To Tweet or Not to Tweet.

Alright everyone, I really need some help here. I've been intentionally avoiding the Twitter thing for a while now, because I don't actually think anyone cares what I ate for breakfast or how stupid I think the people in line at the grocery store are. And, I know that, no matter how much I like you, I don't care about your split ends. However, I do like to think that people find my blog interesting and that Twitter would be a fun way to update people about my blog, and keep track of other people's blog happenings. But (and the people who know me realize this is a very big but) I've been so set on avoiding Twitter, and staying away from that particular bandwagon, that I don't know if I actually want to sign up or not.

So, I'm asking, begging, pleading, cajoling and all that jazz- What do you think?! Those who use Twitter- Do you like it?! Do you think I should use it? Do any of you use it and hate it? I'd love to hear from you! If you don't use Twitter? Why not? Do you like that you don't?

I need some help and some answers here people! Thanks in advance for all your help! I'm hoping to get some serious discussion out of this, because I definitely need help in deciding if Twitter is right for me... (Man, that sounds so cheesy... Gross)

Reading and Blogging Resolutions for 2011

I have really enjoyed blogging these last 6ish months. It's been a great experience. I've learned a lot, met a lot of great new people, gotten a lot of great book recommendations, and become more active in a community filled with people who get me.

But, I want to make the new year even better, now that I've sort of gotten the hang of this. So, here are my 2011 blogging and reading resolutions:

1. Expand the Memory Monday idea. I really want to get other people and bloggers to guest post their memories (which is something I'll make clearer next Monday) I'm really hoping to have lots of people offering their special reading memories. 
2. Set up reviews in advance. I write most of my reviews the night before I post it, but when I do manage to schedule posts several days in advance, I've loved it. I feel like it works better, so I want to have bunches of posts saved up and ready to go if needed.
3. Read more of what I want to read, and be more careful with which books I agree to review. Some of the books I've agreed to review aren't what I want to read right now, which severely limits my ability to start them, get interested in them and enjoy them. But, I feel bad when they sit there forever, so I feel like I have to force myself to read them. So, I'll be a lot more selective.
4. Comment of more of the blogs that I read, and pay more attention to the details in their reviews. Meaning read more, skim less and respond lots.

I have more ideas tossing around, but am not yet totally sure how to phrase them all. I'll leave it here for now, and might come back and add more. But, here are my 2011 Resolutions. What are yours?

Review: Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins is a fun contemporary romantic YA. I don't read a lot of fiction where the primary plot line revolves around romance, but like watching a chick flick, every once in a while it just hits the spot. And this book is like that.

I felt really bad for Anna when the book first started. Her dad is a best selling author who has decided that to impress his buddies he needs a bigger profile, and more pretentious things to talk about. So, he decides he is going to send Anna to an American boarding school in Paris, France. Without asking her how she feels about it. For her senior year. Anna already has problems with her dad, considering he walked out on them when her brother was a baby and now sends money and not much else and this definitely makes things worse. Her mom can't help her and Anna is bitter, scared and lonely when she first gets to Paris. Her meeting with next door neighbor helps bring her into a new circle of friends, and give her some bearings and this is where her story starts.

The characters are very well written, with multi-faceted personalities, flaws, shortcomings, and positive traits in a believable combination. None of these characters are perfect, all of them make stupid mistakes and bad choices, but they all also have many redeeming qualities too. They not only have personality traits, they also have hobbies, preferences and quirks. Like Anna who is almost obsessively neat and absolutely adores movies, especially the classics.  These characters were written as if they were real people. Because the characters were real, the relationships between the characters also felt very real. I hate reading books where the romantic connection consists of a glance across a room, instant hormonal craze, one conversation and BAM! I'm head over heals in love. Things like that don't actually happen. You can't be in love with someone that fast. What you can be however, is in lust. Which is what Anna is when she first meets beautiful boy Etienne St. Clair.

But, St. Clair has a long term girl friend, is being crushed on by a mutual friend and is therefore totally off limits. So, she thinks he's totally hott, but doesn't try to make anything happen. They become friends and over time she realizes that Etienne is her closest friend. It get complicated when emotional attachments start to muddy the waters, but Anna is trying really hard to keep her head up, and not cross that boundary line. They toe the line, they nudge it, but they never cross it. Until they do...

Although mostly lighthearted in tone and topic, there are serious elements to the story as well. Both Anna and Etienne have problems with their fathers that need resolution, and the book brings up the topics of pain, death, loss and betrayal. It's a credit to the author that each of these topics was handled in a realistic way that enhanced rather than detracted from the story line, and didn't bog the story down. I've read too many books that are supposed to be about one thing and end up getting caught in the black abyss that is the sub plots.

