Title: The Different Girl
Author: Gordon Dahlquist
Format: ARC Paperback
Pages: 230
Release Date: February 26, 2013
Publisher: Dutton Juvenile
Source: ARC via LibraryThing

Rating: ★★☆☆☆ 

Read the back of the book

My thoughts:

This book felt unfinished to me. Though the blurb on the back of the book is correct – it is unsettling. Because the narrator is one of the girls, the tone is very flat and almost devoid of any emotion save confusion. It’s not hard to figure out what the girls are, but why they exist is a question that’s never answered to my satisfaction. I cared about that much more than I cared about May and the drama created by her arrival. If the author wasn’t going to flesh out this world and the situation they were living in, then he should have cut out some of the middle and turned it into a really good short story. Instead, we get a novel with missing pieces.

Available from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | IndieBound | WorldCat

Other reviews:

• “I love that this is a quieter novel about thoughts and characters, without much of a driving forward plot but plenty of food for thought.” — The Book Smugglers
• “There was virtually no action, no romance, no twists, and minimal worldbuilding.  If I had a badge for beautiful covers, though, it would definitely earn it, because I adore this cover.” — Presenting Lenore
• “While the novel is not an action-packed read, it does have its moments of suspense and wonder.” — Miss Literati

Title: Abandon
Author: Meg Cabot
Series: Abandon Trilogy #01
Format: Kindle
Pages: 320
Release Date: January 1, 2012
Publisher: Point
Source: personal copy

Rating: ★☆☆☆☆ 

Read the back of the book

My thoughts:

I’m not going to write much about this book because really, it wasn’t very good. Most of the book meandered along with very little plot whatsoever, other than to listen to Pierce whine and give us drips and drabs of her past that for some reason has to be kept secret from us for so very long. She spends most of her time trying to avoid John, the angel/whatever, until suddenly she’s not avoiding him any longer, she’s making out with him. All of the characters are either boring or blatant stereotypes. This is supposed to be a dark retelling of the Hades & Persephone myth, but I couldn’t tell you anything about it based on this book. Needless to say, I won’t be bothering with the rest of the trilogy.

Available from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | IndieBound | WorldCat

Other reviews:

• “This was my first book from Meg and I’m already reading the sequel to Abandon now, that comes out next week – Underworld.” — Once Upon a twilight
• “Although the characters were a bit ho-hum and the first half or so of the book is a little slower paced and oddly structured, when the novel moves into its final act, things really kick up – and certainly left me hungry for the next installment.”– The Book Smugglers
• “Abandon had everything I hate in a book. Controlling, violent, abusive male. check. Submissive, passive heroine with very little common sense. Check. Insta-love. check. Mary-sue. Check. Poor plot. Check.” — Cuddlebuggery Book Blog

Title: Uglies
Author: Scott Westerfeld
Series: Uglies Trilogy #01
Format: Paperback
Pages: 432
Release Date: 2005
Publisher: Scholastic Trade
Source: personal copy

Rating: ★★★★☆ 

Read the back of the book

My thoughts:

This book has been sitting on my shelf for a long time, and I’m glad I finally got around to reading it. Tally’s world is physically the same as ours (as in, Earth), but time and an apocalypse (an oil-destroying bacteria) have changed things. Much of the world is uninhabited, and most of those that remain live in segregated cities such as Tally’s. On one side of the river are the young, the Uglies. On the other side, the Pretties.

It was decided, post-apocalypse, that all of the world’s problems were caused by inequality. Not only financial or social, but physical. So, upon their sixteenth birthday, everyone is given plastic surgery to become Pretty. They then spend the rest of their young-adulthood going to parties, basically.

Tally is about to become Pretty, and never thought about doing otherwise before she runs into Shay. Shay doesn’t want to become Pretty. She’s learned of a settlement of people living outside of the city (the Smokes), and she’d rather be a part of that society than the one she’s expected to join. She asks Tally to come with her, but Tally is unsure, until the decision is made for her.

