4 2 2 2 2 2 4;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:-536859905 -1073711037 9 0 511 0;}
@font-face
{font-family:Times;
panose-1:2 0 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:3 0 0 0 1 0;}
@font-face
{font-family:"MS 明朝";
mso-font-charset:78;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:-536870145 1791491579 18 0 131231 0;}
@font-face
{font-family:"Cambria Math";
panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:-536870145 1107305727 0 0 415 0;}
@font-face
{font-family:Georgia;
panose-1:2 4 5 2 5 4 5 2 3 3;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:647 0 0 0 159 0;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{mso-style-unhide:no;
mso-style-qformat:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
margin:0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
p
{mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-margin-top-alt:auto;
margin-right:0in;
mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
margin-left:0in;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Times;
mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";}
span.apple-converted-space
{mso-style-name:apple-converted-space;
mso-style-unhide:no;}
.MsoChpDefault
{mso-style-type:export-only;
mso-default-props:yes;
mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
@page WordSection1
{size:8.5in 11.0in;
margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in;
mso-header-margin:.5in;
mso-footer-margin:.5in;
mso-paper-source:0;}
div.WordSection1
{page:WordSection1;}
-->
</style>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlx0sTlJ2zN2WLLECMAJeV4-DsZ0RFjQMevumVqtSITn-yYRYVAouaZMvR3jpOrFUnxDixERdmBWo-9I9xVTOWX1oBz_iHb8e1ypje4DgAabWIHrAvi1tpbO0M98lvtAzaVIxMdybQtiU/s1600/10929432.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlx0sTlJ2zN2WLLECMAJeV4-DsZ0RFjQMevumVqtSITn-yYRYVAouaZMvR3jpOrFUnxDixERdmBWo-9I9xVTOWX1oBz_iHb8e1ypje4DgAabWIHrAvi1tpbO0M98lvtAzaVIxMdybQtiU/s1600/10929432.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a></div>
<div style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: black;"><span id="freeText12881676086662054300"><span style="color: blue;"><i>The dead rest on
shelves like books. Each body has a story to tell, a life in pictures
only Librarians can read. The dead, called 'Histories', rest in the
Archive. Da first brought Mackenzie Bishop here four years ago,
when she was twelve years old, frightened but determined to prove
herself. Now Da is dead, and Mac has grown into what he once was, a
ruthless Keeper, tasked with stopping often—violent Histories from
waking up and getting out. Because of her job, she lies to the people
she loves, and she knows fear for what it is: a tool for staying alive. (Goodreads)</i></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Reviewed by Valette M.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Ooo, where to start on
these delicious characters? Mackenzie, or Mac, Bishop is the heir to a great
and powerful legacy left by her beloved grandfather. Mac has been a Keeper, a
highly skilled hunter of the histories that wake up, since she was young, and
she considers herself very good at what she does. Her blunt, determined
attitude and her almost complete lack of angst made her a very appealing
character. In juxtaposition we have Wes, the goth, charismatic and strangely
intriguing boy from who knows how many blocks over. Where Mac was silent and
held her thoughts private, Wes went out with his personality on full display.
But he too has experiences that have weathered him, and I look forward to
exploring his depth in future books.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I feel like this book
could be classified as a 'ghost' book, but I hesitate to label it as such. It's
not about spirits, and, technically speaking, the histories stored, though they
appear human, are not the humans who have passed on. But this compelling world
and the situations created certainly leave no room to put the book down. While
Mac grapples with the grief of losing her brother and struggles to hold her
desolate family together, her world inside the narrows, collecting and
returning the lost histories gradually falls apart. As the mysteries in her
world and the eerie inbetween of the Narrows collide, she must decide whom she
can trust and which friends to hold closer. Schwab skillfully weaves foreboding
into a story rife with inner and outer turmoil, not to mention playing with the
psychological aspect of being shelved after you're dead. The plot twists were
not as twisty as I feel they were meant to be (In other words, I guessed them.
