Novels Now

Bonnie Grove

368 pages

“You said you were still working on forgiving him.” I’d thought about his statement many times since. It made me realize that perhaps forgiveness wasn’t a singular event, but a progression, or better, a dance that took some figuring before you could perform the steps. -Talking to the Dead, page 305

Kate’s husband Kevin has just died. She’s barely gotten through the funeral when she starts hearing his voice. With her memory filled with holes and no one she feels she can trust, Kate begins to doubt her sanity. As Kate tries to figure out exactly why Kevin is talking to her, life begins spiraling further out of control. Finally, after having a mental meltdown, Kate is forced to deal with the return of her memory and many other issues.

Talking to the Dead is one of those books that is hard to classify. While it is Christian Fiction with a message of faith, it is not preachy. Kate is funny, vulnerable and human but man, is she surrounded by a bunch of stinkers. Everyone who should be there for her lets her down. But Kate finds support in a quirky support group filled with a bunch of frail, vulnerable people just like herself. She also meets Jack, a pastor, but a different sort of pastor and through his example of unconditional love and acceptance, she comes to understand her need for God. Then she begins on the road to healing.

I enjoyed Talking to the Dead very much. It has a little bit of everything: romance, suspense, humor and there were even a few times when Kate’s pain was so intense that a lump formed in my throat. I wanted to comfort her because no one else was. I highly recommend this one if you enjoy clean, faith-based, fiction. (5/5)

The Selected Works of T.S. Spivey
By Reif Larsen
Completed July 2, 2009

It was with great anticipation that I picked up The Selected Works of T.S. Spivet from the library. The synopsis of a 12-year-old science prodigy hopping a train “hobo style” to accept an award from the Smithsonian sounded like the coming of tale that I would adore. Once I had the book, the illustrations and marginalia that graced each page pleasantly surprised me. For certain, this was one of the most aesthetically pleasing books I’ve seen in a while.

Unfortunately, the plot couldn’t keep up with the visual interest of the book. The beginning and middle of the book were fantastic, learning about T.S. and his overanalysis of the world around him. His depictions of his scientist mother, rugged father, sarcastic sister and the innocence of his deceased brother all emanated from the pages. T.S.’s narrative made me smile and laugh in some parts, sigh and reflect in others. He was a little boy with a big brain and heart.

As I reached the last 75 pages, the story became muddied with displaced characters, secret societies and a sense of detachment from the first two-thirds of the book. The daVinvi Code-meets-Alvin and the Chipmunks ending was lost to me – as was T.S.’s humor, wit and childish innocence. I missed my old T.S.

Despite the lackluster ending, I would encourage any visual person to check out this book – if for nothing else but to look at the illustrations and sidebars. They did not detract from the story (in fact, T.S. drew arrows to his sidebars so you knew when to veer off). Like T.S., they were wonderful in every way.

All in all, I am glad I read The Selected Works of T.S. Spivet. This was the debut novel by Reif Larsen, and I hope he continues to mature as a writer. His writing style and characterization are spot-on. Perhaps a T.S. sequel is in order? ( )

Sea Monsters and Other Delicacies by David Sinden, Matthew Morgan & Guy Macdonald

The Beacon by Susan Hill

Pages: 154
First Published: May 11, ‘09 (UK/Can) Nov. 24,’09 (US)
Genre: novella, literary fiction
Rating: 3.5/5 (If I gave 1/4 points, which I don’t, I’d give it 3.75/5)

First sentence:

May Prime had been with her mother all afternoon, sitting in the cane chair a few feet away from the bed, but suddenly at seven o’clock she had jumped up and run out of the house and into the yard and stood staring at the gathering sky because she could not bear the dying a second longer.

Reason for Reading: I have tried (and enjoy) the author’s mystery series and wanted to try some of her fiction.
Comments: With a novella one can’t say much about the plot without telling the whole story. So briefly. Set in the “North Country” of England a family of four children grew up in the fifties on a farm far from any neighbors but with a little village close enough by. After they’ve all grown, one of the boys leaves the area for good never to return. This book examines how that effects those left behind, while it examines their past and their present especially through the eyes of May, the eldest daughter.

Beautifully written in stark language. This is a desolate story full of atmosphere to match. It actually has a Gothic feel with the lonely farmhouse, named The Beacon, and the silence inside as it contains May and her dying mother, then May and her mother’s body and finally May on her own. I enjoyed the process of reading this but as often happens with books so short I wanted more. I really wanted to know more about May, but I think that was the whole point of the story. Right from the beginning we are aware that their is a secret and then in my mind I felt as if their were two secrets and only one of them is revealed. The final ending has me stumped. I’m not sure I understand it all. Oh, I have some ideas and one that pervades is it tells the answer to the second secret but it’s not what I suspected. I’ll be thinking about this for a while.

Susan Hill fans will definitely want to read this, but if you haven’t read the author before it’s best not to start with this ambiguous story.

The Story of Edgar Sawtelle
By David Wroblewski
Completed June 28, 2009

 Suspected murder, family loyalty and tragedy all marked David Wroblewski’s debut book, The Story of Edgar Sawtelle. Loosely based on Hamlet, this doorstop of a book centered on main character, 14-year-old Edgar, and his suspicions of his father’s death.

Edgar was born mute. While going to school, he assisted his parents at their at-home kennel, where they bred and trained “Sawtelle Dogs” – dogs that were highly intuitive, using their sense of vision to interpret their owners’ commands. One afternoon, Edgar’s father, Gar, fell to the barn floor and died. His death marked the beginning of numerous tragedies for the Sawtelle family.