I loved this book. I thought it was scads of fun to read, and I'm beyond desperate to visit Paris now. It's always been high up in my top 5 places to visit list, but after reading this book I feel like I needed to be there yesterday. I loved that the author included a lot of touristy sites, as well as places a little more off the beaten path. It made me feel like I could really be there. And man, do I want to go hard core!

Although not my usual fare, this is definitely a book I'm glad I read, and one that I wouldn't mind reading again. I was very excited to hear that Perkins has two companion novels in the works. I'm glad that we aren't getting a continuation of Anna's story, because it is over, but that there will be more coming soon from Ms. Perkins. Yay for Anna! :)

*Disclaimer: I received this book through Around the World Tours.

Review: Brooklyn Story by Suzanne Corso

Brooklyn Story by Suzanne Corso is the story of Samantha, a young girl growing up in Brooklyn in the late 1970s, desperate to escape across the bridge into what she knows will be a better life. But then, at 15, she meets Tony, a local Brooklyn Boy with ties to the local mob.

I was intrigued by the idea of this book, but unsure what to expect. The book mirrors experiences in the authors own life- growing up in Brooklyn and living through an abusive relationship. The last book I read that took inspiration from the authors personal life was probably my worst read thus far in 2010, so I was a little worried about this story. I must say, I was very pleasantly surprised by how this story turned out.

The issues that Samantha is dealing with during this story- poverty, crime, drug abuse, abusive relationships etc- are something I have never had any experience with. My childhood is split between small town Western Washington and rural Conservative Southern Idaho. I don't know of anything that's farther removed from the life described here in the Italian section of Brooklyn. There were times when I felt the narrative to be overly wordy and detailed, but it enabled me to experience some small part of what life must have been like for Samantha. Although it never felt quite real to me, it was obviously real to Samantha.

I also really enjoyed the lyrics from popular songs that Samantha felt spoke to her at one time or another. I love old music and was pleased by how many of the songs I recognized and like.

My one major complaint with this story is the narrative voice. The story begins with 19 year old Samantha walking into a court room where Tony is waiting to be sentenced. We are then taken back with her to the summer she was 15 when she met Tony and the story is told from there, until the final chapters when she is again 19 and discussing the end of this stage in her life. But, I never felt like the narrative could have been written by a 19 year old. I'm still pretty close to 19 myself, and this is not how we talk. Samantha spends the entire book focused on and dedicated to her writing, so it makes sense that it would be more mature than the average 19 year old, but I still felt more like I was reading the writing of someone closer to 30. Which is fine, because I am, but it never felt quite... right.

And then there is Samantha herself. She is a pretty strong character with a firm sense for her goals, but I was completely amazed at how incredibly naive she was. I understand that she was 15, and very inexperienced with boys, but I couldn't believe how much she willfully misunderstood. It amazed me the power we have to rationalize and justify almost any action. It's a little scary how easy Samantha found herself sucked into an abusive and scary situation, willing to explain and will away nearly everything Tony was doing to her. The was the author writes makes it seem like these abusive and unhealthy relationships are the norm in Brooklyn, and this saddens me more than I can possibly say. No one deserves to be treated like garbage.

Overall, this is a story I think is worth reading. Samantha is a strong character who knows what she wants and really does work hard to attain that. There were a few times when I didn't feel like her character was totally consistent, but she's also 15 and exploring new things for the first time. I was also a little confused by Tony's behavior. Without trying to give spoilers away, it sometimes seemed like what he said and what he did were completely unconnected, like violently claiming her as a possession, but allowing her to remove him from her life.

Regardless of any complaints I had with the story or writing (which were not enough to diminish my enjoyment of the story), I'm impressed with Ms. Corso for writing this story. Given the parallels between her own life, I imagine it must have been really hard. I watched a short video of her talking about her book, and she said she wrote it so that women could take away from it the knowledge that it is always possible to leave, always possible to get yourself out of a bad situation. She hopes that women who find themselves in this kind of trouble take heart and comfort in knowing there is more out there for them, and that I think is an amazing thing to give to a woman. Here's to hoping that it works.

*Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.

Let the Read-a-Thon Begin!!

I believe I mentioned in a previous post that I'm going to be participating in The Bookish Type and Book Savvy's Out with a Bang Read-a-Thon.

It runs for three days, the 29th-31st and there are going to be mini-challenges hosted each day. It's now midnight, officially the 29th, so here we go!

I am especially excited for this read-a-thon, because I haven't been reading as much lately as I have previously/would like. I've been rather unmotivated to read, and I sometimes feel that I can't be reading what I really want to read, because I now have reading obligations, which is a new thing for me.