And if I guessed them . . .), but they were still exciting and made for a very
good story.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">If I had to pick the
one thing I liked best about</span><span class="apple-converted-space" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Archived-Victoria-Schwab/dp/142317108X/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=1-3&qid=1425846166" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">THE ARCHIVED</a><span class="apple-converted-space" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"></span><i style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></i><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">it would be the
unsettling, uncanny atmosphere Schwab created in the Narrows. It sent shivers
up my spine and nothing too creepy even happened there! And on a final note,
Schwab is very good at pacing. The plot reveals weren't particularly dramatic,
but she drew them out just enough for the intensity to build and played them
soon enough that no scenes felt stalled. Overall I found it a very original and
enjoyable read.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: purple; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: purple; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Market: Young Adult</span></span></div>
<div style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: start; word-spacing: 0px;">
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><span style="color: purple;">Language: Mild if any</span><span style="color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; orphans: auto; text-align: start; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><span style="color: purple;">Sensuality: Mild</span><span style="color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; orphans: auto; text-align: start; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><span style="color: purple;">Violence: Mild</span></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; orphans: auto; text-align: start; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Mature Themes: Death</span></span></div>
</div>
Amy Finnegan {BookshopTalk.com}http://www.blogger.com/profile/10467356529486477863noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4754456360798018533.post-37786349528052505092015-09-14T00:00:00.000-06:002015-09-14T00:00:06.173-06:00OUT OF THE EASY by Ruta Sepetys, 2013<style>
<!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:Arial;
panose-1:2 11 6 4 2 2 2 2 2 4;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:-536859905 -1073711037 9 0 511 0;}
@font-face
{font-family:Times;
panose-1:2 0 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:3 0 0 0 1 0;}
@font-face
{font-family:"MS 明朝";
mso-font-charset:78;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:-536870145 1791491579 18 0 131231 0;}
@font-face
{font-family:"Cambria Math";
panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:-536870145 1107305727 0 0 415 0;}
@font-face
{font-family:Georgia;
panose-1:2 4 5 2 5 4 5 2 3 3;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:647 0 0 0 159 0;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{mso-style-unhide:no;
mso-style-qformat:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
margin:0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
p
{mso-style-priority:99;
mso-margin-top-alt:auto;
margin-right:0in;
mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
margin-left:0in;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Times;
mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";}
.MsoChpDefault
{mso-style-type:export-only;
mso-default-props:yes;
mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
@page WordSection1
{size:8.5in 11.0in;
margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in;
mso-header-margin:.5in;
mso-footer-margin:.5in;
mso-paper-source:0;}
div.WordSection1
{page:WordSection1;}
-->
</style>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX7qDb5m4K5R91_KFVCy0cQy81PfP2byTeHvpPfrRCREBM_vrYj0PwHpvPoD83qxcjSUnNToOI8mA9n5b_fYYL28-FgPys6no-_peV4V1AoF_DMGtDcE-TMonhxi4E8_mqVfDuvN8AhOQ/s1600/11178225.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX7qDb5m4K5R91_KFVCy0cQy81PfP2byTeHvpPfrRCREBM_vrYj0PwHpvPoD83qxcjSUnNToOI8mA9n5b_fYYL28-FgPys6no-_peV4V1AoF_DMGtDcE-TMonhxi4E8_mqVfDuvN8AhOQ/s1600/11178225.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a></div>
<div style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i><span style="color: blue;"><span id="freeText15830422137431370958">It’s 1950, and as the
French Quarter of New Orleans simmers with secrets, seventeen-year-old
Josie Moraine is silently stirring a pot of her own. Known among locals
as the daughter of a brothel prostitute, Josie wants more out of life
than the Big Easy has to offer. She devises a plan to get out,
but a mysterious death in the Quarter leaves Josie tangled in an
investigation that will challenge her allegiance to her mother, her
conscience, and Willie Woodley, the brusque madam on Conti Street. Josie
is caught between the dream of an elite college and a clandestine
underworld. New Orleans lures her in her quest for truth, dangling
temptation at every turn, and escalating to the ultimate test. (Goodreads)</span></span></i></span></span><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Reviewed by Valette M.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Once in a while a
great book comes along that makes everything afterward seem watered-down and
flimsy. And so I scramble frantically for another good book until I am so
desperate for story that I begin to settle for lesser literature. A poor book
is now okay. And an okay book is suddenly good. Once in a while I will dream of
the great book I read and wonder if there will every be anything like it again.
