Tag: review

• Book Review: “The Unlikely Story of a Pig in the City” by Jodi Kendall

  Posted at 6:25 am by Laura, on November 15, 2017

  The Unlikely Story of a Pig in the City by Jodi Kendall

  Publisher: HarperCollins Childrens
  Published: October 2017
  Genre: middle grade, contemporary
  ISBN: 9780062484536
  Rating: ★★★★

  Josie Shilling’s family is too big, their cramped city house is too small, and she feels like no one’s ever on her side. Then, on Thanksgiving Day, her older brother, Tom, brings home a pink, squirmy bundle wrapped in an old football jersey—a piglet he rescued from a nearby farm. Her name is Hamlet.

  The minute Josie holds Hamlet, she feels an instant connection. But there’s no room for Hamlet in the crowded Shilling household. And whoever heard of keeping a pig in the city? So it’s up to Josie to find her a forever home.

  Josie’s brother brings home a runt piglet at Thanksgiving. This would’ve been okay if her family wasn’t so large, cramped in a fairly small townhouse in a big city with very little yard space and money to stretch. Josie doesn’t want her family to send the piglet back to the farm, and promises to find a home for little Hamlet before New Year’s Day. She wants to keep Hamlet, and does her very best to juggle all her usual responsibilities with chores, homework, and gymnastics practice. But as New Year’s Day draws near, and Hamlet grows larger, and the family faces big changes, Josie begins to wonder if she’ll ever find a nice home for Hamlet.

  This modern-day homage to Charlotte’s Web is absolutely perfect. It can stand completely on it’s own, or be read alongside the classic. The heart of the story is about love, family, sacrifice, and friendship. It rings true to any reader — a middle grade reader juggling school and extracurricular activities, the middle child who just wants to be noticed and appreciated, the teenager who wants to do right for all parties involved, and the adult continuing to experience all these things and recalling the big responsibilities, wishes, and dreams from childhood. It’s great for the whole family, especially during the holiday season.

  Kendall portrayed the big family lifestyle in a cramped home in the city so well. At times it felt claustrophobic, and others it felt warm and cozy. The family has their ups and downs, bickers and mishaps mixed with support and love. Nothing is picture perfect, but it takes little moments for Josie to realize her family does see her and her accomplishments, that she’s not lost in the noise. She has her insecurities and dreams, and it’s so neat seeing how they grow and change during her gymnastics season and taking care of little Hamlet.

  A heartwarming middle grade perfect for the whole family this holiday season.

  Thank you, HC Children’s editorial, for providing this ARC.

  Posted in books, Reviews 2017 | 1 Comment | Tagged advance reading copy, ARC, book review, books, genre: contemporary, genre: middle grade, review

• Book Review: “The Paris Architect” by Charles Belfoure

  Posted at 6:20 am by Laura, on November 6, 2017

  The Paris Architect by Charles Belfoure

  Publisher: Sourcebooks
  Published: October 2013
  Genre: historical fiction
  ISBN: 9781402294150
  Rating: ★★★★

  In 1942 Paris, gifted architect Lucien Bernard accepts a commission that will bring him a great deal of money and maybe get him killed. But if he’s clever enough, he’ll avoid any trouble. All he has to do is design a secret hiding place for a wealthy Jewish man, a space so invisible that even the most determined German officer won’t find it. He sorely needs the money, and outwitting the Nazis who have occupied his beloved city is a challenge he can’t resist.

  But when one of his hiding spaces fails horribly, and the problem of where to hide a Jew becomes terribly personal, Lucien can no longer ignore what’s at stake. The Paris Architect asks us to consider what we owe each other, and just how far we’ll go to make things right.

  Architect Lucien Bernard is trying to make ends meet and stay under the radar when he receives a huge commission to design a small, clever hiding space for a Jewish man. Not wanting anything to do with the Resistance but desperately needing the money, Lucien’s ego sweeps him up and he agrees to play the game against the Nazis. But the Nazis know of his architectural talent and pay for him to design manufacturing buildings for ammunition. As the number of clever hiding spaces grow, the factories built, and hiding spaces discovered, Lucien is torn between collaboration and resistance, between prestige and humanity.

  What a morally conflicting and ambiguous, unique, and haunting novel. This was unlike any other WWII novel I’ve read.