Also, I rarely watch TV, while my BF loves it. She decided that I needed to watch at least one or two episodes of Criminal Minds, because she loves it and thinks it's something I would like, and I definitely enjoy it. So, I've been watching online episodes and seriously... that show is addictive. But, it does cut into my reading time.

So, I'm anxiously excited for these three days of reading time. I'm not going to watch any online episodes, spend time doing anything online that isn't related to books and reading beyond checking my email and am going to devote my upcoming days to reading and reviewing.

I plan to read between 6-10 books, as a conservative estimate and I want to get at least semi-caught up on my reviews. I have several books that I've read recently that have not yet gotten reviewed, and I want to change that.

So, my goals for these next few days include:

1. Read a lot of books.
2. Write at least 10 reviews- this can include some from what I'm now reading.
3. Update my Books I've Read in 2010 page. (all my links disappeared)
4. Create a reading challenge page.
5. Explore Twitter. I have avoided Twitter for a long time, but think I might need to rethink the non-tweeting thing. Anyone have any advice for me on that?

A tentative list of the books I plan to try and read include:

* Brooklyn Story- Suzanne Corso (319 pages)
* North of Beautiful- Justina Chen Headley (373 pages)
* Princess of Glass- Jessica Day George (257 pages)
* The Ropemaker- Peter Dickinson
* Postcards from No Man's Land- Aidan Chambers
* The Perilous Gard- Elizabeth Marie Pope
* The Olympic Charioteer- Helena Schrader
* Numb- Sean Ferrell
* The Inner Circle- Brad Meltzer
* One Day in the life of Ivan Denisovich- Alexander Solzhenitsyn

* The Memory Bank- Carolyn Coman (279 pages)
* Willow Run- Patricia Reilly Giff (160 pages)
* America the Beautiful- Sri Chinmoy (105 pages) 
*The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner- Stephenie Meyer (178 pages)


Hopefully, I'll be able to read even more than just what I have listed here. I'm hoping to get a lot accomplished in the next three days. Wish me luck!!

Is anyone else participating?! I'd love to hear from you! Let me know what your plans are!

Review: Cloaked by Alex Flinn

Cloaked is another modern fairy tale retelling by Alex Flinn, the woman who wrote the ever popular Beastly (Beauty and the Beast) and the recently released A Kiss in Time (Sleeping Beauty). 


I've made no secret about the fact that I absolutely adore fairy tale retellings, and I very much enjoyed Flinn's first two tales. Cloaked was just as much fun to read as the first two stories, but I actually liked this one even better.

Before I get into the story itself, I need to mention one of my most favorite parts of the book. In the beginning of each chapter, Flinn included a quote from one of the Grimm's Fairy Tales she took inspiration from and included it under each chapter numbering as a sort of foreshadowing for what was to come. I love the original fairy tales, and have read them many times, so it was beyond delightful to see them quoted within the story.

Cloaked is the story of Johnny, a young boy trying to help his mother pay their bills by spending all his free time working in their family shoe repair shop, located in a large Florida hotel. Johnny has big dreams, but is realistic enough to know that all they will ever be are day dreams. He works in the shop, but his real passion is design. He has notebooks filled with designs for high end, beautiful shoes. He's even managed to save enough scraps and materials to make up a prototype, and he knows they are a good design. But alas, he needs to stay behind to help his mother, and their is no way they will be able to afford college or trade school to further this dream. Although he wishes and hopes that there was some way something might be different, he has resigned himself to his fate.

But, in the way of all fairy tales, fate decides there is something more in store for our unassuming hero, and when a foreign princess (think Paris Hilton with a crown) comes to stay at their hotel, Johnny's life will change forever. Because real magic exists in the country out fair princess comes from, and her brother has been turned into a frog in a wicked attempt for the witch to steal their throne for herself and her evil oaf of a son. The princess is desperate for assistance, and promises Johnny money and marriage if he successfully saves the prince. In need of money, desperately hoping for something more out of life, and afraid to offend the princess, Johnny agrees to look into the disappearance of her brother.

It takes Johnny some time to admit and accept that magic really exists, but once he does, he finds himself in the middle of an impossible adventure, giving assistance to talking geese, taking aide from rats and foxes and searching every where for a missing toad all while being chased by magical crazy folk. By his side, ready and willing to offer whatever assistance she can is Meg, Johnny's longtime best friend who helps her family run the coffee shop also located in the hotel.