Then suddenly, out of the blue, a really good book, perhaps not great, but one
that comes close to touching reality in ways most books don't, falls into my
lap and slams things into perspective. And suddenly I realize I've been reading
tosh this entire time.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Jo was
layered and insightful with depth and dreams and a good bit of practicality. I
loved the determination she displayed in fighting for her dreams. She
understood they were far above her and pretty much impossible, but that didn't
keep her from trying her hardest. This story is Jo's; however, it is also
Patrick's and Willie's and Jesse's and many, many other characters'. Everyone
Jo encounters is written with such flavor that they continue to exist after
their part in Jo's life is over. We follow Jo's story line, but she is not the
only main character.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Though
not set out as an action novel, this book has plenty of rough and tumble in a
totally plausible way for Jo's world. Don't expect full on flash and fire gun
fights. Do expect hold-ups, death threats, blackmails, betrayal, etc. I did
feel that the ending was fairly rushed and didn't provide the closure I was
looking for, but regardless, this was Historical Fiction at its finest. Jo's
struggle to break free from the web of the Big Easy explores corrupted people
on all levels of society and good people on all levels of society.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Ruta
Sepetys has mastered the art of storytelling by detail. With a sidelong mention
of an object, she can call to mind a new understanding of the situation. </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Out-Easy-Ruta-Sepetys/dp/0147508436/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1425850643&sr=1-1&keywords=out+of+the+easy" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">OUT OF THE EASY</a><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> displays considerable knowledge of the culture and circumstances
present in New Orleans in the 1950's. This is a well textured tale that feels
strikingly realistic.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: purple; font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: purple; font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-size: large;">Market: Young Adult
or Adult</span></span></div>
<div style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: start; word-spacing: 0px;">
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia;">Language: Mild</span><span style="color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; orphans: auto; text-align: start; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia;">Sensuality: Mild to
Moderate</span><span style="color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; orphans: auto; text-align: start; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-size: large;">Violence: None</span></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; orphans: auto; text-align: start; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-size: large;">Mature
Themes: Prostitution (she lives as a maid in a brothel), Corruption,
Criminal Underworld</span></span></div>
</div>
Amy Finnegan {BookshopTalk.com}http://www.blogger.com/profile/10467356529486477863noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4754456360798018533.post-77143818196291968982015-09-07T00:00:00.000-06:002015-09-07T00:00:10.662-06:00CONJURED by Sarah Beth Durst, 2013<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNPPdjS6mJMhz5VYivP32YZ7DnPn9kEJeZivDkXIn4CYnrINBCvGJuisWjIH0rixjhN1ZosTth41CJAxp3MCsZLVz98XzdqKdlZwJAYG1D-qWRux1emx1WRwARB_9hEI8yAP6KtLc-Blg/s1600/17286817.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNPPdjS6mJMhz5VYivP32YZ7DnPn9kEJeZivDkXIn4CYnrINBCvGJuisWjIH0rixjhN1ZosTth41CJAxp3MCsZLVz98XzdqKdlZwJAYG1D-qWRux1emx1WRwARB_9hEI8yAP6KtLc-Blg/s1600/17286817.jpg" height="320" width="211" /></a></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<style>
<!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:Arial;
panose-1:2 11 6 4 2 2 2 2 2 4;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:-536859905 -1073711037 9 0 511 0;}
@font-face
{font-family:Times;
panose-1:2 0 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:3 0 0 0 1 0;}
@font-face
{font-family:"MS 明朝";
mso-font-charset:78;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:-536870145 1791491579 18 0 131231 0;}
@font-face
{font-family:"Cambria Math";
panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:-536870145 1107305727 0 0 415 0;}
@font-face
{font-family:Georgia;
panose-1:2 4 5 2 5 4 5 2 3 3;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:647 0 0 0 159 0;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{mso-style-unhide:no;
mso-style-qformat:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
margin:0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
p
{mso-style-priority:99;
mso-margin-top-alt:auto;
margin-right:0in;
mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
margin-left:0in;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Times;
mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";}
.MsoChpDefault
{mso-style-type:export-only;
mso-default-props:yes;
mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
@page WordSection1
{size:8.5in 11.0in;
margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in;
mso-header-margin:.5in;
mso-footer-margin:.5in;
mso-paper-source:0;}
div.WordSection1
{page:WordSection1;}
--></style><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"></span><i><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span id="freeText16015189850748090287">Eve has a new home, a
new face, and a new name—but no memories of her past. She’s been told
that she's in a witness protection program. That she escaped a dangerous
magic-wielding serial killer who still hunts her. The only thing she
knows for sure is that there is something horrifying in her memories the
people hiding her want to access—and there is nothing they won’t say—or
do—to her to get her to remember.</span><span id="freeText16015189850748090287"> (Goodreads)</span></span></span></i></span><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Reviewed by Valette M.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">The main character has amnesia. Yep. This means she had no
background to build her up or give us a sense of who she is. And she is
brilliant! Sarah Beth Durst did not take the easy way out in forming Eve.
