01.03.09
Parade of Shadows – Gloria Whelan
by Gloria Whelan
Summary: It’s 1907, and sixteen-year-old Julia Hamilton is excited when she learns of her father going to the middle east. As she has lived her entire life in England, she wishes for adventure and convinces her father to take her with him, although he is reluctant at first.
Julia expects adventure. She gets much, much more. She meets Edith, a woman who frequently travels in these parts and collects plants; Grahm Geddes, an English student, passionately (and dangerously) mixed in politics; and Paul Louvois, a French antiques collector who might be smuggling valubles out of the country. Julia must decide who she will trust and what she is willing to do.
I think: I liked this book very much. The writing was detailed but easy to follow, and the plot was intriguing. I had some suspicious about the result by the middle of the book, which turned out to be correct, but that didn’t really ruin the book.
I do love Historical Fiction. I find textbook history tiresome at times (who can stand all those confusing scenes of war?) but historical fiction can bring me into the story. So I was a little disappointed when there was no “Author’s note” explaining the history or similar thing at the end of the story. That was probably one of my only complaints about the book.
The other ones contain spoilers, so I won’t mention them, except to say that the so-called villain was probably one of my favorite characters of the book (and I didn’t think that person was that bad). Although that is normal, because I seem to have a liking for villains.
12.18.08
Let it Snow – Maureen Johnson, John Green, Lauren Myracle
Let it Snow!
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Three related holiday stories by John Green, Maureen Johnson, and Lauren Myracle:
Beautiful presents wrapped in ribbons, and multicolored lights glittering in the night through the falling snow. A Christmas Eve snowstorm transforms one small town into a romantic haven, the kind you only see in movies. Well, kinda. After all, a cold and wet hike from a stranded train through the middle of nowhere would not normally end with a delicious kiss from a charming stranger. And no one would think that a trip to the Waffle House throught four feet of snow would lead to love with an old friend. Or that the way back to true love begins with a painfully early morning shift at Starbucks
-from the back
I adored this book. Yes, it was kind of predictable, but it was very sweet and romantic, and also, I am very excited for the holidays. (See the snow!) This was a lovely holiday book.
I felt like I could relate to all the characters – Jubilee, Tobin, Addie, and all their friends. All three stories are connected, and I thought that was so cool – the way they all had something to do with each other, but they had no idea that they did. And how everyone -yes, everyone – has their own stories. That was one of the coolest parts.
12.12.08
Recent Reads – December 2008
I’ve been reading a lot lately, and I just hate it when I read too much and cannot post on them. Therefore, today I shall post my recent reads with little reviews next to them.
by Jeanne Birdsall
A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy
I loved reading this book. It was so fun! It’s one of those old-fashioned, squeaky clean books full of humor and adventure (and trouble!)
by Robin McKinley
She’s just a beekeeper with a woodright; she shouldn’t be Chalice, second in command. But she is, and she has to deal.
It’s been so long since I read a Robin McKinley book for the first time – and it’s so nice. Her writing is so detailed and enjoyable. It could have been a short story, but it was written into a novel and it’s probably better that way.
by Tracie Vaughn Zimmer
Josie has celebral palsy, which makes her different from everyone else. But she wants to just forget her difference and live.
This book was written in verse. I’ve wanted to read this for so long, and I’m delighted that I finally have. The verses were compelling, and sweet, just like Josie herself.
by Irene Hunt
Julie’s mother has died, so she, with her brother Chris, leaves her father to live with her stern, spinster aunt. She cannot at all imagine what will happen to her.
This is a very old book (I think it was published sometime when my parents were born) but it was so good I decided to include it anyway. The book was detailed, the characters very lovable, and the story charming.
12.08.08
Suite Scarlett – Maureen Johnson
by Maureen Johnson
A formerly-grand-but-now-failing hotel, the Hopewell. Four siblings. A mysterious and demanding guest (who’s also an actress), Mrs. Anderson. And add Scarlett, who is having the most astonishing summer in her life.
This book had humor, a sweet heroine, and a nice plot. I’ve always wondered what it would be like to live in a hotel, and the Hopewell – brilliant in its day, but now fading – was great fun.
(Visit Maureen Johnson’s awesome blog @: http://maureenjohnson.blogspot.com)
11.24.08
The Smile – Donna Jo Napoli
by Donna Jo Napoli
Who was the woman in Leonardo Da Vinci’s famous portrait, Mona Lisa? In Napoli’s story, it’s a girl named Elisabetta. One day, she will marry a noble in Florence. With her father’s friend, Leonardo Da Vinci’s help, she meets Giuliano de’ Medici. But troubled times are approaching Florence, and a woman’s choices are limited…
This novel was sweet and emphatic. The time in the novel was slightly confusing, but it matched the chaotic time in history. Elisabetta was such a sweet narrator – it wasn’t hard to eventually invision her to be the model of the most famous picture in the world
11.20.08
The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks
by E. Lockhart
A pretty, intelligent girl. Her handsome senior boyfriend, who she is pretty sure is lying to her. His cocky friend. A boarding school. A secret society. A secret fight for power.
