Thrice Baked Thursday: The Coldest Girl in Coldtown (Guest Reviewer: Kelsey)

Title: The Coldest Girl in Coldtown

Author: Holly Black

Pages: 419
Publishing Date: September 3rd 2013

Genre: Fantasy (paranormal/vampires)

Audience:  Young Adult

Source: Library (Kelsey & Randi & Becky) 

Rating: 
4 stars-I would take this book with me into an abandoned shack to sweat out an infection for 88 days. (Kelsey)
4 stars- I would chain this book up to keep it from going cold, unless it really wanted to go cold, in which case I'd find it a tasty murderer to eat (Becky)
 2.5 stars I'd air-hug this book...I don't want to get too close in case it's Cold (Randi)

Goodreads Summary:Tana lives in a world where walled cities called Coldtowns exist. In them, quarantined monsters and humans mingle in a decadently bloody mix of predator and prey. The only problem is, once you pass through Coldtown’s gates, you can never leave.

One morning, after a perfectly ordinary party, Tana wakes up surrounded by corpses. The only other survivors of this massacre are her exasperatingly endearing ex-boyfriend, infected and on the edge, and a mysterious boy burdened with a terrible secret. Shaken and determined, Tana enters a race against the clock to save the three of them the only way she knows how: by going straight to the wicked, opulent heart of Coldtown itself.

The Coldest Girl in Coldtown is a wholly original story of rage and revenge, of guilt and horror, and of love and loathing from bestselling and acclaimed author Holly Black.

Our Thoughts  

Kelsey in Black
Becky in Blue
Randi in Red

Well, I guess I’ll start by saying that this was the most fun read I’ve had in a while. I don't even LIKE fun reads and I enjoyed it. Fun reads are the BEST. But I didn't have that much fun. ;) I didn’t know much about this book before reading it, besides that it was by Holly Black and featured some vampires. Nowadays, I’m quite skeptical about any tales featuring vampires, because Twilight kind of ruined that genre for me. That's sad, Kelsey, don't let Twilight win. I'm convinced that's what it wants. LOL. Honestly, I second Kelsey. I try to avoid vampires as much as possible, for that exact reason. And I'm thinking that may be a big part of the reason that I didn't love this. But I shouldn’t have been worried. Vampires in Holly Black’s hands are not sparkly. They are dark, gritty, and slightly insane. Yessssss.

I really enjoyed the setting. Coldtown is a lot like an internment camp for vampires and people who are infected with the Cold virus but haven’t quite turned into a vampire yet. That was the most unique element for me and it really hooked me. I loved how it was largely televised, I could definitely see that happening. I hadn't thought of Coldtown as a sort of internment camp, but I can definitely see that now that you mention it! And I could see the televised reality show thing happening in real life. In fact, that makes it seem pretty "realistic" (as realistic as it can be) for our times. Once you enter Coldtown, there’s no leaving unless you have a marker. Everyone on the outside sees Coldtown as a glamorous setting with lots of swanky parties, but we get to see the underbelly with Tana, our kick-ass heroine. Let’s talk a bit about how much I loved Tana. Me too Me too! She’s sarcastic, stupidly brave, and a typical teenage girl. Well, I don't know about typical. Typical is Bella Swan. I found her admirable and easy to empathize with while still avoiding the Mary Sue trap. Okay, so I'm the odd one out here. I thought Tana was kind of annoying. She faces a lot of tough situations in the novel and basically just kicks a lot of ass. I also loved how quirky and colorful all the side characters were as well—Aiden, Valentine, and Gavriel are among my favorites. (Gavriel is pretty much the only reason this book didn't get one start from me. LOVED him.) I only wish we would have gotten a little bit more about them. That was my major complaint as well. This was not a short book, but it felt like it needed to be longer or many a two book series. It felt SO long to me. But seeing as this is a stand-alone YA novel (which, although I want more, is kind of refreshing in a genre that’s all about the series), it does a good job of at least telling us what is motivating them. One thing I did appreciate is that this novel didn’t seem to take itself too seriously. It never got melodramatic, though I think my biggest complaint is that the end tends towards sap. I thought it got melodramatic but was aware of it and gently mocked itself, kind of like a cult classic (Lost Boys anyone?) So you're saying I should avoid that movie? ;) Really, though, I think I'm in the extreme minority on this one. But even though I wasn't a fan, I have to say that I enjoyed Holly Black's writing enough to look forward to reading her Curse Workers series, which Becky has been trying to get me to read.