  Though the writing was distanced, it was the concept that floored me. We see WWII and the Nazi/Jewish conflict at a distance. Of course what the Nazis did was wrong and the most awful thing ever. Ever. I’m not arguing that. But Belfoure places us in the time: the French population (perhaps most of Europe?) genuinely did not like Jewish people — nothing like the Nazis felt, but it’s true nonetheless. Paris was easy for the Nazis to occupy because the French wanted nothing to do with the Nazis but they also wanted nothing to do with the Jews. Behave, stay low, neither resist nor collaborate, and perhaps one would survive. That was the mentality. Lucien’s character shows that in spades — but he’s still young and he wants his name to be known for his designs. All the income was helpful too. It’s not until the French see him as a collaborator, and the Nazis see him as a member of the Resistance, that it hits him completely: he cannot play both sides. He either saves human lives, or he destroys his country. Humanity wins, but at a cost — and his solution is very clever.

  I was impressed with the architectural designs, too. These aren’t hidden rooms behind library doors, another hidey-hole in the basement, or another wall in an attic. Lucien’s designs blend in so well with the architecture of the existing building and room that it takes really unique circumstances for the Nazis to discover them one by one. Oh, how my heart pound. The anxious intensity, the drawn out scenes when the Nazis were on the other side of the Jews’ hiding spot…I couldn’t breathe.

  If you’re looking for a new author to try or a unique WWII historical novel, definitely pick up Charles Belfoure’s The Paris Architect. It’ll haunt you for weeks after finishing.

  Posted in books, Reviews 2017 | 0 Comments | Tagged book review, genre: adult fiction, genre: historical fiction, review

• Book Review: “The Dire King” by William Ritter

  Posted at 5:45 am by Laura, on September 21, 2017

  The Dire King by William Ritter

  Publisher: Algonquin Young Readers
  Published: August 2017
  Genre: young adult, fantasy, historical fiction, gothic
  ISBN: 9781616206703
  Rating: ★★★★.5

  The fate of the world is in the hands of detective of the supernatural R. F. Jackaby and his intrepid assistant, Abigail Rook. An evil king is turning ancient tensions into modern strife, using a blend of magic and technology to push Earth and the Otherworld into a mortal competition. Jackaby and Abigail are caught in the middle as they continue to solve the daily mysteries of New Fiddleham, New England — like who’s created the rend between the worlds, how to close it, and why zombies are appearing around. At the same time, the romance between Abigail and the shape-shifting police detective Charlie Cane deepens, and Jackaby’s resistance to his feelings for 926 Augur Lane’s ghostly lady, Jenny, begins to give way. Before the four can think about their own futures, they will have to defeat an evil that wants to destroy the future altogether.

  A king in another realm is blending ancient magic with modern electricity, tearing down the veil between Earth and the Otherworld, wrecking havoc in its wake. Jackaby and Abigail are caught in the middle, barely recovering from the recent attack in their home on Augur Lane. But if they don’t act soon, and listen the last words of warning from New Fiddleham’s parish priest, the world as they know it may collapse into chaos.

  Please read reviews (and the books, of course) for the previous titles before continuing, as this may contain spoilers: Jackaby, Beastly Bones, Ghostly Echoes

  My initial thoughts when finishing this book were “OMGGGGG THAT WAS AWESOME AND UNEXPECTED BUT TOTALLY FITTING AND AHHHH.” Let’s shoot for some coherency now.

  What started off as ridiculous good fun in Jackaby developed into something so much more — more than mystery and mayhem and mythology and cultural lore — what it also means to find love and hope in the midst of chaos and destruction. Abigail and Jackaby make one heck of a duo when it comes to solving crimes in New Fiddleham, with the assistance of ghost Jenny and cop/werewolf Charlie. But by this book, it’s more than a couple petty supernatural crimes — it’s a full-blown war with the Moriarty character, mending the veil between the mortal world and the world these creatures come from.

  This series is full of mystery and adventure, a proper blend of Doctor Who and Sherlock, with wacky scenarios, intense circumstances, and heart-pounding plot. The romantic plots made me smile — they’re so sweet and seemingly innocent, oh-so-perfectly restrained because, you know, saving the world and all — and the ending was both surprising and fitting. In many ways it leaves the series open for a spin-off, but I would be happy ending the adventures of 926 Augur Lane right here!