I thought the book had some interesting things to say about conformity and oppressive monitoring by the government. For a heroine, Tally does tend to be rather passive. Most of what happens to her is a result of what other people have either done or made her do, and I have to admit I didn’t love her. But, the story itself is compelling enough that I don’t have to love her to want to see what happens to her.

Overall, it was just an enjoyable story. Westerfeld has created an interesting world, and I’ll definitely be reading more to see what he does with it.

Available from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | IndieBound | WorldCat

Other reviews:

• “My copies of all the Uglies books are completely falling apart from me reading them so much, and I hope that you enjoy them as much as I did.” — Zoe’s Book Reviews
• “All in all, I loved the premise, didn’t love the voice, but thought it’s worth reading if you have the chance.” –
  Imaginary Reads
• “If the rest of the series is as awesome as the first book, I will be thrilled. “ — Read. Breathe. Relax.

Back of the book:

Madison’s prom was killer—literally. For some reason she’s been targeted by a dark reaper—yeah, that kind of reaper—intent on getting rid of her, body and soul. But before the reaper could finish the job, Madison was able to snag his strange, glowing amulet and get away.

Now she’s stuck on Earth—dead but not gone. Somehow the amulet gives her the illusion of a body, allowing her to toe the line between life and death. She still doesn’t know why the dark reaper is after her, but she’s not about to just sit around and let fate take its course.

With a little ingenuity, some light-bending, and the help of a light reaper (one of the good guys! Maybe . . . ), her cute crush, and oh yeah, her guardian angel, Madison’s ready to take control of her own destiny once and for all, before it takes control of her.

Well, if she believed in that stuff.

My thoughts:

This is Kim Harrison’s first series since her Rachel Morgan series, and being such a huge fan of that one I had to give this a shot. This is a young adult series, so I expected the tone and writing style to be different. It was, but the things that make Harrison’s writing so good were still there – color characters, interesting sidekicks, and a compelling new world.

At first glance, Madison’s world is just like ours. Except, she’s dead. Now, she’s trying to keep from the clutches of the dark reaper who didn’t finish his job, all while learning how to become a reaper herself.

In many ways, this reminded me of the (much too short) Showtime series Dead Like Me, about a group of reapers out to save the souls of the recently departed. But not completely. Madison is a softer lead character than the bitter, sarcastic George of the TV series, and there is more of a good vs. evil feel to the book.

Overall, I enjoyed listening to this, but I do have one major complaint. When the book opens, you are thrown into the story without any real explanation of what’s going on. This is something Harrison does very well in the Rachel Morgan series, but in this case I just felt like I was missing something. So much so that I double-checked that I wasn’t listening to the second book by mistake. I really could have used a slower introduction into what was going on.

I’m not sure if this will end up being as fantastic as the Rachel Morgan series, but I will certainly read on!

Available from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble  | IndieBound | WorldCat

Other reviews:

• “Absolutely fantastic – Madison Avery just might be my new favorite YA Urban Fantasy heroine. An engaging, original read and easily a notable read of 2009. Highly recommended.” — The Book Smugglers
• ” If you can make it through the slower first part of the book, I think you’ll really enjoy this read.” — The Sweetie Chronicles
• “Where is the strongly written, fully fleshed out female heroine I know Harrison is capable of writing?  I can barely believe Kim Harrison wrote this.  I want to make a thousand excuses for her – editing pressures, rushed deadlines, misleading advice?” — The Blog of Litwits

Past reviews:

2011: Rocket Surgery Made Easy (Steve Krug)
2010: Anthem (Ayn Rand)
2009: China Lake (Meg Gardiner)
2008: Triptych (Karin Slaughter)
2007: Fool Moon (Jim Butcher)
2006: Incubus Dreams (Laurell K. Hamilton)
2005: The Big Bad Wolf (James Patterson)

Back of the book:

I’m John Taylor. I work in the Nightside – the gaudy, meon noir, secret heart of London, where it’s always three in the morning, where gods and monsters make deals and seek pleasures they won’t find anywhere else.