One rainy evening, Edgar believed that he saw Gar’s ghost. The ghost told Edgar that Gar’s brother, Claude, had poisoned him – that Claude would stop at nothing to get what he wanted (presumably the family business and Edgar’s mother, Trudy, who was now in a relationship with her brother-in-law). Edgar became enraged and vengeful, promising his father’s ghost that he would prove Claude’s guilt. However, before he could, Edgar’s rage forced him off the farm and into the wilderness with three of the Sawtelle dogs.

Wandering through the forest, Edgar learned a lot about survival and had time to think about his situation. He missed his home, mother and loyal dog, Almondine. His decision to go back was a hard one to make, and any reader knowing Hamlet could foresee how this story might end.

The Story of Edgar Sawtelle was a long, complex story. I felt Wroblewski’s passion for his masterpiece on every page. With the greatest respect to the author, I wondered where his editor was. So many of the descriptions, plot diversions and character stories were unnecessary to the story. In fact, I bet 200 pages could have been skimmed off the book, leaving a succinct but effective story.

Despite the book’s length, I did enjoy Wroblewski’s writing style, plot and character development and his animation of the dogs. You felt invested in each person or dog that Wroblewski included in his book. My favorite characters were the dogs, Almondine and Essay. Through their actions (and eyes), you could see their loyalty toward their human friends. And with this story’s tragic side, I believed that the dogs had the most common sense of all the characters. They outranked the humans in compassion and spirit.

Patient readers, dog lovers and Shakespearean fans should all give The Story of Edgar Sawtelle a try. It’s a book with many flaws, but the overarching story of love, greed and jealousy made it a worthwhile read. ( )

Oracles of Delphi Keep by Victoria Laurie
Book One

Pages: 552
Ages: 10+
First Published: May 26, 2009
Genre: children, fantasy
Rating: 4/5

First sentence:

Ian Wigby sat on his cot, staring at the raging storm just beyond his window.

Reason for Reading: The jacket flap simply intrigued me. The book sounded right up my alley.
Comments: Set in the 1930’s along the White Cliffs of Dover atop of which stands an old castle and its keep. In that keep is an orphanage run by the earl, who owns the property and the land. It is here that orphans Ian and Theodosia (Theo) have lived most of their lives. Now 13 and 10 respectively they spend a lot of their time secretly exploring the caves within the cliffs (a most forbidden activity ) until one day they discover a silver box that contains an ancient prophecy that will forever change who they thought they were. As they turn to leave the cave they are chased by a hellhound and now that the evil forces are after them they have only one path to follow to save themselves, the children at the orphanage and perhaps the world.

What an intricate, deep plot to follow! I admit it took a bit of getting into as their were so many things going on and stories being told that I started to get lost a bit but I went with the flow and soon enough understood the different angles. This book has it all: ancient Greek mythology (though the author takes liberties with real names creating her own ancient-ancient mythology), Druid oracles, Phonecian relics, evil sorcerers and hellhounds. Starting off in England and veering off into Morocco this is an adventure as well as a mythological-steeped tale. Part of the book has a very ancient fantasy lore feel then in another part it went all Indiana Jones. There are quite a lot of different types of action happening here, not to mention the orphanage moments which have that boarding school feel that is so popular. You certainly don’t get bored!

One thing I particularly liked was the unusual party of questers in this book. Usually one can assume in a book like this we’ll have a group of children with some boys and some girls. Ms. Laurie has created a very unique group. Here we have a party of six containing 1 girl and five males, also the group contains three children and three adults. There is a hierarchy of power. The adults expect the children to obey them as they look out for their safety yet the adults know that the children have a special connection to what is going on and know things instinctively that they don’t. The children often assert their power of intuition over the adults leading the way but they follow the authority respect (this is the 1930s, remember) and they also know the adults know much more than they do because they are educators. Everyone is friendly and gets along well with each other within these dynamics.

The party consists of an old professor of archaeology, two twin brothers who are schoolmasters at the orphanage and very educated, and Colin, a new boy who is undernourished and very skinny. He has a sense of comradery and bravery but sometimes his body just won’t let him follow through. Ian and Theo are the two main characters of the group. Ian is a typical boy, all about adventure. He actually wants to be an explorer when he grows up. Finding treasures in the wild and getting rich. Theo, who was given to him to look after as a sister when she arrived, is a unique character as well. I really like the way the author has portrayed her. She is a strong-willed girl and doesn’t let anyone walk over her but she is not pushy. Sometimes she is all for whatever adventure is going on but at other times she’ll find something too dangerous and will be scared and not want to do it. Sometimes girls are portrayed in books as supergirls who can do anything, I prefer this real life example of how girls are just like anybody else sometimes strong, sometimes scared and being scared doesn’t make you weak. Theo always keep face and she saves the day more than once just by being herself, faults and all.

A well-written book. Very long, with no pictures it will probably take kids a while to read but it is full of action and plot. This is not one of those 500 page books with 200 pages of filler; this is 500 pages of pure story. There is also quite a bit of violence; there are battles, people get killed, it is described briefly and is not pretty. Kids sensitive to that sort of thing may want to avoid this book. If you like your fantasy mixed with ancient history and mythology this will be your kind of book.