  If you haven’t already, I highly suggest reading Ritter’s Jackaby series. It’s humorous, genre-bending, adventurous, and remarkable!

  (Oh, and never look at the frog. And don’t trust anything in Chapter Thirteen.)

  Posted in books, Reviews 2017 | 0 Comments | Tagged book review, books, genre: fantasy, genre: gothic, genre: historical fiction, genre: young adult, review

• Mini Reviews

  Posted at 3:30 am by Laura, on September 18, 2017

  The Case of the Counterfeit Criminals by Jordan Stratford

  Publisher: Knopf BFYR
  Published: January 2017
  Genre: middle grade, mystery, historical fiction
  Rating: ★★★.5
  Summary: The Wollestonecraft Girls embark on their most important case yet–the famed dinosaur fossil hunter Mary Anning is being blackmailed. Her precious dog has been snatched and the kidnappers are demanding that Miss Anning authenticate some fake dinosaur bones up for auction at the British Museum in order to get him back. Ada and Mary have just three days to track down the fossil fakers, find the dog, and save the integrity of science! The game is truly afoot in this quirky caper involving blood-sucking leeches, an asthmatic pug, smoke bombs, secret elevators, diabolical disguises, and wicked word-play.

  Mini Review: I love middle grade detective fiction, and the Wollstonecraft Detective Agency series is no exception! Featuring Mary Shelley and Ada Byron as little girls (anachronistically), with partner in crime Charles Dickens, they solve what appear to be little instances of crime (stolen dog) but are actually major connections to criminal rings (there’s a clever Moriarty character cropping up!). The books were originally inspired by the novels of Charles Dickens’s protege, Wilkie Collins. Now they are taking on a life of their own and it’s so thrilling to watch! I highly recommend this series for little history nerds, fierce feminists, readers with quick wit and sense of humor, and little detectives in the making. See reviews for The Case of the Missing Moonstone and The Case of the Girl in Grey.

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  This qualifies as book 12 of 12 in the Rock My TBR challenge.

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  A Cold Legacy by Megan Shepherd

  Publisher: Balzer + Bray
  Published: January 2015
  Genre: young adult, gothic, science fiction
  Rating: ★★★
  Summary: After killing the men who tried to steal her father’s research, Juliet—along with Montgomery, Lucy, Balthazar, and a deathly ill Edward—has escaped to a remote estate on the Scottish moors. Owned by the enigmatic Elizabeth von Stein, the mansion is full of mysteries and unexplained oddities: dead bodies in the basement, secret passages, and fortune-tellers who seem to know Juliet’s secrets. Though it appears to be a safe haven, Juliet fears new dangers may be present within the manor’s own walls. Then Juliet uncovers the truth about the manor’s long history of scientific experimentation—and her own intended role in it—forcing her to determine where the line falls between right and wrong, life and death, magic and science, and promises and secrets. And she must decide if she’ll follow her father’s dark footsteps or her mother’s tragic ones, or whether she’ll make her own.

  Mini Review: This book gave me graduate thesis flashbacks. I spent a whole year immersed in gothic literature (classic and YA) with a fine tooth comb, loving every second of my nightmares that followed. A COLD LEGACY continues the “twist on classic gothic novels” trend Shepherd began with The Madman’s Daughter by following the Frankenstein narrative. The other two books worked as parallels to the inspired classics, but this time the characters meet Dr Frankenstein’s descendants and friends, who want to continue the “cold legacy” of his experimentation. Scottish moors, creepy children, reanimated corpses, oh my! I appreciated the parallels to the original narrative, and found all the high drama twists and turns appropriate to gothic fiction. Juliet’s internal battle and her devotion to two boys continued (and I was so over it in Her Dark Curiosity), but the final chapters left the reader with a solid ending and hope for the remaining characters.

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  This qualifies as book 13 of 12 in the Rock My TBR challenge.