Blood, gore, grit, love, revenge, humor...it’s all here and all worth reading, if you ask me.

I'm so glad Kelsey joined us! This was fun. We'll have to do more Thrice-Baked Thursdays. Huzzah! Thanks for having me on your blog Randi and Becky! Happy October!

Twice Baked Thursday: The Uninvited, by Liz Jensen

Title: The Uninvited

Author: Liz Jensen

Pages: 320 
Publishing Date: January 8th, 2013

Genre: horror,sci-fi, apocalyptic

Audience:  Adult

Source: Library (Randi & Becky) 

Rating: 2 I'd give this book an awkward hug, but I don't trust it not to stab me (Becky)
3 I'd friend this book on Facebook, but only so I could monitor its movements and stay far, far away (Randi)

Goodreads Summary:

A seven-year-old girl puts a nail gun to her grandmother's neck and fires. An isolated incident, say the experts. The experts are wrong. Across the world, children are killing their families. Is violence contagious? As chilling murders by children grip the country, anthropologist Hesketh Lock has his own mystery to solve: a bizarre scandal in the Taiwan timber industry. 

Hesketh has never been good at relationships: Asperger's Syndrome has seen to that. But he does have a talent for spotting behavioral patterns and an outsider's fascination with group dynamics. Nothing obvious connects Hesketh's Asian case with the atrocities back home. Or with the increasingly odd behavior of his beloved stepson, Freddy. But when Hesketh's Taiwan contact dies shockingly and more acts of sabotage and child violence sweep the globe, he is forced to acknowledge possibilities that defy the rational principles on which he has staked his life, his career, and, most devastatingly of all, his role as a father. 

Our Thoughts  

Becky in Black
Randi in Red

I found this book unexpectedly boring.  The writing was technically good, but nothing about it hooked me. Agree! I kept waiting and waiting to care about somebody, anybody. And it never happened.... The closest I came was Freddy K.  He was kind of adorable and I liked his relationship with Hesketh, our narrator. I kind of thought Hesketh was a little crazy when it came to his "protection" of Freddy K. I was constantly thinking things like, "He's gonna kill you! Get outta there!" Hesketh has Aspergers Syndrom, which partially explains why I felt so distant from everyone and everything in the book.  He seemed most excited about Freddy, origami, and color shades.  Showing the story from his viewpoint sucked the horror and suspense out of even the creepiest of events. That's a good point; I hadn't thought about that, but I do agree. Horrific things were happening, but it was difficult to relate to Hesketh's actions, so I didn't feel very scared or horrified.

 The first 150 pages of the story are incredibly slow, and while bad things are happening occasionally, it is mostly just us learning about Hesketh. I found him somewhat unlikable due to his attitude towards sex and uninteresting due to him being extremely uninteresting lol. Awww, poor Hesketh! I usually enjoy reading about characters with Aspergers Syndrome (ever since I read Jodi Picoult's House Rules - which I loved), but...it felt like pulling teeth to get me to pick this book back up every day.

I think what made me the most upset was when I soldiered through all the way to the very end of the story (which involved lots of half-comprehended speed reading through the boring parts) and I still had no idea what was happening. N0 idea, people.  Nothing. We're supposed to think that there is some kind of science fiction time warp where the children are simultaneously from the future and the present and are adapting to live in the barren wasteland that will be earth.  That's as far as I got. Yeah, I think the explanation (and the fact that we get it from Hesketh's view, so it's couched in very intellectual terms) turned me off the most. I love post-apocalyptic stories because I think they truly get to the core of what it means to be human; however, this one just didn't do it for me. Overall, I'll probably put this on my horror display at the library, but it will go nowhere near my favorites shelf. 

Twice-Baked Thursday: The 5th Wave

Title: The 5th Wave

Author: Rick Yancey

Pages: 457
Publisher: Putnam Juvenile
Publishing Date: May 7th, 2013

Genre: sci-fi, post-apocalyptic

Audience:  Young Adult

Source: Library (Randi & Becky) 

Rating: 2 I'd give this book and awkward hug before running the other way (Randi)  3 I'd friend this book on Facebook, but I'd unfollow it in my feed (Becky)

Goodreads Summary:

After the 1st wave, only darkness remains. After the 2nd, only the lucky escape. And after the 3rd, only the unlucky survive. After the 4th wave, only one rule applies: trust no one.