The Awakening by Kelley Armstrong
Darkest Powers, Book Two

Pages: 360
Ages: 14+
First Published: Apr. 28, 2009
Genre: YA, paranormal, fantasy
Rating: 4/5

First sentence:

When the door to my cell clicked open, the first thought that flitted through my doped-up brain was that Liz had changed her mind and come back.

Reason for Reading: Next in the series. I received a review copy from the publisher.

Comments: The story picks up shortly after Book One and without giving much away, I’ll say this book’s main focus is that of the teens being on the run. While all six teens are still in this book, only five of them are a part of the story and if you’ve read Book One it may not be the five your thinking of. As all the teens take part in the plot, two of them in particular become the main characters and the undercurrents of a romance are felt boiling beneath the surface.

As often happens with the second book in a trilogy, The Awakening does have a feeling of being the middle part, filler if you will, awaiting the big climax of Book Three. Oh, I still enjoyed it, very much in fact, but the plot just doesn’t advance very much. Don’t get me wrong, there are still plenty of exciting, tense, and unexpected moments and a couple of reveals along the way. What this book does do though is show a lot of character development. We learn a lot of previously unknown information (secrets even) about each teen and we also get to know each one much more closer. All of the supernaturals, as they call themselves, have personalities which are made up of both likeable and unlikable characteristics making them real people to connect with.

While the plot only slightly advances we do learn a lot of the background of the story, how and why the teens have their powers, and who is after them and why, plus information on their own personal backgrounds. This compiled with the Book One leaves the reader very anxious for the big showdown in Book Three. Having been hit with a cliffhanger ending in The Summoning (which I don’t like), I am happy to say that The Awakening leaves us with a more finite, however brief it may be, ending.

Kelley Armstrong is my new found favourite author and I’ll be going back and starting her adult series for sure now.

Science Fiction Classics edited by Tom Pomplun
Graphic Classics, Volume 17

Pages: 144
Ages: 14+
First Published: May 15, 2009
Genre: graphic novel, short stories, science fiction
Rating: 4/5

First sentence:

Yes, in a thousand years people will fly on the wings of steam through the air, over the ocean!

Reason for Reading: I’m working my way through the series and it’s not necessary to read them in any given order.
Comments: This graphic novel contains an anthology of graphic adaptations of one novel and five short stories. H.G. Well’s War of the Worlds is included as are tales by authors such as Hans Christian Anderson, Conan Doyle, Stanley Weinbaum and E.M. Forster’s one and only sci-fi short story.

As a big fan of this series the first big news about this volume is that it is the very first one to be printed in full colour. And they couldn’t have picked a better theme to introduce colour. The book has a joyful feel of a 1950’s sci-fi comic and even artwork to match in Stanley Weinbaum’s “A Martian Odyssey” illustrated by George Sellas. The artwork in each story is suitable to the tale being told and goes from dark Victorian scenes to bright modern comic characters. A delightful set of stories which I enjoyed heartily and had never read before, except of course H.G. Wells’ novel. I just love coming across Conan Doyle’s stories that do not concern his famous detective and this one is no disappointment but my favourite in the volume is E.M. Forster’s “The Machine Stops” which is a chilling dystopia of a world run by machines, amazingly written in 1909. The illustrations are wonderful and pay homage to his other work by showing a delightful Indian flavour both in the characters and colourful palette.

Another great book in the series! These books just don’t disappoint. I only have one concern now and that is with the new addition of colour that they will continue to use colour for each new volume. I would hate to see the b/w volumes disappear altogether and hope they will give great thought on the theme of each volume as to whether colour or b/w is more appropriate. For ex. the Edgar Allan Poe volume just would not have been the same done in colour; you would lose the Gothic feel.

Great news, they already have another volume planned for this year. Out in November 2009 will be Louisa May Alcott, Volume 18.

The Secret Holocaust Diaries: The Untold Story of Nonna Bannister by Nonna Bannister with Denise George and Carolyn Tomlin

Pages: 299
First Published: March 24, 2009
Genre: non-fiction, memoir
Rating: 3/5

First sentence:

I have now decided that the time has come when I must share my life story — not only with my loving family, but perhaps with all those who are interested to know about what life was like for many of us on the other side of the world before and during World War II.

Reason for Reading: I am always interested in reading survivors’ memoirs of the Holocaust.
Comments: Nonna Lisowskaja Bannister, a Russian girl, lived through the Holocaust caught when the Germans invaded her city. She kept diaries from her childhood through the war up until the time she arrived in America in 1950 to start a new life. She never told a soul, not ever her husband or children, what happened to her during those war years. Then one day about 10 years before she died in her eighties she told her husband it was time and she took him up to the attic and showed him all the letters, memorabilia, photos and diaries (which she had written in several languages). She also showed him that she had been spending her time over the years transcribing her diaries into English and was finished as she pulled out stacks of yellow legal sized writing pads for him to read. She wanted her story told to the rest of the family and perhaps published but not until her death. And now that she has passed … here is her story.

Nonna was born and raised Russian Orthodox. She was a believer her entire life and became a Baptist later on in her new American life. She occasionally writes of her religion but no more so than anyone else’s memoir might. However, the book is published by a Christian publisher, Tyndale, and does contain Christian content in the editorial comments.