  Posted in books, Reviews 2017, Rock My TBR | 1 Comment | Tagged books, genre: gothic, genre: historical fiction, genre: middle grade, genre: mystery, genre: sci-fi, genre: young adult, mini review, review, rock my TBR

• Book Review: “The Royal Nanny” by Karen Harper

  Posted at 6:20 am by Laura, on September 6, 2017

  The Royal Nanny by Karen Harper

  Publisher: William Morrow
  Published: June 2016
  Genre: adult fiction, historical fiction
  ISBN: 9780062420633
  Rating: ★★★★

  April, 1897: A young nanny arrives at Sandringham, ancestral estate of the Duke and Duchess of York. She is excited, exhausted—and about to meet royalty….

  So begins the unforgettable story of Charlotte Bill, who would care for a generation of royals as their parents never could. Neither Charlotte—LaLa, as her charges dub her—nor anyone else can predict that eldest sons David and Bertie will each one day be king. LaLa knows only that these children, and the four who swiftly follow, need her steadfast loyalty and unconditional affection.

  But the greatest impact on Charlotte’s life is made by a mere bud on the family tree: a misunderstood soul who will one day be known as the Lost Prince. Young Prince John needs all of Lala’s love—the kind of love his parents won’t…or can’t…show him.

  Charlotte “Lala” Bill arrives at Sandringham eager to begin as an assistant to the royals’ head nurse. But when she witnesses the young boys’ abuse at the hands of this nurse, she takes matters into her own hands, and forever shapes the landscape of royal nurses and nannies. As she raises each of the children, wondering what she’ll do when the youngest will age out of the nursery and enter the schoolroom, one last royal is born: Prince Johnny, a misunderstood soul and young boy with epilepsy. He’s hidden from view of the public, and the family rarely witnesses his epileptic attacks, but it’s Lala’s steadfast love and determined devotion that unites the family during a tumultuous time in history.

  This novel really pulled at my heartstrings. Watching David and Bertie grow up and experience the reign of three different monarchs (great-grandmother Queen Victoria, grandfather Edward VII, father George V) as well as the other children’s interactions with their royal cousins (specifically the Romanovs), witnessing all the changes in history at the turn of the century (electricity, cars, planes, WWI), was fascinating in and of itself.

  Some of the dialogue felt a little forced, but it was to give the reader a sense of the passage of time with regard to meaningful events. And, admittedly, I was more curious about David and Bertie, the two kings pre-WWII and all the drama surrounding abdicating the throne. However, Harper wrote a very engaging narrative that made me care more than I ever thought I would about little John, the lost prince. His story is the epitome of the sad, bleak reality of royal children prior to his birth. Royals were presented to their parents for a few minutes each day! Lala changed that. Lala gave these children the love and attention they deserved, especially since their parents could not or would not. And she made a taboo illness a discussable topic, embracing and facing adversity head on instead of brushing it under the rug.

  The writing is intimate, revealing the hidden history behind the events of WWI and the deep family connections within. Toss in the upstairs-downstairs point of view of the royal nanny who shaped the kind of nannies royalty seek today, and you’re in for a treat. Fans of King’s Speech and Downton Abbey, royal history buffs, and anyone who loves reading books with family dynamic focus would thoroughly enjoy this novel.

  This qualifies as book 12 of 5 library books in 2017.

  Posted in books, Reviews 2017 | 1 Comment | Tagged book review, books, genre: adult fiction, genre: historical fiction, review

• Book Review: “The Scribe of Siena” by Melodie Winawer

  Posted at 5:35 am by Laura, on August 31, 2017

  The Scribe of Siena by Melodie Winawer

  Publisher: Touchstone
  Published: May 2017
  Genre: adult, historical fiction
  ISBN: 9781501152252
  Rating: ★★★

  Accomplished neurosurgeon Beatrice Trovato knows that her deep empathy for her patients is starting to impede her work. So when her beloved brother passes away, she welcomes the unexpected trip to the Tuscan city of Siena to resolve his estate, even as she wrestles with grief. But as she delves deeper into her brother’s affairs, she discovers intrigue she never imagined—a 700-year-old conspiracy to decimate the city.

  After uncovering the journal and paintings of Gabriele Accorsi, the fourteenth-century artist at the heart of the plot, Beatrice finds a startling image of her own face and is suddenly transported to the year 1347. She awakens in a Siena unfamiliar to her, one that will soon be hit by the Plague.