I have a gift for finding things. And sometimes what I’m hired to locate can be very, very dangerous indeed.

Right now, for example, I’m searching for The Unholy Grail, the cup that Judas drank from at the Last Supper.

It corrupts all who touch it – but it also gives enormous power. So I’m not the only one hunting. Angels, devils, sinners, and saints – they’re all out there, tearing apart The Nightside, seeking the dark goblet.

And it’s only a matter of time until they realize that the famous John Taylor, the man with the gift for finding things, can’t lead them straight to it . . .

My thoughts:

I thought this second book in the series was much stronger than the first. The first had altogether too much world-building, but this time we get right to the meat of the story. The Unholy Grail (a cup that Judas drank from that grants its holder great power) is supposedly on the loose in the Nightside, and everyone knows about it. Including the Angels, both from above and below. Taylor is brought in to find it — hopefully before the Angels tear the Nightside to pieces.

Since this is a YA book, it’s a relatively quick read. I felt more connected to Taylor and his unusual associates this time around, and will likely continue with the series.

Available from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | IndieBound | WorldCat

Other reviews:

• “Recommendation: It’s an interesting place to visit, that’s for sure.” — My Years of Reading Seriously
• “Agents of Light and Darkness is a quick, easy read. Don’t read it under the covers at night with a flashlight, though, especially with a vivid imagination.” — Jandy’s Reading Room
• “Verdict:  Check it out from the library.  I’ll say if you like Supernatural Paranormal Urban Fantasy pick it up.  You’ll like it.” — Ravenous Biblioworm’s Book Reviews

Past reviews:

2011: The Sound and the Fury (William Faulkner)
2010: Ivory Tower Cop (George Kirkham & Leonard Territo)
2009: Full Speed (Janet Evanovich)
2008: Dead Until Dark (Charlaine Harris)
2007: Flowers in the Attic (V.C. Andrews)
2006: Blue Moon (Laurell K. Hamilton)
2005: The Austere Academy (Lemony Snicket)

Back of the book:

Claire has her share of challenges. Like being a genius in a school that favors beauty over brains; homicidal girls in her dorm, and finding out that her college town is overrun with the living dead. On the up side, she has a new boyfriend with a vampire-hunting dad. But when a local fraternity throws the Dead Girls’ Dance, hell is really going to break loose.

My thoughts:

This book picks up exactly where the first left off. This is both a good thing and a bad thing. It’s good if you’ve read the first book recently, because it means no waiting! But if it’s been over two years (like with me), it leaves you a bit disoriented until you can get up to speed again. I actually wonder if these first two books were actually just one that the author was forced to split in two.

But, once you do get up to speed again, this is a decent little book. Claire and her roommates really only want one thing — to be left in peace. But Shane’s father has other ideas, and once the  vampires find out his plans, someone has to pay. I like the group of roommates, though Claire does tend to get on my nerves a bit. She makes some really stupid decisions. I do have to give her a little benefit of the doubt. Just because you’re smart doesn’t necessarily mean you have common sense. (I might just know this from experience.)

Overall, I think this is a good series. I’m interested in seeing where it is going. Maybe this time I won’t wait two years to read the next one.

Available from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | IndieBound | WorldCat

Other reviews:

• “DEAD GIRLS’ DANCE is one of the best books in the series and the shocking ending will leave you panting and begging for the next installment.” — Karin’s Book Nook
• “This review has probably come across as a bit harsh and while I didn’t enjoy The Dead Girls’ Dance as much as Glass Houses I didn’t totally hate the book either so don’t let me put you off reading it if you are so inclined.” — Love Vampires
• “The Dead Girls’ Dance was an interesting book that moves the story and the characters forward.” — Fluttering Butterflies

Past reviews:

2011: Charm City (Laura Lippman)
2010: Forbidden Falls (Robyn Carr)
2009: Amelia Peabody’s Egypt (Elizabeth Peters)
2008: The Copenhagen Connection (Elizabeth Peters)
2007: Birthright (Nora Roberts)
2006: Memoirs of a Geisha (Arthur Golden)
2005: E is for Evidence (Sue Grafton)

Title:

Back of the book:

Finalist for the 2009 National Book Award and finalist for two 2010 Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards: the prize-winning children’s author depicts a childhood from hell in this searing yet redemptive graphic memoir.