Nonna goes right back to her childhood years and spends a great portion of the book describing life in Russia during the 1930s. Her father’s main goal in life was to get them out of Russia to a better place but he was never able to obtain permission through any channels he tried. Once the Germans invade her city it doesn’t take long for various reasons that her brother and father are gone leaving her and her mother alone to fend for themselves. They spend their time going from one Nazi prison work camp to another until they end up working in a Catholic hospital because of Nonna’s language skills. This at first seems a God-send but tragedy is not far behind. During this whole time they experience the brutality of the Nazis firsthand but even worse than that, they see with their own eyes the unimaginable horrors inflicted upon the Jewish people. When Nonna finally arrives in America in 1950, as far as she knows, she is the only living survivor of her entire family on both her maternal and paternal sides.

When Nonna transcribed her diaries she didn’t just translate them word for word. Instead she, now being an elderly woman having lived the majority of her life in America, has mostly used the past tense to tell her story though she does occasionally tell a few stories in first person. The story is also in many places obviously being told through the eyes of her present mature self, reflecting upon the past rather than translating her childhood words as they appear on paper. Finally, we can tell that her American self has taken over the little Russian girl as she interjects American slang or American phrases quite frequently into her transcriptions.

The book contains a frequent editorial commentary running through the book. Some of this is used as reference points, historical explanations, background information, cultural explanations, etc and make for interesting reading. One thing that bugged me quite a bit though were the Christian comments. I myself am Christian but these comments felt very patronizing. Whenever Nonna or her mother, Anna, did a kind or brave deed, the comment would tell us how this act showed their Christian character shining through. Well, yes, it does. But I don’t need someone telling me that every time, it felt rather grade school-ish.

Nonna has an interesting, powerful story to tell and it’s a shame she kept it secret from her family. I think she would have found great solace in sharing it with her husband earlier and with her children when they had grown. Thankfully, she choose not to keep her secret forever and to share with the world so that her story would not be forgotten. For that I thank you, Nonna.

And then suddenly an arm of sunlight reached through a high window and opened its hand upon her face. I saw her eyes as clearly as if we had been pressed against one another in a very small space. - from Love Begins in Winter, page 41 -

Simon Van Booy’s five story collection, Love Begins in Winter, explores the lives of ordinary men and women who stumble upon love in all its many forms.  From the lonely and grieving cellist who literally bumps into the woman who becomes his lover, to the young gypsy boy who lingers outside the home of two girls who have lost their parents … Van Booy’s characters take the reader on a journey of the heart. Threaded through these simple stories are the themes of self identity, grief, longing, and renewal.

Van Booy is a poet and a journalist who has lived in London, Wales, Greece, Paris and New York City – and these experiences are apparent in his writing. Lyrical and stylistic, Van Booy’s prose is a bit like listening to a complicated musical performance – at once beautiful and elusive. He sets his characters in places like Montreal in the winter, and in St. Peter’s square in Rome, and along the steep cliffs of Ireland – places that invite introspection.

One story in this collection baffled me. Tiger, Tiger is disjointed and confusing, a story about a pediatrician and her boyfriend which draws on childhood memories and behavior. It is the second piece in the collection which,  had it not been for the wonderful title story, I might have put the book down. I am glad I did not.

My favorite story in the collection is the title story: Love Begins In Winter. From the first, the reader understands that Bruno Bonnet, a cellist, holds grief in his heart from the loss of his childhood friend. He carries her mitten in his pocket at each of his performances.

If only one of them recognized me, I could slip from the branches of my life, brush time from my clothes, and begin the long journey across the fields to the place where I first disappeared. A boy leaning crookedly on a gate, waiting for his best friend to get up. The back wheel of Anna’s bicycle still spinning. – from Love Begins in Winter, page 4 -

Van Booy captures the loneliness of the protagonist, even when Bruno is in the bustling city of Los Angeles.

Further north, approaching Hollywood – hot dog stands with neon arrows and faded paint; tattooed women with chopped black hair buying lip gloss at Hollywood pharmacies; a homeless man pushes a shopping cart full of shoes but he is barefoot. He keeps looking behind. His stomach hangs out. Sometime in the 1960s he was delivered into the trembling hands of his mother. If only it could happen again. Los Angeles is a place where dreams balance forever on the edge of coming true. A city on a cliff held fast by its own weight. – from Love Begins in Winter, page 50 -

It is only when the cellist meets Hannah, a woman who still mourns the loss of her brother, that he realizes he is no longer alone in the world. Love Begins in Winter is a touching story about the healing power of love.

I also was delighted with The Coming and Going of Strangers which revolves around a love sick gypsy boy named Walter living in Ireland.

Walter wheeled his hot, ticking motorbike up and down the muddy lane, breathing with the rhythm of a small, determined engine. Fists of breath hovered and then opened over each taken-step. He would soon be within sight of his beloved’s house. – from The Coming and Going of Strangers, page 135 -

In this tale about first love, Van Booy provides a wonderful surprise ending that lifts the story a notch above excellent.

In The City of Windy Trees, a character named George Frack receives a letter which completely changes the course of his life. I loved this story about the renewal of the human spirit through our connections with others.

Van Booy captures the essence of what makes us human, and how love can be found in the most unexpected places. Readers who love poetry will enjoy this collection of stories which often feel like long, narrative poems.

Highly recommended.

The Summoning by Kelley Armstrong
Darkest Powers, Book One

Pages: 390
Ages: 14+
First Published: July 1, 2008
Genre: YA, paranormal, fantasy
Rating: 5/5

First sentence:

Mommy forgot to warn the new babysitter about the basement.

Reason for Reading: I’ve been wanting to read this author for sometime now but her adult series has a number of books in it and with all the series I already have going it’s a daunting project and I thought this new YA series would be a great place to start and see if I liked the author before trying her adult books.