  Yet when Beatrice meets Accorsi, something unexpected happens: she falls in love—not only with Gabriele, but also with the beauty and cadence of medieval life. As the Plague and the ruthless hands behind its trajectory threaten not only her survival but also Siena’s very existence, Beatrice must decide in which century she belongs.

  A neurosurgeon finishing her brother’s research is transported back to a handful of months just before the Plague hits medieval Siena, Italy. While there, research and life collide when Beatrice is sheltered by and works alongside artist Gabriele Accorsi, a painter whose journal was in her possession while finishing her brother’s manuscript. Why was the Plague so devastating to Siena compared to the rest of Italy (and Europe as a whole)? What can Beatrice discover while there that her brother couldn’t find in documents today? Furthermore, is she now accidentally at the center of the plot that decimated Siena?

  Color me intrigued.

  This book contains a lot of art history, and the level of detail in the setting was exquisite. I felt like I was there in medieval Siena. There’s a romance with an artist, but I wasn’t feeling it. Some romances make you swoon right along with the protagonist, some romances you fall in love with the couple and how they handle their relationship and life’s events, and then there are some romances that seem to be there just to further the plot. That was this one. It wasn’t terrible — just didn’t seem necessary to move it from platonic to romantic.

  You can’t have a fictional account of historic Italy without the Medici family wrecking havoc. They, like England’s Tudors, shaped Italian history, so of course there’s no avoiding it, but a part of me was a little bit bummed that the family played such a huge role in the plot of the book. I wanted more from Beatrice rather than the other perspectives. Because Beatrice was so funny. She’s a strong, sarcastic, steady and stable sort of character, and her quips, observations, and one-liners throughout the story really kept the pace moving. Sometimes all you can do when thrown into ridiculous situations is try to find the humor in it!

  If you’re looking for something to sink into and bask in the beauty, without thinking too deeply about the plot (and all the timey-whimey open-ended questions), this would be the book to try! Truly, it is a breathtaking read simply for the art and history. Setting was certainly a character of this novel all on its own.

  This qualifies as book 11 of 5 library books in 2017.

  Posted in books, Reviews 2017 | 1 Comment | Tagged book review, books, genre: adult fiction, genre: historical fiction, review

• Mini Reviews

  Posted at 7:05 am by Laura, on August 17, 2017

  Once and For All by Sarah Dessen

  Publisher: Viking
  Published: June 2017
  Genre: young adult, contemporary
  Rating: ★★★
  Summary: Louna, daughter of famed wedding planner Natalie Barrett, has seen every sort of wedding: on the beach, at historic mansions, in fancy hotels and clubs. Perhaps that’s why she’s cynical about happily-ever-after endings, especially since her own first love ended tragically. When Louna meets charming, happy-go-lucky serial dater Ambrose, she holds him at arm’s length. But Ambrose isn’t about to be discouraged, now that he’s met the one girl he really wants. 
  

  Mini Review: I enjoyed Dessen’s latest, but it also left something to be desired. The characters were good (well-rounded, depth, teen voice), the story was good (growth, development, plot), I enjoyed the Easter eggs (classic Dessen!), and it somewhat reminded me of my favorite Dessen novel (The Truth About Forever)…which may be why it was only good. It felt a little recycled, and the stakes, especially the romance, seemed more like afterthoughts. This landed right in the middle of my Dessen rankings: plain ol’ good. She’s a staple in contemporary YA literature, a modern classic, but I do think this could’ve been better.

  This qualifies as book 9 of 5 library books in 2017.

  Saints and Misfits by S.K. Ali

  Publisher: Salaam Reads
  Published: June 2017
  Genre: young adult, contemporary
  Rating: ★★★
  Summary: There are three kinds of people in my world:
  1. Saints, those special people moving the world forward. Sometimes you glaze over them. Or, at least, I do. They’re in your face so much, you can’t see them, like how you can’t see your nose.
  2. Misfits, people who don’t belong. Like me—the way I don’t fit into Dad’s brand-new family or in the leftover one composed of Mom and my older brother, Mama’s-Boy-Muhammad. Also, there’s Jeremy and me. Misfits. Because although, alliteratively speaking, Janna and Jeremy sound good together, we don’t go together. Same planet, different worlds. But sometimes worlds collide and beautiful things happen, right?
  3. Monsters. Well, monsters wearing saint masks, like in Flannery O’Connor’s stories. Like the monster at my mosque. People think he’s holy, untouchable, but nobody has seen under the mask. Except me.