Breaking through the now cliché kick-butt, sassy, heroine mold, Eve starts the
book as a confused, quiet character. As the story unfolds however, her core of
iron is revealed. She is strong and smart, not wasting time on disbelief when
something is on the line. She takes help when help is needed, she gives it too.
(On a side note, it was refreshing to have a character that was nice, not just
to the people she liked, but as a general rule, caring of others. This almost
seems frowned upon in YA. Anyone know why?) She's a character to root for even
though, at first, the reader has no idea which side she comes from. Or if she's
even human. Or even real. However impressed I was by Eve, the villain impressed
me more. Introduced and developed only vaguely through Eve's flashbacks and
comments, he is terrifying, yet understandable. Though he only appears in
person towards the end of the book, his actions and words are so descriptive of
who he is that he gained depth with very little face time. Such a disturbingly
twisted man does not deserve sympathy, yet its' garnered nonetheless.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">This was another one
of those books that gets the badge of being read straight through. The plot
itself unfolded in the form of a knot with just as many seemingly unrelated
strands– starting in the middle and slowly being picked apart until the whole
tale was clear. As Eve experiences deeply haunting visions, we begin to get a
sense that we know nothing at all. And we don't. But the story proceeds with
tantalizing hints and gradually zooms out to get the big picture. Eve
experiences flashes of amnesia, or memory resets. She comes to herself with no
memory of the weeks or months she's lived between. The uncertainty and fear
keeps the reader in a very shaky place and then buffets them too and fro with
Eve. I had no idea how things would conclude in one book, without selling
short. It defied expectations. (Which, come on, this is Sarah Beth Durst so
expectations were already pretty high to begin with.) It ended with a
satisfactory </span><i style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">umph</i><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">, but left much more to explore.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Conjured-Sarah-Beth-Durst/dp/0802734588/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1425853563&sr=1-1&keywords=CONJURED+by+Sarah+Beth+Durst">CONJURED</a></span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> was darker and
more gruesome than I usually read (or would want to read again), bordering on the
macabre. But the writing itself was beautiful with glittering descriptions and
elegant language. It flowed smoothly, not straining, not presumptuous. It was
unlike Sarah Beth Durst's other books in overall feel, and proves just how
versatile we can expect her writing to be. She is absolutely getting added to
the list of Authors to Watch For.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-size: large;">Market: Young Adults</span></span></div>
<div style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: start; word-spacing: 0px;">
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia;">Language: Mild if any</span><span style="color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; orphans: auto; text-align: start; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia;">Sensuality: Mild</span><span style="color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; orphans: auto; text-align: start; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia;">Violence: Moderate to
heavy</span></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; orphans: auto; text-align: start; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-size: large;">Mature Themes:
Corruption</span></span></div>
</div>
Amy Finnegan {BookshopTalk.com}http://www.blogger.com/profile/10467356529486477863noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4754456360798018533.post-44142737576556652702015-08-31T00:00:00.000-06:002015-08-31T00:00:04.827-06:00THE STATISTICAL PROBABILITY OF LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT by Jennifer E. Smith, 2011<style>
<!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:Arial;
panose-1:2 11 6 4 2 2 2 2 2 4;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:-536859905 -1073711037 9 0 511 0;}
@font-face
{font-family:"MS 明朝";
mso-font-charset:78;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:-536870145 1791491579 18 0 131231 0;}
@font-face
{font-family:"Cambria Math";
panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:-536870145 1107305727 0 0 415 0;}
@font-face
{font-family:Georgia;
panose-1:2 4 5 2 5 4 5 2 3 3;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:647 0 0 0 159 0;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{mso-style-unhide:no;
mso-style-qformat:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
margin:0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
.MsoChpDefault
{mso-style-type:export-only;
mso-default-props:yes;
mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
@page WordSection1
{size:8.5in 11.0in;
margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in;
mso-header-margin:.5in;
mso-footer-margin:.5in;
mso-paper-source:0;}
div.WordSection1
{page:WordSection1;}
-->
</style>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPhcghvzNSLqD_1ah6NQiJ7knOSCOCa-wt6s1svG9Wg5KKc6dH2FkRRBksXGUgi5ziQAUX69mEkx45cUj17rvun_fUgrO_Z5LN-TP-XJlaCExS5wB7kQ0FsfrMmhuMhXme_SR1le-tk8M/s1600/10798416.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPhcghvzNSLqD_1ah6NQiJ7knOSCOCa-wt6s1svG9Wg5KKc6dH2FkRRBksXGUgi5ziQAUX69mEkx45cUj17rvun_fUgrO_Z5LN-TP-XJlaCExS5wB7kQ0FsfrMmhuMhXme_SR1le-tk8M/s1600/10798416.jpg" height="320" width="210" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: black;"><span id="freeTextContainer3148462761528531900"><i><span style="color: blue;">Four minutes changes
everything. Hadley Sullivan 17 misses her flight at JFK airport, is late
to her father's second wedding in London with never-met stepmother.