Comments: Chloe was a normal teenager until the day she sees a very scary ghost of a janitor in the girl’s bathroom and runs screaming down the school hall. Next thing she knows, she has woken up in an exclusive home for mentally troubled teens. She’s told she has a mental condition and they only want to help her get better. The handful of other patients all seem nice enough, well except a couple who have major attitude problems, and she begins to adjust to her diagnosis. But Chloe (and the others) begin to realize that something isn’t right. Chloe can still see dead people and the kids don’t think it’s because of any mental illness. In fact, quite a few of them seem to have rather special talents. Why are they always being threatened with transfer? What’s so bad with being transferred? Why can Chloe see the girl who was transferred?

This is an absolutely amazing read! You need one of those rubber page-flipper thingies on your finger so you can turn the pages fast enough when you read this. Kelley Armstrong has created an amazing world, which her website reveals is the same one in which her adult books are set. The mental home the teens live in has that boarding-school feel to it but with a much closer, tighter, oppressive atmosphere. While three of the teens stand out as main characters at this point, all six of them are fully realized and each given a background and believable personality.

The plot starts off with a bang and just keeps going from there. Event after event keeps the pace moving very quickly then reveal after reveal towards the end will have you gasping in shock. There is an overhanging darkness throughout the book which we are briefly let into and by the end of the book we have some idea of what it is but no real knowledge of its depth except that it has evil intentions.

The book does end basically mid-paragraph though not exactly with a cliff hanger as we know what is coming immediately next but it is one of those “to be continued” endings that I’m not partial to with everything left just at the crucial moment and leaving the reader dying to read the next book. Fortunately, I have the next book on hand and don’t have to wait a year to found out what happens next but I do fear that book two will leave me in the same position. However, the book is just too darn good to take any marks off so it gets a full rating from me! This is the best teen novel I’ve read since A Great and Terrible Beauty (which I loved!) and this is by far the better book. If you read paranormal books, whether they be adult or teen, you’ll love this. Go get it now! Highly recommended.

Neil Armstrong is My Uncle & Other Lies Muscle Man McGinty Told Me by Nan Marino

Pages: 154
Ages: 8+
First Published: May 12, 2009
Genre: children, realistic fiction
Rating: 3.5/5

First sentence:

Muscle Man McGinty is a squirrelly runt, a lying snake, and a pitiful excuse for a ten-year-old.

Reason for Reading: Obviously enough, a title like that makes you like twice plus the historical setting of the moon landing caught my eye and the book looked like an interesting change of pace for me.

Comments: Tamara Ann Simpson’s best friend has moved and now in her house lives a ten-year-old boy who is always smiling and is a skinny runt so she’s nicknamed him Muscle Man; only problem is he loves the name. In fact, he never seems to get any of the sarcastic comments she throws his way, he’s always smiling and being nice to her. But the real thing that bothers her is why nobody can see through his lies? Neil Armstrong is his uncle? He’s training for the next Olympics? But when he says he can beat the whole kickball team singlehandedly, Tamara thinks this is her chance to prove to everyone he’s just a wormy liar.

This is a wonderful little book. Tamara is not exactly a bully, but she is the one in her gang of friends who has the mouth and calls things as she sees them without thinking about someone’s feelings first. Tamara does not have a happy life at home and when her best friend moves away quite suddenly it hits her hard and she experiences a loss like she’s never felt before. But there is something about Muscle Man that she doesn’t know and if she’d stop being so selfish for a minute she’d realize she is the only one who is not seeing Muscle Man for who he really is. So Tamara learns one of those hard lessons of life.

There are lots of fun childhood moments as the neighbourhood children gather together each day and play on the street in a way that is really not seen much anymore these days. There are also poignant moments such as when the reality of the Vietnam War comes to the street. Tamara’s character is well-defined, a feisty, hard-headed yet lonely and neglected child that the reader sympathises with. Wonderfully written and a quick read. This is a little book that packs a big punch! A good read. Recommended.

Werewolf versus Dragon by David Sinden, Matthew Morgan, Guy Macdonald
Illustrated by Jonny Duddle
An Awfully Beastly Business, Book 1

Pages: 186
Ages: 7-10
First Published: 2008 (UK), Apr. 28, 2009 (NA)
Genre: children, fantasy
Rating: 3.5/5

First sentence:

Ulf watched the radar screen.

Reason for Reading: It simply appealed to me: the cover, the title and the write-up.  I thought it would make a good read-aloud to my 9yo, and it did.

Comments: Ulf lives at the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Beasts, more commonly called the RSPCB. It is a large castle-type building and estate somewhere in the UK which houses injured or otherwise in need of care beasts such as trolls, rocs, giants, biganasties, faries, sea serpents, or in Ulf’s case, werewolves. A baby dragon is found shot on the premises as they watch the mother fly away. Next day an Inspector from the department of National and International Criminal Emergencies (NICE) arrives to explain an evil criminal who is gathering beasts for his own dastardly amusement is on the loose. So with the help of Dr. Fielding, Orson the giant and Tiana the fairy they try to find the mother dragon before it is too late.