  Mini Review: Janna is angry and hurt, and wants everyone to know that the scumbag who assaulted her is their beloved star boy at the mosque. This is a great exploration of the mind of an assaulted woman, how many of us respond when violated in some way, especially those of us who have difficulty expressing what happened, convincing others of what happened, or trying to move on from what happened but can’t. The novel is character-driven to the core (the plot is entirely about exposing the truth), showing all sorts of dynamics within a family, a community, and among friends. Be forewarned, this may contain some triggers. Root for Janna; be on the side of justice.

  This qualifies as book 10 of 5 library books in 2017.

  Posted in books, Reviews 2017 | 0 Comments | Tagged books, genre: contemporary, genre: young adult, mini review, review

• Book Review: “The Map That Leads to You” by JP Monninger

  Posted at 4:36 am by Laura, on July 13, 2017

  The Map That Leads to You by JP Monninger

  Publisher: St Martin’s Press
  Published: June 2017
  Genre: contemporary, romance
  ISBN: 9781250060761
  Rating: ★★★★.5

  Heather Mulgrew’s world is already mapped out: she is going to travel abroad with her friends after college, come back to a great career in September, and head into a life where not much is left to chance. But that was before an encounter on an overnight train introduces her to Jack, a passionate adventurer who changes the course of her journey and her life.

  Throwing Heather’s careful itinerary to the wind, they follow Jack’s grandfather’s journal through post-World War II era Europe: Vienna, Budapest, Turkey–exotic places that serve only to heighten their feelings. As September looms, Jack urges Heather to stay with him, to keep traveling, to give in to the romance of their experience; Heather convinces him to return to the United States.

  Jack has a secret that could change everything. And Heather’s world is about to be shaken to the core.

  Heather and her friends have their summer trip across Europe, and their lives, completely mapped out after graduation. She will be moving to NYC in September in a dream job position just as soon as she completes all the paperwork. While on an overnight train to Amsterdam, a stranger from Vermont named Jack pegs her for exactly who she is, and it makes her question how she’s approached everything, including the fun and carefree moments, in her life. Heather tosses her careful plans aside and joins Jack on his adventure through Europe, following in the footsteps of his grandfather’s journal written at the end of WWII. But what makes them rattle most is what happens after: after this trip, what’s next for them and their relationship? Jack’s not telling Heather something, and it’s big enough to shake all of her carefully laid plans.

  Everything I love and feel about travel is packed into this book. Surprising moments of philosophy (the kind of discussions I thoroughly enjoy, especially when traveling) and pondering on life. And then the ultimate travel fantasy: finding that person to love and cherish, who sees you at your best and worst and knows you better than anyone else because of all that travel brings out of you…wow. I don’t have much to say about this book except that I dog-eared several pages with great quotes. I’ll present a few of them here in lieu of a review.

  ~

  On Family

  “He was from a dairy farm in Vermont. That’s the puzzle. I have a hard time imagining him here in Europe, just poking around. He had a big soul, Grandma always said. ‘He breathed through both nostrils’ was her phrase for it.”

  On Life and Love

  “What’s the opposite of a romantic? I’ve always wondered.”
  “An accountant, I guess. A person who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing.”

  “Dad, I don’t know for sure what it all means with Jack. I love him. I know that. And I think he loves me. I know some of the timing may be a little awkward, but there’s always a glitch, right? Isn’t that what you say? Life is one long fight against glitches? Well, I’m starting this new job, and I will give it everything. I promise you that. But Jack counts for something, too. We could postpone everything, tell ourselves what we experienced here doesn’t count, but you didn’t raise me like that. You didn’t. Life doesn’t happen someplace in the future. You said that. You said life happens here and now, and it’s a fool’s bargain to let something good go now in the hope of something better at a later date.”