One day David Small awoke from a supposedly harmless operation to discover that he had been transformed into a virtual mute. A vocal cord removed, his throat slashed and stitched together like a bloody boot, the fourteen-year-old boy had not been told that he had cancer and was expected to die.

In Stitches, Small, the award-winning children’s illustrator and author, re-creates this terrifying event in a life story that might have been imagined by Kafka. As the images painfully tumble out, one by one, we gain a ringside seat at a gothic family drama where David—a highly anxious yet supremely talented child—all too often became the unwitting object of his parents’ buried frustration and rage.

Believing that they were trying to do their best, David’s parents did just the reverse. Edward Small, a Detroit physician, who vented his own anger by hitting a punching bag, was convinced that he could cure his young son’s respiratory problems with heavy doses of radiation, possibly causing David’s cancer. Elizabeth, David’s mother, tyrannically stingy and excessively scolding, ran the Small household under a cone of silence where emotions, especially her own, were hidden.

Depicting this coming-of-age story with dazzling, kaleidoscopic images that turn nightmare into fairy tale, Small tells us of his journey from sickly child to cancer patient, to the troubled teen whose risky decision to run away from home at sixteen—with nothing more than the dream of becoming an artist—will resonate as the ultimate survival statement.

A silent movie masquerading as a book, Stitches renders a broken world suddenly seamless and beautiful again. Finalist for the 2009 National Book Award (Young Adult); finalist for two 2010 Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards (Best Writer/Artist: Nonfiction; Best Reality-Based Work).

My thoughts:

I’ve been meaning to read this for a long time, and finally got around to it a few weeks ago. We were traveling, and it was a good book to read start-to-finish in the car — only took me about an hour. David Small’s story is rather sad. The second child of a pair of emotionally and physically distant parents, he spent much of his childhood entertaining himself and learning how to best maneuver with the least upset to anyone. When he develops a tumor on his neck, it becomes just one more thing to deal with silently. His parents seem barely concerned, leaving it for several years before finally having it removed when David is 14. Even then they don’t tell him what is going on, just that he’s having surgery. He wakes up with a giant scar and no voice with absolutely no preparation. It’s hard to tell which is worse, the physical scar or the mental one.

The pain that David remembers is evident in his artwork. Black and white and stark, he’s able to not only portray reality as he remembers it, through the eyes of a child, but his fantasies as well. The story may come off as a bit one-sided, but it is a memoir, after all, and is told through the point of view of himself as a child. There is an afterword of sorts, where he addresses his mother’s behavior with the wisdom of age and experience. He may even have managed to forgive his parents. I’m not sure I could.

Some may say they did the best they knew how, but sometimes your best just isn’t good enough.

Available from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | IndieBound | WorldCat

Other reviews:

• “The artwork is worthy of careful study, and the story has quite the emotional impact.” — S. Krishna’s Books
• “Sometimes the medium of a story is so much more important than how that story is told: Stitches, illustrator David Small’s memoir, is one such story.” — the picky girl
• “The drawings truly were perfect — the expressions, the interpretation of dreams, the looks in people’s eyes, couldn’t have been conveyed with words.” — Pretty Things

Past reviews:

2011: Bolt (Dick Francis)
2010: Bird by Bird (Anne Lamott)
2009: Five on a Treasure Island (Enid Blyton)
2008: I Heard That Song Before (Mary Higgins Clark)
2007: Up Island (Anne Rivers Siddons)
2006: The Big Love (Sarah Dunn)
2005: The Reptile Room (Lemony Snicket)

THE SECRETS OF the past meet the shocks of the present.

Aslaug is an unusual young woman. Her mother has brought her up in near isolation, teaching her about plants and nature and language—but not about life. Especially not how she came to have her own life, and who her father might be.