This is a book for the younger set and I must say I figured out the whole “secret” right from the beginning but my 9 year did not see it coming a mile away and was shocked with the reveal at the end. This is a lot of fun. It’s sort of a twist on the boarding school type of story only this time we basically have a house and grounds that are filled with beasts (not unlike a zoo) instead of other children. A lot of time is spent at the beginning introducing the reader to the RSPCB so we meet many different kinds of beasts and our imagination can tell this is the place to be if you want lots of adventures. A third of the way through the plot picks up full speed and one thing after another happens leaving my son begging for one more chapter practically every day. This isn’t a book with any deep hidden meanings or lessons to learn. It’s simply just plain rollicking good fun about a boy (at least until the full moon comes around) and a bunch of beasts in the middle of a wicked adventure. My 9yo highly recommends it. We have the second book in the series which we will be reading next upon his request.

One thing I need to comment on is that the original UK versions were written by “The Beastly Boys”. For North American publication they have changed this to the authors’ actual names (or at least to what appear to be real names) and I think this was a smart publishing decision. I’m fairly certain that I, for one, would have been dubious to the quality of the book had I been given such a fake author’s name and probably would have passed the book over otherwise and missed the treat of reading this series with my 9yo.

Click for more info

The Angel’s Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafon comes out today (June 16th).  If you’d like an advance reader’s copy of this book, enter in the comments below by telling us the best book published in 2009 that you’ve read so far.  If you haven’t read any 2009 books, just state the 2009 book that you’re most interested in reading.

Winner will be announced on Monday, June 22nd.
Good luck!

The Dark Planet by Patrick Carman
Illustrations by Squire Broel
Atherton, Book 3

Pages: 350
Ages: 9+
First Published: May. 1, 2009
Genre: children, science fiction
Rating: 4.5/5

First sentence:

It was the middle of the night when Red Eye and Socket came into the barracks and started walking between two long rows of beds.

Reason for Reading: The last book in the trilogy.

Comments: The third and final book in the trilogy focuses on a theme that the other books made us aware of early on, that of a post-apocalyptic Earth. Edgar follows a map left behind by Dr. Harding and finds himself on his way to The Dark Planet where he feels that everything has been set in motion for him a long time ago. Now is his time to save the children of this almost dead planet.

I really enjoyed this book the most out the three and that’s saying a lot as I have heartily enjoyed this trilogy. But I am a big fan of post-apocalyptic fiction and this was a really exciting story that included a dystopian society but does not get too heavy and keeps the book suitable for the middle grade reader. Edgar is back to being our main character as we’ve grown to really care for him through this series. Though Isabel and Samuel do have an important part to play back on Atherton, gone are all the supplementary characters from the first two books. Instead we are met with a whole new group of characters on Earth and the book feels fresh and new. Great story, great new characters and a refreshing new plot that still keeps it’s ties to the one from the previous books while going in a completely new direction. A highly enjoyable read. Recommended! P.S. Even though it’s sci-fi there is a dragon.

“See Lola, you’re the only one with nothing to confess. You’re the only one who’s never done anything rotten enough to ask for forgiveness.”

Lola put her had back and laughed, a bright swelling laugh that made the others smile to hear it.

“Why are you laughing?” Mel asked.

“What’s so funny?”

“If only it were that easy,” Lola said. – From Beach Trip -

Beach Trip, Cathy Holton’s third novel, brings together four women in their forties  for a reunion on North Carolina’s Outer Banks. Although best friends at a small Southern college during the 1980’s, all four have taken different paths in their lives – and all four are hiding secrets. Sara is married with two children and struggles with the recent autism diagnosis of her son; Annie, also married with two children, has spent her whole life obsessively cleaning and making the world around her perfect while a decision from her past weighs heavily on her shoulders; Lola finds herself married to a controlling bully and has lost herself in prescription medications; and Mel, a twice divorced novelist covers her loneliness with humor, alcohol and meaningless sex.

Holton fully develops each character by weaving the present with the past and moving back and forth between each woman’s point of view. Throughout the novel, there is a sense of mystery and unspoken truths which creates the tension that drives the narrative. By gradually revealing each of her characters, Holton allows the reader time to get to know them. Despite her crassness, I found myself appreciating Mel the most – a character who perhaps is the most damaged, yet faces life head on with a spirit I could admire.

Beach Trip falls squarely in the genre of women’s fiction. Holton captures the essence of female friendship – the intimacy laced with conflict, the warmth and self-deprecating humor, and the comradery which develops when faced with crises. It is an enjoyable read with a surprising twist at the end. Holton’s prose is often funny. The reader gets the feeling that Holton cares deeply about each of her characters and their lives.

Beach Trip is recommended for readers who enjoy women’s fiction and are looking for a good summertime read.

Read an excerpt of Beach Trip.

Zamora’s Ultimate Challenge by M.K. Scott

Pages: 198
First Published: Feb. 1, 2008
Genre: children, fantasy
Rating: 3/5

First sentence:

The little man, named Jemlock, drew his sword, richly decorated with jewels he’d earned during his many adventures.

Reason for Reading: A very long time ago I read a book with the same premise of two children finding themselves inside a video game and loved it so the premise again intrigued me.

Comments: Two pre-teen boys are left to babysit their two-year old sister while the parents go grocery shopping. They turn on their favourite video game “Zamora’s Ultimate Challenge” to have the face of Queen Zamora talking directly to them. She has taken little Isabella and plans on taking over her soul and returning to Earth in her body so she can eventually take over the planet Earth. All she needs to do is wait a few days for the planets to align. The boys who have always considered the baby a major imposition on their lives are stunned and find a way to enter the game so that they can rescue her and thus save both the video game world and Earth.