I had a lot of fun reading this book. This was an addicting read (especially toward the end). I loved the way Frankie fought for power, and the pranks she played, and the words she played with. The ending was bittersweet, but it fit, and it’s a pretty open ending, leaving you wondering what would happen next, as Frankie was apt to do.
visit E. Lockhart at http://e-lockhart.com
Books I found somewhat similar: the Artemis Fowl series, by Eoin Colfer
11.17.08
The Lost Memoirs of Jane Austen – Syrie James
by Syrie James
Something that is often mentioned when people bring up the famous author of Pride and Prejudice (among others) is that Jane Austen, a writer of romance, died a spinster. All her books ended with a wedding (at least one wedding) but she herself never married.
Many people have imagined what might have happened if Jane Austen had had a romance, one that she kept secret for certain reasons.
What if someone found a sealed up chest in Jane Austen’s former house – and it was revealed to be full of Austen’s own experiences – and one of them told of a romance of her own?
The novel takes place while Jane is revising Sense and Sensibility. I really liked reading how her “real-life experiences” let themselves out in S&S. And because Austen is so famous a writer about courtships, I think people (in general, woman) would love to hear that she had her own romance.
I personally loved reading all Jane Austen’s books (yes, sadly I’ve already read all of them, so I can never read one of them anew again), and I found this view into her personal life was very fun. The language was good, in a way that echoed Austen’s, and Syrie James somehow managed to blend a bittersweet romance to perfectly correspond with other events that occurred in her life at that time. It was fantastic.
11.08.08
Palace of Mirrors- Margaret Peterson Haddix
by Margaret Peterson Haddix
Cecelia is not a normal peasant girl. Actually, she’s the real princess, raised up in this remote village so as to keep her safe, while Princess Desmia is merely a fake used to trick the people who killed her father and mother, the King and Queen.
But when Cecelia goes to claim the throne, she meets with challenges she had never imagined.
I approached this book with caution. I wasn’t sure what to expect, because I’d read Just Ella, which took place in the same universe (and which focuses on Ella Brown, who reappears in this book), I found it boring. Even now I remember it as predictable and not very impressive.
But Palace of Mirrors surprised me. The plot was entertaining and diverting, and the characters intriguing. It’s the sort of book that has both nice parts and parts that don’t seem to fit. The ending seemed too happily-ever-after, and the explanation didn’t seem quite possible. Yet, I think the idea was a good one, and almost pulled off.
Cecelia’s a good narrator, and it was interesting to revisit Ella Brown. It’s not a must-read, but it would be a nice read all the same.
10.23.08
Out of the Wild- Sarah Beth Durst
by Sarah Beth Durst
The Wild was conquered weeks ago by Julie. Or so she thought. But all of a sudden, the Wild swallows one of the three blind mice-only instead of growing, it spits out her father. Rapunzel’s prince.
But Julie’s father is terribly outdated. He doesn’t understand anything around him, and worse-he doesn’t understand how he is fueling the Wild, by doing everything he is supposed to do. So as Julie’s father sets out to rescue a captive Sleeping Beauty, leaving Rapunzel and Gothel as mere pumpkins, Julie has no choice but to follow, knowing that she must stop her father.
This was a wonderful book. I devoured it, and not just because of the newness of it, either (although I do love new books). Julie was an honest character, true to her age and insecurities. The plot was beautiful and sweet, and the other characters-some new, some old-were fantastic.
The plot did start really fast, which launched me straight into the story. It was a wonderful sequel, more satisfying and happily-ever-after than the first one. My only complaint? I wish it was real! I can just begin imagining what I would do, if this book was only non-fiction instead of fiction. 
10.20.08
The Crimson Thread-Suzanne Weyn
by Suzanne Weyn
Bridget is heading the America, the land of opportunity, with her fathers, brothers, and little sister. Her father eventually finds a job as a coachman for the wealthy J.P. Wellington. And with him, Bridget gets a job as a seamstress-but with an American name. Her name is Bertie now.
Then her father then boasts that she can “spin straw into gold”, and Bertie doesn’t know what to do. But then, amazingly, assisted with a mysterious friend by the name Ray Stalls, she is actually able to transform the blue material into stunning gowns made to look as if they are spun with gold. The only problem is, Bertie doesn’t know how to repay Ray, because the one thing he asks for she is unable to give him.
This was a wonderfully imagined book that actually followed the original fairy-tale pretty well. My only problems was that Ray Stalls’s feelings seemed a little unrealistic, and the first and last chapter seemed a little irrelevant, unimportant. But other than that, this was a sweet, romantic story.
I’ve always been interested in sewing and spinning and things like that, and I loved the way the dresses and designs were such a big part of the novel. (And I admit I love the color.) The Crimson Thread is a wonderfully quick read, and Bertie is a nice, realistic girl who I really enjoyed spending my time with.