Now, it’s the dawn of the 5th wave, and on a lonely stretch of highway, Cassie runs from Them. The beings who only look human, who roam the countryside killing anyone they see. Who have scattered Earth’s last survivors. To stay alone is to stay alive, Cassie believes, until she meets Evan Walker. Beguiling and mysterious, Evan Walker may be Cassie’s only hope for rescuing her brother—or even saving herself. But Cassie must choose: between trust and despair, between defiance and surrender, between life and death. To give up or to get up.

Our Thoughts  

Randi in Black
Becky in Red

Well, I'll begin by saying that 1. I'm not a fan of aliens in my fiction (or non-fiction, I guess!), with the exception of one Daemon Black(I like aliens but not invasions). 2. However, I do love post-apocalyptic novels (Heck yes, The Road is A to the Mazing) ((Yes it is!!)). This means that this book should have started off on a neutral status with me . I'd heard nothing but awesomeness about this book, though, so perhaps I had some expectations (for me it started with extremely high hopes.  The Monstrumologist was so outrageously good, it did not occur to me this book might stink up the apartment). Needless to say if you peeked at my two star rating above, any expectations I had were not met. I was a little disappointed that there were multiple viewpoints in this book, though I usually like them. (I wasn't bothered by the multiple POV, although usually I am, lol) After finishing the book, it makes sense based on what the novel was striving for, but I was not impressed. 

Cassie was kind of a kick-butt narrator (for the chapters she had), but I really wasn't convinced by much else.  (She was sometimes, but sometimes she was a catty, shallow, boy-obsessed teen.  Blah.) A big reason I love post-apoc. fiction is because I adore that discussion of what makes us human, what happens to the people who are left after some cataclysmic event? While those themes were evident earlier in the book, they fell to the wayside in favor of a cheesy and somewhat predictable romance (Somewhat?). ((I was trying to be nice!!)) As the reader, I was apparently supposed to like both Ben and Evan. Oops, I didn't find either of them particularly desirable or interesting (They were both kind of bros). ((Hahaha!)) Ben's backstory with his little sister was not utilized enough to make me feel anything for him and, to me at least, he was a flat character whose motivations were not convincing. 

Anyway, that pretty much sums up my disappointment with this book. Though I am apparently in the extreme minority since the average Goodreads rating is 4.08 stars. Cheers!

You can do better Rick Yancey, you have done better.  Leave the sappy love triangles to Ally Condie, please, for the love of Pete. Let's focus on your real strengths, Bromance and Gore. This could have been an epic story, but I will forget it in a few months (unless you make a movie, I'll come back for that).

Twice Baked Thursday: The Humans by Matt Haig (Guest Baker:Susanna)

Title: The Humans

Author: Matt Haig

Pages: 304
Publisher: Simon & Shuster 
Publishing Date: July 2nd, 2013
Genre: Science Fiction

Audience:  Adults

Source: Library (Susanan & Becky) 

Rating: 5 stars-I'd marry this book (Susanna)
6 stars I'd fight anyone who thought they loved this more than me (Becky)

Summary: The narrator of this story is an alien, and this is clear from the very beginning.  His people are mathematical geniuses and have advanced far beyond what humans could ever hope to achieve, that is, before one of them figures it all out. Andrew Martin cracks the Reimann Hypothesis and  someone has to clean up his mess so that humanity can't bring its chaos any further into the universe.  To do this, however, the alien must remain undercover and pretend to be from the culture his people fear so much.


Our Thoughts:

Susanna in black 
Becky in red

The Humans was definitely one of my favorite recent reads. I really liked Matt Haig’s previous work, The Radleys (oh my gosh me too), so I had high expectations for this one. I was not disappointed. There was enough of a plot to keep the pace moving, but it wasn’t really the central focus of the book . For me, this was a positive. (Bah, plot, who needs it.  If the characters and conflict are strong enough I can swim in the world of a book for hundreds of pages) I enjoyed reading the narrator’s interpretations of human behavior and social structure (Maybe I'm an alien, but I totally agree with so many of his outside assessments.  Or maybe we all do because we all feel alienated to some extent.  Ahhh the refreshing depth of concepts in this book, I needed them after so many shallow reads) His interactions with Andrew Martin’s best friend were particularly enjoyable to me. I loved his relationship with his dog, too (Dogs are really what's holding humanity together). I would have liked perhaps slightly more information about the world from which he came, but then it would have been a different book (I agree on both counts.  I do think part of what made his choices easy to empathize with was that we really didn't know much about his culture/planet/people). My favorite thing about The Humans was how well Haig can build a cozy, homey feeling. He paints everyday life so well, and Andrew Martin’s wife and son display realistic human feelings and reactions (even if the narrator doesn’t quite understand them). I got invested in the characters and what would happen to them, and the last section of the book got me rather emotional.( I know!  I was freaking out as I read this about how much I loved it.  I zoomed through it in roughly 2 days.)  Overall, this was a strong five star read for me.  (This was probably a six star read for me, out of five. Thats' right Susanna, I just one upped you. Please write more soon, I have an author-crush on you Matt Haig).