  On Faith

  “She is a young woman who has been asked to hold in her womb and arms the divine. What I admire about this statue is the ambivalence. You can see she is charmed by the child. See him? He is playing with a brooch on her cloak and not looking at her exactly, and her hip is out. I love women’s hips, especially when they’re poked out. See? Poked out to hold her child, who is the salvation of the world, and it all rests on a woman’s hip. But inside all that majesty is this small, timid woman and her beloved child. That’s why this statue kills me. I’ve read about it over and over, and now to see it…you know, there have been many transformations here in front of Our Lady. People have been converted in a single instant by one glance at her. I know, I know, I don’t believe much of it myself, but, Heather, I believe in the human need to believe, and this is the embodiment of that.”

  On Books

  “A book is a companion, though. You can read it in a special place, like on a train to Amsterdam, then you carry it home and you chuck it on a shelf, and then years later you remember that feeling you had on the train when you were young. It’s like a little island in time.”

  “Have you ever heard someone say that books are places we visit and that when we run into people who have read the books we have read, it’s the same as if we had traveled to the same locations? We know something about them because they have lived in the same worlds we have lived. We know what they live for.”

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  A beautiful novel on love, friendship, and the places that shape the course of our lives.

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  This qualifies as book 11 of 12 in the Rock My TBR challenge.

  Posted in books, Reviews 2017, Rock My TBR | 0 Comments | Tagged book review, genre: adult fiction, genre: contemporary, genre: romance, genre: travel, review, rock my TBR

• Book Review: “Like a River Glorious” by Rae Carson

  Posted at 3:45 am by Laura, on July 10, 2017

  Like a River Glorious by Rae Carson

  Publisher: Greenwillow
  Published: September 2016
  Genre: young adult, historical fiction
  ISBN: 9780062242945
  Rating: ★★★

  Lee Westfall survived the dangerous journey to California. She found a new family in the other outcasts of their wagon train, and Jefferson, her best friend, is beginning to woo her shamelessly. Now they have a real home—one rich in gold, thanks to Lee’s magical ability to sense the precious metal in the world around her.

  But Lee’s Uncle Hiram has survived his own journey west. He’s already murdered her parents, and he will do anything to have Lee and her talents under his control. No one is safe. When he kidnaps her, she sees firsthand the depths of his depravity.

  Lee’s magic is changing, though. It is growing. The gold no longer simply sings to her—it listens. It obeys her call. Will that alone be enough to destroy her uncle?

  Lee, Jefferson, and their wagon train settle down in Glory, California, staking their claim in this territory and protecting their land from other squatters and hell-raisers. The group knows of her ability to sense gold, and they do their best to hide their good fortune from outsiders. But Uncle Hiram hears of Lee’s rising fortune, and will stop at nothing to take her hostage and make her work for his mine. Her magic is growing into something more, and Lee attempts to find a way to save herself and the workers, and destroy Hiram and his mine with her new abilities.

  There may be spoilers contained in this review if you have not read the first in this trilogy, Walk on Earth a Stranger. 

  I finally finished the second book in the Good Seer trilogy. It took a while to get through, partly because everything felt hunky-dory perfect in the first third, and partly because it was difficult to see all the hardship, racism, sexism, cruelty, and misogyny. But I’m still interested and invested in this historical Gold Rush fantasy, and I’m looking forward to Into the Bright Unknown in a few months! (Plus, come on, look at these covers.)

  The first third of the novel, the wagon train decides to settle together on a large plot of land they divvy up among themselves. It’s neat to see how they interact with one another, creating their own miniature town with each person pulling their part of the work. It’s not all perfect — weather, attacks, accidents all happen — but the decisions they made together was almost too quick and conveniently agreed upon. No one seemed to have qualms with anything. However, I did like that they took Lee’s secret in stride, and really rally around her when Hiram’s thugs show up and create mayhem.

  The mine is a totally different story. This shed light on another rarely touched upon aspect of American history. I wanted to look away, but I knew I couldn’t. It’s important. We have to know how people were wrongly treated. Indians, blacks, Chinese laborers, everything they went through is true and very cruel. But it happened. I don’t know how Lee was able to hold back her anger — I was bursting with hatred (and a lot of ick-factor chills from Hiram — ughhhh). Lee handled it all so well, and the heist with the secret group in the miners was incredibly epic.