At first I didn’t think I was going to enjoy this book as for the first two chapters the boy’s spend an awful amount of time complaining and using words such as “stupid” and “shut-up” and basically being very disrespectful human beings. However, once they enter the game the first two rules they are give are 1) Trust yourself and 2) Trust each other and the reader comes to realize that the bad behaviour is a plot point. The book is a lot of fun with the the two boys playing out the levels of the game which they have played before at home but they meet new characters, light-keepers, who help them on their quest. Ultimately the book follows a theme throughout as the boys realize that they love each other and their family and learn ways to show it to each other, physically and through trust.

A fun read with lots of fun characters, mermaids, pirates, giant robot shark, a pegasus, lava monster and more. The publisher recommendation is for ages 10+ but I think that is a little extreme. The book reads more for younger audiences and a limited audience really as I think older children will want more, so I’m recommending this as a fun adventure for ages 8-11.

Rivers of Fire by Patrick Carman
Illustrations by Squire Broel
Atherton, Book 2

Pages: 303
First Published: May 1, 2008
Genre: children, science fiction
Rating: 4/5

First sentence:

It was the middle of the night when Edgar entered the fig grove alone.

Reason for Reading: With the release of the last book in the trilogy this year, I decided to read the series. This is the second book.
Comments: This book picks up right where book one left off and continues the story. I cannot tell you anything about the plot without spoiling details that happen in the first book and I like to keep my reviews spoiler free. So instead I’ll focus on the characters. Edgar and Isabel are split up into different groups this time as they continue on important quests. They both join characters from book one whom we’ve only briefly met before; this time giving us greater insight into those characters. Doctor Kincaid, an aging scientist and Victor his attendant; Samuel, a boy from the upper class Highlands and Horace, the lead guard. We also become better acquainted with the villagers including Isabel’s father and the owners of an Inn in The Village of Rabbits.

The story of is full of adventure, plot twists, mad villains and believable heroes who risk and sometimes give their lives for the greater good. Many of the mainstream reviews call this book, and the series, a fantasy (and the publishers add to the confusion with the fantasy covers) but while the plot does follow your basic fantasy quest premise it is not fantasy at all but science fiction. Everything that happens, is used, or met along the way has a scientific foundation and reason to be, there are no magical or fantastical elements.

I read this book through only stopping when life demanded I must. A real page-turner. I really love the world that Carman has created. It is very unique to say the least. This book ends with a finite ending, all threads are finished off and there is even a “One Year Later” epilogue. So the two book set does end very nicely here. There is a third book however, which goes in a completely different direction and I can’t wait to read it; review to come soon. This is a great series, highly recommended for ages 9 and up!

In this bright and intelligent book, we follow Edward Meopian from the age of 14 to 45 years old (1968-1999). His mother died when he was young and his father did his best to raise him. They live in Minnesota where his father is an encyclopedia salesman.

Edward’s father decides to enrol Edward in private school which Edward is very unhappy about. There are a bunch or rich snobby kids there and he finds it hard to fit in. One of the rich kids asks him what his father does and he lies and says, my father “is in publishing.” Of course his lie is found out when his father shows up at the school library to deliver new encyclopedias.

Later Edward gets a stepmother and younger stepbrother and then gets accepted into a university in Denver. He is anxious to start this new chapter in his life and to meet girls. He does get his first girlfriend there but it doesn’t last long. He graduates from university and wants to make it as a film director so moves to L.A. Reality hits him hard and he ends up having to work in a camera store to pay his rent.

When he ends up quitting his dead end job and has no money, his father suggests that he move to rural Alabama to set up a convenience store in the trailer park that his father bought. Edward agrees and enlists his friend Sagebrush to go with him. The two could not be more opposite but somehow they work together.

I could go on but I don’t want to give away too much. This is a hilarious and intelligently written book. The funniest part for me was the summer in the trailer park but I loved the whole book. Meeks hits all the right cords. His writing is fresh, intelligent and very witty! Also, being born and raised in Minnesota myself, it was fun to see all the references to cities and landmarks that I recognized.

This is Christopher Meeks first novel but he has written two short story collections that have been highly recommend by Wendy of Caribousmom. I plan to read these and can hardly wait for his next novel. The Brightest Moon of the Century is such a treat and I cannot recommend it high enough!

5/5

Thanks so much to Christopher Meeks and sending me his book and to Wendy of Caribousmom for sending him my way!

The Help by Kathryn Stockett
Historical Fiction
2009 Amy Einhorn Books
Finished on 3/25/09
Rating: 5/5 (Outstanding)

Product Description

Three ordinary women are about to take one extraordinary step.

Twenty-two-year-old Skeeter has just returned home after graduating from Ole Miss. She may have a degree, but it is 1962, Mississippi, and her mother will not be happy till Skeeter has a ring on her finger. Skeeter would normally find solace with her beloved maid Constantine, the woman who raised her, but Constantine has disappeared and no one will tell Skeeter where she has gone.

Aibileen is a black maid, a wise, regal woman raising her seventeenth white child. Something has shifted inside her after the loss of her own son, who died while his bosses looked the other way. She is devoted to the little girl she looks after, though she knows both their hearts may be broken.

Minny, Aibileen’s best friend, is short, fat, and perhaps the sassiest woman in Mississippi. She can cook like nobody’s business, but she can’t mind her tongue, so she’s lost yet another job. Minny finally finds a position working for someone too new to town to know her reputation. But her new boss has secrets of her own.