Twice-Baked Thursday (Review): Look Me in the Eye: My Life with Asperger's

Title: Look Me in the Eye

Author: John Elder Robison

Pages: 304
Publisher: Crown
Publishing Date: Sept. 25th, 2007 (Randi's library version)

Genre: Memoir/Nonfiction

Audience:  Adult

Source: Library (Randi & Becky) 

Rating: 3 - I'd friend this book on Facebook (Randi)  3- I'd reluctantly friend this book on Facebook, knowing I'd need to hide their feed info.

Goodreads Summary:

Ever since he was small, John Robison had longed to connect with other people, but by the time he was a teenager, his odd habits—an inclination to blurt out non sequiturs, avoid eye contact, dismantle radios, and dig five-foot holes (and stick his younger brother in them)—had earned him the label “social deviant.” No guidance came from his mother, who conversed with light fixtures, or his father, who spent evenings pickling himself in sherry. It was no wonder he gravitated to machines, which could, at least, be counted on.

After fleeing his parents and dropping out of high school, his savant-like ability to visualize electronic circuits landed him a gig with KISS, for whom he created their legendary fire-breathing guitars. Later, he drifted into a “real” job, as an engineer for a major toy company. But the higher Robison rose in the company, the more he had to pretend to be “normal” and do what he simply couldn’t: communicate. It wasn’t worth the paycheck. 

It was not until he was forty that an insightful therapist told him he had the form of autism called Asperger’s syndrome. That understanding transformed the way Robison saw himself—and the world.

Our Thoughts

Randi in black. Becky in Grey

Hi there! Long time, no Twice-Baked Thursday! I'm glad the chaos that has been life these past few months has slowed enough to get back to the blog for a change. Agreed! Anyway, I have wanted to read John Elder Robison's memoir for awhile now.  I'm not really into Non-fiction, but I gave it a few tries this month. I'm particularly interested in reading the point-of-view of a character with an autism-spectrum disorder such as Asperger's. My interest comes partially from the fact that I read Jodi Picoult's House Rules,(loved it) which features a male teen protagonist with AS (Asperger's Syndrome) and loved it, and also since I am also a teacher-in-training and clearly it is to my advantage (as well as my future students') to know as much as possible about autism-related disorders. In that respect, this memoir definitely provided me insight into some of the feelings and thought processes of an adolescent with AS (the book covers early childhood through adulthood, but I found the childhood & teen years the most interesting).  I work at a public library where we do have patrons who have AS.  We're actually doing an educational program about it soon. Awesome!! Apparently we moved the furniture once and our AS patron was very upset, yelled at several staff members and refused to come back for some time. That's unfortunate :( but I can understand how that might upset someone with AS or another autism-spectrum disorder. I thought it might be useful to understand someone with AS' thought process a little more for the future...although we will still shift furniture.

Overall, I appreciated this book.  I think most of my issues with it were related to the writing style, which was primarily due to John Elder's different thought process.  I just found it hard to relate to and often offensive, which isn't especially surprising. (Agreed on the difficult-to-relate-to-ness!) However, I found some parts mind-numbingly dull. Those parts tended to be the ones where John Elder talked a lot about machinery (YES) or technology matters because his knowledge is so advanced in those areas while mine is so not, that I just sort of spaced out and tried to get through them quickly.  I just skimmed.  I found myself thinking "I do not care I do not care" a lot when he wrote about his pyrotechnics and other electronic shenanigans." Right! I thought "Oh, that's interesting...but I don't need details." There were places where I wanted to (and did, at some points) want to put this book down and forget about it because of those dull areas. But I'm glad I finished it. The epilogue in particular was one of my favorite parts. The book made me think about how we as a society judge others and expect everyone to conform to a specific version of "normal." I don't like that. I dislike how so many of John Elder's tribulations throughout his life are because other people are unwilling to be flexible. That really bothers me. But I also was reminded (quite unexpectedly, actually) of how important it is to forgive others, even when they might not always particularly deserve that forgiveness.   I'm not sure I agree, honestly.  Even John Elder often stated how much his life improved when he began to train himself to act more like "the norm".  I think society has evolved in certain ways for ease of communication and socialization.  Obviously I don't believe in Stepford communities where there is a scripted dialog and way to live.  However, if someone walks up to me and tells me I look fatter, I'm not going to like them regardless of any other factors. (LOL. You make a valid point! I just mean in a broader sense of having one set idea of what constitutes "normal" and sometimes shunning anyone that doesn't fit. I agree that society has evolved for important reasons, but I don't like the judgmental mentality in general.)