  There is still a bit of a romance plot in here, and still quite minor. But even still, the love between Lee and Jefferson felt natural, and I really like how they came to their decision at the end of this book. It felt perfect and authentic for them, and I’m looking forward to seeing where it goes in the next book.

  I’m expecting some more on the romance line, an interesting turn of events with California becoming a state, something happening with Hiram thwarting plans in very dangerous ways, fantastic magical growth and skill for Lee, and positive directions for each member of the wagon train. Let’s see what’s in store in a couple months…

  .

  This qualifies as book 10 of 12 in the Rock My TBR challenge.

  Posted in books, Reviews 2017, Rock My TBR | 0 Comments | Tagged book review, books, genre: historical fiction, genre: young adult, review, rock my TBR

• Book Review: “What to Say Next” by Julie Buxbaum (ARC)

  Posted at 5:25 am by Laura, on July 5, 2017

  What to Say Next by Julie Buxbaum

  Publisher: Delacorte
  Publishing Date: July 11
  Genre: young adult, contemporary
  ISBN: 9780553535686
  Rating: ★★★★.5

  Sometimes a new perspective is all that is needed to make sense of the world.

  KIT:I don’t know why I decide not to sit with Annie and Violet at lunch. It feels like no one here gets what I’m going through. How could they? I don’t even understand.

  DAVID:In the 622 days I’ve attended Mapleview High, Kit Lowell is the first person to sit at my lunch table. I mean, I’ve never once sat with someone until now. “So your dad is dead,” I say to Kit, because this is a fact I’ve recently learned about her.

  When an unlikely friendship is sparked between relatively popular Kit Lowell and socially isolated David Drucker, everyone is surprised, most of all Kit and David. Kit appreciates David’s blunt honesty—in fact, she finds it bizarrely refreshing. David welcomes Kit’s attention and her inquisitive nature. When she asks for his help figuring out the how and why of her dad’s tragic car accident, David is all in. But neither of them can predict what they’ll find. Can their friendship survive the truth?

  Kit’s father recently died in a car accident and she’s not ready to handle everyday life just yet. She knows David will be quiet and give her space and peace, so she sits down at his lunch table. David knows Kit’s dad just died, but he doesn’t quite understand why she of all people sat down at his lunch table of all places. The two form an unlikely friendship, with his very literal and honest view of the world and her need for straightforward conversation and understanding. When Kit asks David to help her solve the unsolvable (the hows of the accident), in a semi-rhetorical question for assistance, David will stop at nothing to find the answer. But will their friendship survive the truth?

  I laughed, I cried, I hugged my ereader. There are no words to describe the emotional rollercoaster this put me through. Kit’s situation could’ve easily dived into woe-is-me territory, but her grief was handled so well. Meanwhile David, the one who put me through the rollercoaster, is just trying to understand life and not let his autism get in the way.

  This has so much in it that’s so good and crucial for people to read. The switched perspectives — the “normal” one in grief and finding solace in another, the autistic one learning how to be a friend and finding joy in social interactions — really lent itself to the story. You see the social hierarchy in schools and how easily one can rise and fall. You see teenagers from different families putting loved ones on pedestals and watching parents or siblings not live up to that image, realizing we’re all human. You see the extent of bullying someone for being different, and on the flip-side you see the love and devotion to someone for their unique abilities and brilliant mind.

  I’m in awe. I could go on for ages about how much I wanted to work with autistic children back when I studied psychology (I believe autistic people are brilliant and wonderful and see the world in such beautiful, unique ways), but I’ll not do that. I’ll instead insist that you read this book when it comes out. It’s important that you do. You, too, will be speechless.

  Thank you, Edelweiss, for providing this book from Delacorte for review.

  Posted in books, Reviews 2017 | 0 Comments | Tagged advance reading copy, ARC, book review, books, genre: contemporary, genre: young adult, review

• 

• Hello, I’m Laura!

  I'm a bookish bookworm and book hoarder. By day I'm a literary agent, and by night I'm forever rearranging my bookshelves. I could talk your ear off about Gothic literature, and in my past life people thought I'd become a professional musician. I have a fluffy black cat named Rossetti, I love to travel, tea is my drink of choice, British TV is the best, and I'm always down for chips-and-queso nights. Welcome to Scribbles & Wanderlust! Grab your favorite hot beverage and let's chat books!

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