Hadley meets the perfect boy. Oliver is British, sits in her row. A long
night on the plane passes in a blink, but the two lose track in arrival
chaos. Can fate bring them together again? (Goodreads)</span></i></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: purple;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: purple;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Reviewed by Valette M.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Hadley Sullivan is a, perhaps, perfectly average teenage girl --
plodding through life and dealing with baggage from her parents' divorce. But
far from her hardships callusing her, they deepen her feeling and we can see
just how thoroughly she lives life. With such a smoothly formed character, even
her rash actions take on motivation and hence are realistic and empathetic.
And, of course, her counterpart, Oliver, is everything a girl could wish for:
funny, smart, caring, confident, and ever so cute. Though I would have liked
his back story and it's repercussions in his live explored a bit more, his
solid character is evident in his charming dialogue with Hadley (several giggly
moments there). As characters, both can easily stand on their own merits, but
together they make a definite re-read.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">The story begins and
resolves over the course of a single day. When looked at from a distance that's
a whirlwind romance -- how could anything made that quickly even have the
appearance of being real? But we don't see the whole romance. We only see the
main characters' first, second, and third encounters, and the plot almost takes
on the whimsical feel of the Disney short <i>Paperman. </i>Seemingly
by mere chance, two perfectly suited people meet and refuse to let their
meeting slip away into the depths of time. Set against a vibrant;y written
backdrop of first an airport and then London, the characters develop a strong
friendship while struggling with the pulls that real life has on them. This
beginning of their relationship is grounded so firmly, that though we leave
them at a dance, with no promises made, we can rest assured that their romance
will last far into the foreseeable future, if not forever <i>(That's what
I'm going with)</i>.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">The language of the tale fits the content perfectly -- relaxed and genuine --
with a witty narrator to convey longing, exhilaration, insecurity, and sureness
with a few carefully placed words. We get to experience Hadley's full range of
emotion and identify with her on an entirely new level. The descriptions are
creative, original, and definitely have their own taste. For those of you who
haven't had the pleasure of picking <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Statistical-Probability-Love-First-Sight/dp/0316122394/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1425852556&sr=1-1&keywords=THE+STATISTICAL+PROBABILITY+OF+LOVE+AT+FIRST+SIGHT+by+Jennifer+E.+Smith">THE STATISTICAL PROBABILITY</a> yet, I highly recommend it to
satisfy you well-written romance cravings. Overall, a very sweet, clean,
satisfying read.</span><br />
<span style="color: purple;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: purple;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Market: Young Adult</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white;">
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><span style="color: purple;">Language: Mild if Any</span><span style="color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; orphans: auto; text-align: start; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><span style="color: purple;">Sensuality:
Mild</span><span style="color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; orphans: auto; text-align: start; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><span style="color: purple;">Violence:
None</span></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; orphans: auto; text-align: start; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="color: purple;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Mature
Themes: Divorce</span></span></div>
</div>
Amy Finnegan {BookshopTalk.com}http://www.blogger.com/profile/10467356529486477863noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4754456360798018533.post-50250253437311665982015-08-24T00:00:00.000-06:002015-08-24T00:00:06.469-06:00ALL THE TRUTH THAT'S IN ME by Julie Berry, 2013<style>
<!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:Arial;
panose-1:2 11 6 4 2 2 2 2 2 4;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:-536859905 -1073711037 9 0 511 0;}
@font-face
{font-family:Times;
panose-1:2 0 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:3 0 0 0 1 0;}
@font-face
{font-family:"MS 明朝";
mso-font-charset:78;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:-536870145 1791491579 18 0 131231 0;}
@font-face
{font-family:"Cambria Math";
panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:-536870145 1107305727 0 0 415 0;}
@font-face
{font-family:Georgia;
panose-1:2 4 5 2 5 4 5 2 3 3;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:647 0 0 0 159 0;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{mso-style-unhide:no;
mso-style-qformat:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
margin:0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
p
{mso-style-priority:99;
mso-margin-top-alt:auto;
margin-right:0in;
mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
margin-left:0in;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Times;
mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";}
.MsoChpDefault
{mso-style-type:export-only;
mso-default-props:yes;
mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
@page WordSection1
{size:8.5in 11.0in;
margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in;
mso-header-margin:.5in;
mso-footer-margin:.5in;
mso-paper-source:0;}
div.WordSection1
{page:WordSection1;}
-->
</style>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifyDVmDsHwd4FjjCsHOLvOGAd6mn4A2Sx-efiv98yVrt1LCIXX2QFWCDuAZzEYa_omk9wc9U3pDfBRKW0oB44xB9qXEHgzbGjVi7_x24zhZdIReo36RxiMpryEYfTiuAyVzYNYEn5MWns/s1600/17297487.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifyDVmDsHwd4FjjCsHOLvOGAd6mn4A2Sx-efiv98yVrt1LCIXX2QFWCDuAZzEYa_omk9wc9U3pDfBRKW0oB44xB9qXEHgzbGjVi7_x24zhZdIReo36RxiMpryEYfTiuAyVzYNYEn5MWns/s1600/17297487.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a></div>
<div style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: purple;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span id="freeText11082355039918960908"><i><span style="color: blue;">Four years ago, Judith
and her best friend disappeared from their small town of Roswell
Station. Two years ago, only Judith returned, permanently mutilated,
reviled and ignored by those who were once her friends and family.