I'd recommend this with the caution that some parts will likely drag for most readers; however, if you can get through those parts (or skip them!), it's a worthwhile read.  I came into this story interested mostly in John Elder's childhood, but most of this is about his adult years.  Fair warning.  I don't regret reading it, but I'm not sure it changed my views much.  I found Elder's abusive home-life most disturbing, and I honestly feel it had a much greater impact on his struggle than his AS.  I've already recommended this book to two people :).

Review: The Snow Child

Title: The Snow Child

Author: Eowyn Ivey

Pages: 388

Genre:  Fantasy (Magical realism/ modern fairytale adaptation)

Audience:  Adult

Source: Library (Becky)

Rating: 5-I'd move to Alaska for this book

Goodreads Summary:

Alaska, 1920: a brutal place to homestead, and especially tough for recent arrivals Jack and Mabel. Childless, they are drifting apart--he breaking under the weight of the work of the farm; she crumbling from loneliness and despair. In a moment of levity during the season's first snowfall, they build a child out of snow. The next morning the snow child is gone--but they glimpse a young, blonde-haired girl running through the trees. This little girl, who calls herself Faina, seems to be a child of the woods. She hunts with a red fox at her side, skims lightly across the snow, and somehow survives alone in the Alaskan wilderness. As Jack and Mabel struggle to understand this child who could have stepped from the pages of a fairy tale, they come to love her as their own daughter. But in this beautiful, violent place things are rarely as they appear, and what they eventually learn about Faina will transform all of them.

Our Thoughts

Becky in black.Mabel and Faina were my favorites because we see most into Mabel's thoughts and feelings, and Faina is such a mystery but the easiest to picture.  Her backstory is so chilling and unresolved.  I also loved Jack. He seemed like such a "man's man" but in an honest and unpretentious way.  Garrett...meh lol. The supporting characters were rarely seen but were well drawn despite it.  

  The overall effect of this was that it kind of made me want to move somewhere far away from civilization, and then I remembered I have no survival skills lol.   Most of all I loved the hint of magic that laces the creeping, melancholy atmosphere. The language was simple yet artful, and I only noticed in the last fifty pages that there were no quotation marks. 

A final aspect I loved was the survival story in harsh elements and the way the characters become self sustaining.  As a child I was obsessed with stories like Hatchet and Little House in the Big Woods.  This story has a lot of trapping and hard farming that holds its own kind of magic for a city kid like me.  Overall it was a really great read, especially for winter.  I need to own it, lol.

Review: Nothing

Title: Nothing

Author: Janne Teller

Pages: 227

Genre: Realism (contemporary/horror)

Audience:  Young Adult

Source: library (Becky) 

Rating: 5 I'd marry this book if it wasn't so utterly disturbing

Goodreads Summary:

When Pierre-Anthon realizes there is no meaning to life, the seventh-grader leaves his classroom, climbs a tree, and stays there. His classmates cannot make him come down, not even by pelting him with rocks. So to prove to Pierre-Anthon that life has meaning, the children decide to give up things of importance. The pile starts with the superficial—a fishing rod, a new pair of shoes. But as the sacrifices become more extreme, the students grow increasingly desperate to get Pierre-Anthon down, to justify their belief in meaning. Sure to prompt intense thought and discussion, Nothing—already a treasured work overseas—is not to be missed.

My Thoughts

You'd be hard pressed to find a more disturbing book, particularly for teens. It begins innocently enough but things begin to get more and more horrific so that you're hard pressed to pinpoint just when it changed. There were several times that I could not believe what I was reading and my jaw just dropped. Although the characters in this story are in middle school, the content is barely suited for juniors and seniors in high school and will still probably be too horrific for most of them. Far from being disturbing solely for the sensationalism, this book has a core of horrific existentialism and truth that I think will resonate with most people, much as we don't want it to.  Does life hold any meaning, and if so where and how.  This would be an interesting book club book, although I think it would be difficult to get parents to sign off on it. 