When Aslaug’s mother dies unexpectedly, everything changes. For Aslaug is a suspect in her mother’s death. And the more her story unravels, the more questions unfold. About the nature of Aslaug’s birth. About what she should do next.

About whether divine miracles have truly happened. And whether, when all other explanations are impossible, they might still happen this very day.

Addictive, thought-provoking, and shocking, Madapple is a page-turning exploration of human nature and divine intervention—and of the darkest corners of the human soul.

This was a sort of bizarre story. Madapple takes place in a Maine I don’t really recognize. Aslaug and her mother live in almost complete isolation in what I presume to be in-land Maine (which, believe it or not, is far different than coastal Maine), living off the land and eschewing all modern conveniences. Aslaug is barely allowed to read, let alone go to school, go shopping, or watch TV. Before her mother’s death, she doesn’t even know she has family living very nearby, and she discovers them rather accidentally. Whether or not this is a good thing is best left up to the reader.

We learn rather quickly that Aslaug is on trial for not only the death of her mother, but for burning down the church where she lived and some people inside. I enjoyed the structure of the novel as it bounced back and forth between the past and the present, revealing tiny pieces of the puzzle along the way. Things the reader assumes early in the story turn out to be far from the truth.

The author connects each chapter from the past with a particular piece of botanical knowledge. I learned about a lot of plants that I never knew existed, but sometimes there was a little too much detail when really, I just wanted to get on with the story.

Overall, I thought this was a really interesting book. It’s not light, and it’s not happy, and it touches upon not only the relationship between religion and science, but on the relationships between mothers and daughters, rape, incest, and abuse. If your book club can get past the fact that it’s technically a young adult book, I think Madapple is a great novel to stimulate discussion.

Other reviews:

Madapple by Christina Meldrum « Harmony Book Reviews
Review: Madapple « Book Addiction
Madapple by Christina Meldrum « Reading Rants! Out of the Ordinary
Confessions of a Bibliovore: Book Review: Madapple by Christine Meldrum
Madapple by Christina Meldrum | Maw Books

Audiobook length: 11 hrs 10 min | Approximate word count: 104,000 (’11 total: 4,433,203)

2010: A Reliable Wife (Robert Goolrick)
2009: Darling Jim (Christian Moerk)
2008: A Treasure Worth Seeking (Sandra Brown)
2007: Manhunt (Janet Evanovich)
2006: Myths, Lies & Downright Stupidity (John Stossel)
2005: In the Cherry Tree (Dan Pope)

Used in these Challenges: Countdown Challenge 2011; 2011 Audiobook Challenge; New Author Challenge 2011; Outdo Yourself Reading Challenge 2011;

The day the blizzard started, no one knew that it was going to keep snowing for a week. That for those in its path, it would become not just a matter of keeping warm, but of staying alive….

Scotty and his friends Pete and Jason are among the last seven kids at their high school waiting to get picked up that day, and they soon realize that no one is coming for them. Still, it doesn’t seem so bad to spend the night at school, especially when distractingly hot Krista and Julie are sleeping just down the hall. But then the power goes out, then the heat. The pipes freeze, and the roof shudders. As the days add up, the snow piles higher, and the empty halls grow colder and darker, the mounting pressure forces a devastating decision….

This book is based on an outlandish premise: a days-long blizzard literally buries a town, dumping dozens of feet of snow and trapping everyone where they happened to be when it started. In this case, it traps seven kids and a teacher in the high school. Cell phones and land lines aren’t working, vehicles (not even plows) can get through, and it isn’t long before the power is also gone.

What this book really comes down to one question: What would you do to survive? Because these are teens (and young teens at that), different factors come in to play than those that would if they were adults. Will the usual cliques remain? Who, if anyone, is in charge? What are the consequences of breaking the rules? How do they eat, stay warm, and even use the bathroom? These kids have to use every last bit of their ingenuity to survive; not all of them do.