Unable to speak, Judith lives like a ghost in her own home, silently
pouring out her thoughts to the boy who’s owned her heart as long as she
can remember—even if he doesn’t know it—her childhood friend, Lucas.
But when Roswell Station is attacked, long-buried secrets come to light,
and Judith is forced to choose: continue to live in silence, or recover
her voice, even if it means changing her world, and the lives around
her, forever. This startlingly original novel will shock and disturb
you; it will fill you with Judith’s passion and longing; and its
mysteries will keep you feverishly turning the pages until the very
last. (Goodreads)</span></i></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Reviewed by Valette M.</span></span></div>
<div style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">To be blunt, I love
this book. I love the characters. I love how with the barest of descriptions,
they rise up to take a vivid place in my mind. They are never officially
introduced to the reader, but give the impression of simply existing -- their
lives progressed before the book begins and will continue to do so when the
cover closes. But we are lucky to catch a short glimpse of them in their
struggles against the world. Judith is a battered and ostracized young woman,
but far from letting her troubles beat her, she grows stronger -- both before
the book begins and during it. Though not loud in her defiance of society, a
core of steel runs through her. And Lucas! (Love interest) Mostly referred to
as 'you' through Judith's first person perspective, the reader meets him as an
old friend, faults and all. His transformation may not be as dramatic as
Judith's, but it changes his future just as much.</span></span></div>
<div style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Judith's past still holds her present in a death grip. And though the events
that shatter her life happen months before the book begins, they still cast
their dark shadow over every choice Judith makes. Though plenty high on the
action/intensity scale, I felt like the focus of the book was almost solely on
Judith's journey to reclaiming her life. And it was masterfully done. With only
snippets of her past displayed at the beginning, the flashbacks wind closer and
closer as events in real time speed up, spiraling towards the climax. And when
it comes, suddenly all the pieces fall together, and it's immediately evident
how much deeper the story is. This book absolutely receives the Could Not Put
Down award.</span></span></div>
<div style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I've only had the pleasure of reading on other of Julie Berry's books, but I
found her storytelling to have a timeless flowing feel. </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Truth-Thats-Julie-Gardner-Berry/dp/0142427306/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1425851562&sr=1-1&keywords=all+the+truth+that%27s+in+me" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">ALL THE TRUTH THAT'S IN ME</a><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> raises the bar considerably more. With poignant
characters and a tale that tackles heavy issues with tact, Julie Berry presents
a gorgeously crafted story. This book has glided it's way onto my reread list,
and quite possibly my re-reread list. This is one heart wrenching read you will
not want to miss.</span></span></div>
<div style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-size: large;">Market: Young Adult</span></span></div>
<div style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; word-spacing: 0px;">
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia;">Language: None</span><span style="color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; orphans: auto; text-align: start; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia;">Sensuality:
Mild</span><span style="color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; orphans: auto; text-align: start; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-size: large;">Violence:
Mild</span></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; orphans: auto; text-align: start; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-size: large;">Mature Themes: Abuse,
disfigurement, death</span></span></div>
</div>
Amy Finnegan {BookshopTalk.com}http://www.blogger.com/profile/10467356529486477863noreply@blogger.com0