Seemingly as different from one another as can be, these women will nonetheless come together for a clandestine project that will put them all at risk. And why? Because they are suffocating within the lines that define their town and their times. And sometimes lines are made to be crossed.

In pitch-perfect voices, Kathryn Stockett creates three extraordinary women whose determination to start a movement of their own forever changes a town, and the way women—mothers, daughters, caregivers, friends—view one another. A deeply moving novel filled with poignancy, humor, and hope, The Help is a timeless and universal story about the lines we abide by, and the ones we don’t.

About the Author

Kathryn Stockett was born and raised in Jackson, Mississippi. After graduating from the University of Alabama with a degree in English and Creative Writing, she moved to New York City, where she worked in magazine publishing and marketing for nine years. This is her first novel.

I was first drawn to the attractive cover art of this book and it quickly found its way to my stack of ARCs, but it wasn’t until I’d readKay and Tara’s lovely reviews that I decided the time was right to begin reading The Help. I’d been on quite a roll, reading winner after winner, and I trusted both recommendations, feeling confident I was in for another enjoyable book. And what a great book it turned out to be! The characters are fleshed out and memorable, the dialogue is convincingly believable, and I fell in love with Aibileen and Minny, often forgetting that they were characters in a novel.

Stockett is a terrific storyteller and should be very proud of her debut novel. Coming in at just under 450 pages, I almost wish it had been longer; I hated to leave these characters and longed to see what the future held in store for Aibileen, Minny and Skeeter after I turned that final page. I’ve been saying this a lot these past three months, but I simply couldn’t put this book down and often found myself thinking about the characters when I wasn’t reading. They invaded my mind and left a permanent mark on my soul. The setting and time period is one with which I am only vaguely familiar, having spent that portion of my very early childhood in Canada. We did not have maids, nor did we experience the ugly prejudices so rampant in the United States in the early sixties, and thus I cringed as I read passages such as this:

In a rare breeze, my copy of Life magazine flutters. Audrey Hepburn smiles on the cover, no sweat beading on her upper lip. I pick it up and finger the wrinkled pages, flip to the story on the Soviet Space Girl. I already know what’s on the next page. Behind her face is a picture of Carl Roberts, a colored schoolteacher from Pelahatchie, forty miles from here. “In April, Carl Roberts told Washington reporters what it means to be a black man in Mississippi, calling the governor ‘a pathetic man with the morals of a streetwalker.’ Roberts was found cattle-branded and hung from a pecan tree.”

It’s difficult to write about this book without giving too much away. It’s also very difficult — painful, in fact — to write about the terrible attitudes of that time and place. I often found myself full of shame for some of the characters represented in this story, many of whom were ignorant and closed-minded. I will say that I enjoyed all the historical references (Medgar Evers, Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King Jr., the March in Washington, D.C. etc.). I especially appreciated the manner in which Stockett dropped little bits of history into the narrative without it feeling like she was going down a list, checking off each historical tidbit as she incorporated it into her story. For example, Chapter 19 begins with the following:

It was 1963. The Space Age they’re calling it. A man has circled the earth in a rocketship. They’ve invented a pill so married women don’t have to get pregnant. A can of beer opens with a single finger instead of a can opener. Yet my parents’ house is still as hot as it was in 1899, the year Great-grandfather built it.

and

The summer rolls behind us like a hot tar spreader. Ever colored person in Jackson gets in front a whatever tee-vee set they can find, watches Martin Luther King stand in our nation’s capital and tell us he’s got a dream. I’m in the church basement watching. Our own Reverend Johnson went up there to march and I find myself scanning the crowd for his face. I can’t believe so many peoples is there–two-hundred-fifty thousand. And the ringer is, sixty thousand a them iswhite. “Mississippi and the word is two very different places,” the Deacon say and we all nod cause ain’t it the truth.

and

On the news, now Roger Sticker is reporting in front of the Jackson post office with the same stupid grin as the war reporter. “…this modern postal addressing system is called a Z-Z-ZIP code, that’s right, I said Z-Z-ZIP code, that’s five numbers to be written along the bottom of your envelope…”

Funny how you can take things for granted, believing they’ve been around forever and not just 45 years! I’d never not used a ZIP code when addressing a letter and had never stopped to think that there was in fact a time, not all that long ago, in which they didn’t exist.

Suffice it to say, this is a fabulous read. I think it has incredible depth and would be a great book club choice. There’s plenty to discuss and it could easily carry a meeting well into its second hour. And I love what the author says in her final words (Too Little, Too Late):

Like my feelings for Mississippi, my feelings for The Help conflict greatly. Regarding the lines between black and white women, I am afraid I have told too much. I was taught not to talk about such uncomfortable things, that it was tacky, impolite, they might hear us.

I am afraid I have told too little. Not just that life was so much worse for many black women working in the homes in Mississippi, but also that there was so much more love between white families and black domestics than I had the ink or time to portray.

What I am sure about is this: I don’t presume to think that I know what it really felt like to be a black woman in Mississippi, especially in the 1960s. I don’t think it is something any white woman on the other end of a black woman’s paycheck could ever truly understand. But trying to understand is vital to our humanity. In The Help there is one line that I truly prize:

This isn’t simply a great book for fans of historical fiction and book clubs; it’s an important work of literature that should be taught in history classes in high schools across America. Just as we should never forget the Holocaust, we should also never forget the despicable treatment of our fellow citizens.

Kudos, Kathryn! This is a superb story and one I’ll be anxious to recommend to friends and customers alike. I can’t wait to see what you have in store for us next!