Despite the fact that I struggled with the enormity of the snowstorm (even growing up in Maine, I couldn’t picture that much snow), I enjoyed this story. My only problem with it was the ending. We get a resolution to the immediate problem, but there is no aftermath. I wanted to know what the ramifications of the storm were outside of the school.

This is a good book for those days when it snows and you wonder if it will ever stop.

This book was a review copy.

Other reviews:

Book Review: Trapped by Michael Northrop | leighlights
Trapped by Michael Northrop:Book Review – Rayment’s Readings Rants and Ramblings
Candace’s Book Blog: Book Review: Trapped by Michael Northrop
Slightly Bookish: Book Review (ARC): Trapped by Michael Northrop
Review: Trapped by Michael Northrop | Chick Loves Lit

Page count: 240 (’11 total: 11,673) | Approximate word count: 48,000 (’11 total: 4,329,203)

2010: Shelter Mountain (Robyn Carr)
2009: First Family (David Baldacci)
2008: Grave Surprise (Charlaine Harris)
2007: Through Violet Eyes (Stephen Woodworth)
2006: Eveless Eden (Marianne Wiggins)
2005: King’s Oak (Anne Rivers Siddons)

Used in these Challenges: ARC Reading Challenge 2011; New Author Challenge 2011; Outdo Yourself Reading Challenge 2011;

Against all odds, Katniss Everdeen has survived the Hunger Games twice. But now that she’s made it out of the bloody arena alive, she’s still not safe. The Capitol is angry. The Capitol wants revenge. Who do they think should pay for the unrest? Katniss. And what’s worse, President Snow has made it clear that no one else is safe either. Not Katniss’s family, not her friends, not the people of District 12. Powerful and haunting, this thrilling final installment of Suzanne Collins’s groundbreaking The Hunger Games trilogy promises to be one of the most talked about books of the year.

*** SPOILERS AHEAD ***

I’m not even going to try to discuss this without spoilers. So consider yourself warned!

First of all, I really liked the book.  I found it to be a mostly satisfying conclusion to the series.  In some ways, I found it more engrossing than Catching Fire, which was mostly a rehash of Hunger Games. But what I really want to discuss is Katniss.

A lot of people read this book and immediately hated what Collins did with Katniss.  They felt like she changed Katniss into someone weak who just waited for things to happen to her instead of taking charge.

I have to say that I disagree! I guess I’ve always felt that Katniss was an emotionally immature character, and was often having her strings pulled by other people — she just didn’t realize it.  When the bodies started piling up, she just wasn’t emotionally mature enough to handle it. I think the only decision she made in the whole series that was truly hers was the decision to step up and take Prim’s place. Other than that, she was always someone’s pawn in the game.  An extremely effective pawn, but a pawn, nonetheless. I think that most of the time, her independence was an illusion.

That’s not to say the book was perfect. My main complaint was the pacing. I think we spent way too much time in 13 and not nearly enough time in the Capitol. The ending was horribly rushed, with Katniss’s trial and banishment just glossed over. I would have loved a better, slower exposure of 13 being just like the Capitol. Especially the part about Coin wanting another Hunger Games.  That’s taken care of in about 4 pages, and it needed to have more impact than that.

Overall, I wasn’t at all surprised by how Katniss ended up at the end.  After 3 books of people manipulating her, a mental break was not completely unexpected.

Other reviews:

#279 ~ Mockingjay (Review in Haiku) : literatehousewife.com
Booking Mama: Review: Mockingjay
Re-Post: Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins; Review « Wordbird
Review: Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins *Spoilers* : Bart’s Bookshelf
Presenting Lenore: Book Review: Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

Page count: 400 | Approximate word count: 100,000

2009: Best Intentions (Emily Listfield)
2008: The Mysterious Affair at Styles (Agatha Christie)
2007: Carolina Moon (Nora Roberts)
2006: 44 Cranberry Point (Debbie Macomber)

Used in these Challenges: Four Month Challenge – Part 4; 2010 100+ Reading Challenge; 2010 Reading From My Shelves Project; 2010 Young Adult Reading Challenge; Finish That Series Challenge; Pages Read Challenge Season 2;