Review (Becky): We Need to Talk About Kevin

Title: We Need to Talk About Kevin

Author: Lionel Shriver

Pages: 400

Genre: Contemporary Realism (literary)

Audience: Adult

Rating: 5 I'd marry this book if it wasn't so ferociously disturbing!

Goodreads Summary:

The gripping international bestseller about motherhood gone awry Eva never really wanted to be a mother - and certainly not the mother of the unlovable boy who murdered seven of his fellow high school students, a cafeteria worker, and a much-adored teacher who tried to befriend him, all two days before his sixteenth birthday. Now, two years later, it is time for her to come to terms with marriage, career, family, parenthood, and Kevin's horrific rampage in a series of startlingly direct correspondences with her estranged husband, Franklin. Uneasy with the sacrifices and social demotion of motherhood from the start, Eva fears that her alarming dislike for her own son may be responsible for driving him so nihilistically off the rails.

Thoughts

This was probably the most interesting and disturbing book I've ever read, although Blindness is a close second. I added it to my favorites shelf not because I "enjoyed" it, but because I think it closely examines a topic that most people skim the surface of in a manner that is brutally honest and fascinatingly presented.

The writing style was very unusual. I'm not sure I liked it, nor am I sure I am meant to. We essentially float in Eva's consciousness through the format of her letters to her dead husband, Franklin. Because of this, the plot becomes very lose and stream-of consciousness-like. We are very rarely grounded to either time or place, and the few scenes that are shown as though they are in "real-time" are very short and out of order. Even Eva's tangents have tangents, so it is easy to get lost in her inner dialogue and sometimes it feels self indulgent of Shriver. I found myself clawing my way through Eva's unlikeable personality to get at her interactions with Kevin.

Eva was interesting because while I both scorned and despised her, I also respected her and related to her. She felt very realistically portrayed, and it's hard for me to view this book as fiction, as a consequence. She represents a lot of fears or dark shameful thoughts that many would think and few would admit. Because she is an unreliable narrator even to herself, it's hard to say how much of her story is imagined and how much is real.

Franklin was a bit disappointing as a character. Compared to Eva he looked like a caricature, and I had trouble buying how much Eva loved and missed him. I would have divorced him in a second after Celia was injured, though I probably would never have married him to begin with. Nor would Eva, despite the necessity of her doing so for the plot. I just couldn't swallow it. He was like an unlikable Rob Swanson from Parks and Rec,

Kevin was brilliantly drawn. He was utterly despicable, revolting, and monstrous. He was also ingenious and pitiable. It would have been far too easy to paint Kevin as pure evil, and it is the few moments where he lets his guard down slightly that Shriver really shines. He never becomes understandable, but his crushing apathy is fascinating. I even found myself (horrifically) relating to aspects of his sense of some of life's pointlessness. You can never really comprehend the why of what he did, though you get close, but you also never stop wondering.

I could have done without the explicit and perverted sex-related scenes, but I suppose they did make sense in the story.

FTC Disclaimer

All reviews are solely the opinions of Becky and/or Randi. We are not paid in any way for our reviews, and all opinions are 100% honest.

Twice Baked Thursday: Flipped

Title: Flipped

Author: Wendelin Van Draanen

Pages: 212
Publisher: Ember
Publishing Date: Oct. 9th, 2001

Genre: Contemporary/Coming-of-Age

Audience:  Middle Grade

Source: Library (Randi) Library (Becky)

Rating: 3.5 I'd bid on this book at the Basket Auction so its feelings don't get hurt (Randi) 3.0- I wouldn't notice this book was in the auction

Goodreads Summary:

The first time Juli Baker saw Bryce Loski, she flipped. The first time Bryce saw Juli, he ran. That’s pretty much the pattern for these two neighbors until the eighth grade, when, just as Juli is realizing Bryce isn’t as wonderful as she thought, Bryce is starting to see that Juli is pretty amazing. How these two teens manage to see beyond the surface of things and come together makes for a comic and poignant romance.

Our Thoughts

Randi in black. Becky in Blue

First off, I love the cover of this book. It's one of those covers that 1) make you pick up the book, and 2) actually fits the book.  I only got a movie cover :(. (There's a MOVIE?!) Plus it's a little bit offbeat compared to other covers. Anyway, moving on. I love the dual narrative, a style that can really make or break a story, depending on how it's executed.  The chapters were relatively short and alternated between Bryce, a young boy growing into himself and figuring out who he wants to be, and Juli, a sweet free-spirited young girl with strong convictions.  I found the short chapters a little confusing paired with the switching between two characters.  It seemed like I just figured out who was talking when it switched again.  Sigh. While Bryce at first seems a little typical of an adolescent boy, I came to like his character by the end of the story. I never did, lol. (Awww, he tries!!) He comes to realize the consequences of his actions, something I wish all middle schoolers learned!  It seemed like he got off pretty light for being a jerk for so long.  I wanted justice. Harsh, Becky, harsh! His grandfather is a pretty cool guy as well. Juli is the kind of girl I would totally want to befriend; she's a little eccentric and not at all stereotypical. I admire her love for the sycamore tree and the way she explains her feelings. Her interactions with David and other family members also made me want to hug her.  I never connected with either character, and I think that was my major problem with the book.  I'm guessing the age difference and lack of serious issues for most of the story were what alienated me.   I also couldn't really relate to either of them. Yeah, I think that may be the "middle grade" shining through! 

I feel like this book has a good lesson - and, indeed, it does feel a bit didactic, (It slaps you in the face with preach, lol) but it's an important message - but, as a middle grade book, it doesn't have much crossover appeal.  It felt somewhat antiquated to me, despite being "contemporary".  Most of the values and actions felt like I went back in time 50 years.  And not in a good way. Examples? The Basket Auction?  The science fair projects.  Trying to save a tree by sitting in it.  Also, just the overall language and characters. :P The Basket Auction felt like a big plot device and also felt like it was tacked on to the end to wrap things up.  I completely agree. Overall, I appreciate the idea that comes out in this story: get to know people and don't judge. I heartily recommend this book to middle school or early high school readers.  It's not so much that I won't recommend this book, as I'll be hard pressed to remember it by next week. Ouch! That's why we write reviews, right? :)

Twice Baked Thursday: People of the Book

Title: People of the Book

Author: Geraldine Brooks

Pages: 372

Genre:  Historical Fiction (Jewish/mystery)

Audience:  Adult

Source: Library (Becky); Bought (Randi)

Rating: 4- I'd help this book find its history (Becky) 

                  4 I'd hide this book away to ensure its safety (Randi)

Goodreads Summary:

In 1996, Hanna Heath, an Australian rare-book expert, is offered the job of a lifetime: analysis and conservation of the famed Sarajevo Haggadah, which has been rescued from Serb shelling during the Bosnian war. Priceless and beautiful, the book is one of the earliest Jewish volumes ever to be illuminated with images. When Hanna, a caustic loner with a passion for her work, discovers a series of tiny artifacts in its ancient binding - an insect wing fragment, wine stains, salt crystals, a white hair - she begins to unlock the book's mysteries. The reader is ushered into an exquisitely detailed and atmospheric past, tracing the book's journey from its salvation back to its creation.

In Bosnia during World War II, a Muslim risks his life to protect it from the Nazis. In the hedonistic salons of fin-de-siècle Vienna, the book becomes a pawn in the struggle against the city's rising anti-Semitism. In inquisition-era Venice, a Catholic priest saves it from burning. In Barcelona in 1492, the scribe who wrote the text sees his family destroyed by the agonies of enforced exile. And in Seville in 1480, the reason for the Haggadah's extraordinary illuminations is finally disclosed. Hanna's investigation unexpectedly plunges her into the intrigues of fine art forgers and ultra-nationalist fanatics. Her experiences will test her belief in herself and the man she has come to love.

Our Thoughts

Becky in black. Randi in Blue

This was in many ways, a beautiful, powerful book. Yes, yes, yes. It just missed being perfect (in my eyes). I think the reason it didn't get 5 stars from me is partially because it took me so long to read (not the book's fault, just my own personal stuff going on that made it difficult to sit and read). I really loved the detail of how Hanna preserves and partially restores rare books, and I also loved the way that each segment of her work where she made a new discovery was juxtaposed with a segment of the book's true story. Yes! It took me a little while to catch on to what was going on with the shifting points of view and time periods, but it totally worked for me and made the book that much more compelling.

All of the characters were complex and well-drawn, with the exception of Hanna's mother. She seemed like a flat portrayal of a female doctor and career woman who "gave up" on her family.  Her dialog/actions lacked believability for me and felt like they fell out of a soap opera. Yeah, I wasn't a fan of the mom. I really liked Hanna's character, though, as well as many of the characters in the historical flashbacks. Another issue I had was the shifting point of view forms. I found it distracting to switch from first to third. Apparently I didn't notice that! ;) Probably because I took forever reading this book!

 The historical detail and thriller/mystery element made this a good read alike for The Da Vinci Code . (I still need to read that!) While I think the puzzle and scandal makes this book compelling, for me it felt forced, and it detracted from the stories of the characters and the literary quality of the writing. That was the best part!! Ahh, and our differences come to light again, Becky, my dear. ;) A lot of this story my have gone over my head since I have no connection to any of the prominent cultures or religions portrayed/discussed, nor much historical knowledge of the time periods.  That being said, I enjoyed learning more about them. I think that's likely to be the case for many readers, though, about not having a lot of background knowledge on specific events and cultures, particularly because there is such a broad range of events/tensions and cultures referenced. But I think the book does a good job of acclimating the reader to the various time periods and providing necessary information without "info dumping." I'll definitely be reading more from Geraldine Brooks!

(Sidenote: Geraldine Brooks' book March is excellent if you're looking for some literary fiction. It's sort of a retelling of Louisa May Alcott's Little Women but through the eyes of Mr. March during the Civil War. It's awesome!)

Twice Baked Thursday: What's Left of Me

Title: What's Left of Me

Author: Kat Zhang

Pages: 343

Genre: Science Fiction (dystopian)

Audience: Young Adult

Source:library(Becky); library (Randi)

Rating: 4 I'd take this book for coffee
                  4.5 I'd take this book for an expensive seafood dinner

Goodreads Summary:

 Eva and Addie started out the same way as everyone else—two souls woven together in one body, taking turns controlling their movements as they learned how to walk, how to sing, how to dance. But as they grew, so did the worried whispers. Why aren’t they settling? Why isn’t one of them fading? The doctors ran tests, the neighbors shied away, and their parents begged for more time. Finally Addie was pronounced healthy and Eva was declared gone. Except, she wasn’t . . . For the past three years, Eva has clung to the remnants of her life. Only Addie knows she’s still there, trapped inside their body. Then one day, they discover there may be a way for Eva to move again. The risks are unimaginable-hybrids are considered a threat to society, so if they are caught, Addie and Eva will be locked away with the others. And yet . . . for a chance to smile, to twirl, to speak, Eva will do anything

Our Thoughts

Becky in black. Randi in Blue

 This was a very thoughtful concept. Loved it! And I'm really picky when it comes to sci-fi.  There are so many possible ways to view the story, I would love to use it as a teen book-club read. That would be fun! One way to look at it is the struggle of introvert vs. extrovert. There was always a dominant, socially accepted personality and a submissive one "marked for death". In our society dominance is a sign of extroversion, and is a more prized personality. I didn't think about that as I was reading, but that's definitely an interesting viewpoint that I think would provoke active discussion. I also found it interesting to think about how not only each child was expected to kill off half of themselves, but parents were also supposed to support the murder of one of their children in the process. I don't feel like the blame is with the children, though. I feel like we're led to believe it's a "natural" progression. The only reason I didn't give this book five stars is because it is very light on visual description. I had a hard time picturing characters and settings. I thought the character visuals were good, especially when it came to Hally & Devon. I actually felt like the characters' looks were very well emphasized, mostly because Eva began to distinguish the differences between the two souls within a hybrid individual.  While this idea isn't wholly original (eg- his dark materials daemons being cut away), I've never read it quite like this. I haven't read that one. I'm slacking. ;)

The characters felt familiar, especially Addie and Eva. They did! I enjoyed that aspect, though. They felt realistically portrayed to me. While they weren't especially complex or well developed, they were easy to slip into and replace with one's-self. Eeps. I hear that "good readers" place themselves into the main character...but I never do that and I don't know why. Oh well! I can see how readers who do slip into the MC would easily be able to do so in this story. I liked that Eva was the "lesser" personality, but she became so strong and self-reliant.  You can really see them evolve from the beginning of the story until the end, and as a twin I found their struggle to be separate without losing one another poignant. I really liked that the story was told from Eva's point-of-view. I completely agree - I think we see character development in both Addie & Eva, but I think seeing things through Eva's mind was more interesting than it would have been through Addie. I'm excited to read the next book in the trilogy, but the ending didn't leave me hankering for the sequel as other series have done, and not in a bad way, but rather I didn't feel like the ending was a cliffhanger, so I'll wait patiently for book 2!

I'm also looking forward to recommending this book because I think the dystopia "genre" (if you could call it its own genre) is still really appealing to many readers.