I adored the mash up of fairy tales included within Cloaked. We see elements of The Six Swans, The Elves and the Shoemaker, The Valiant Tailor, The Golden Bird, and of course, The Frog Prince. Almost all of these tales come from my favorites of the Brother's Grimm. Being so familiar with fairy tales in general, and these fairy tales in particular did mean that I was able to predict a lot of what was about to happen, but there was enough that surprised even me that I was not left feeling like this was another predictable retelling.

This was a wonderfully fun story, filled with mischief and mayhem, love and loss, and the hope for brighter days. Johnny was a great character, well rounded and fully written. There are times when he is your typical 17 year old boy, but he is so much more than that. He's loyal and loving, willing to put others before himself and he truly wants to do the right thing. He is sacrificing his dreams to protect and assist his mother. Meg was also a wonderfully written character. Although we don't see as much personal development in her as a character, a lot of the growth we see in Johnny is a direct result of Meg's influence and company.

All in all, this was a wonderfully enjoyable book. It's the perfect combination of reality and myth, fact and fiction, and is full of all the elements which make a wonderfully perfect fairy tale. This is a story that I very highly recommend to any and all whole love a good fairy tale.

*Disclaimer: I received this book through Star Book Tours.

It's my birthday!!

Today is my birthday! Which means, of course, that for the next 24 hours, I am, most definitely, the coolest person alive. ;)

I love my birthday. Having a birthday 2 days after Christmas can be quite the downer. Over the years, I've gotten a lot of those- Merry Christmas/Happy Birthday gifts, which are super annoying. Not because it's only one present, but because it's apparently not important enough to separate. Grr. Growing up, my parents were really great at not combining the holidays for me, and allowing me to be the most important person on my birthday. If you have kids, or know anyone who has a birthday near Christmas, I highly recommend allowing them to be completely special. It helps.

Anyway, I am going to enjoy today as my own very special day, and spend the next 24 hours just being awesome.

Happy Christmas Eve!

I thought about doing a book review today, or something else but decided that because it is almost Christmas, I am instead going to post a video of my favorite version of my favorite Christmas Song.

I love Carol of the Bells (instrumental only) and The TransSiberian Orchestra is awesome. So, I hope you enjoy listening to Christmas Eve in Sarjaevo. And really- how cool are those lights?! Although- I'd hate to live there.

Review: Desires of the Dead by Kimberly Derting

Desires of the Dead by Kimberly Derting is the sequel to The Body Finder. (click for my review).

Violet is a high school girl who has the uncomfortable ability to sense the echoes of those who have died a violent death. These echoes linger on both the victim and the villain. We learn a little bit about this ability in The Body Finder, but I really liked that we are able to explore Violet's abilities with her in Desires of the Dead. Violet is slowly learning more about her ability, and through knowledge, she slowly begins to gain control as

In The Body Finder, the mystery has a strong sense of urgency to it that was missing in this book. Although the prologue does set us up nicely to fear for Violet, we learn early on that the 'bad guy' whose thoughts we are listening to is a vengeful teenage girl. It's a lot harder to be afraid of a teenage girl than it is to fear a sociopathic serial killer who has been killing young girls for years. Although being in the mind of the bad guy was a strength of the first novel, I actually think it was a bit of a weakness this time. As I said, there's just something infinitely less fearful about a young girl who just hates you because you have a better boyfriend, and that is never hidden from the reader. Knowing this, it makes each of her actions less threatening, and I never really feared for Violet the way I did the first time around. This one also has a predictability to it that the first one did not, but it was not so much as to ruin my enjoyment of the story.

I was also unsure how I felt about the potential involvement of the FBI 'liaison' in Violet's life. I'm not sure where that story line is going to go, but I have a feeling it can either be really great, or really awful... And, I desperately hope that it doesn't devolve into yet another love triangle. I love that this book doesn't have one, and I wouldn't want that to change.

Speaking of Violet and Jay, their characters are just as great this time around as they were before. I really like both characters, and I think that Derting has done a great job creating believable teenage characters in a believable and healthy relationship. Jay does look out for Violet, and takes protecting her seriously, it's definitely in a non creepy/controlling way. He really cares about her, and just wants her safe. I love that they were best friends before they started dating, and that they have an actual foundation based on more than just, 'Wow! You're like, totally hott!'. Not only are their individual characters realistic and well written, but the dynamics of their relationship are also believable.

This is another great read from Kimberly Derting, and she's definitely going to stay on my 'watch' list. I look forward to what she comes out with next.

*Disclaimer: This book was received through Star Book Tours.

Waiting on Wednesday:

I don't normally post a WoW, but it was part of the Holiday Reading Challenge, so I've decided I would today:

Right now, I'm definitely anxious for the release of Unwholly by Neal Shusterman- the sequel to Unwind. I'm also excited for Supernaturally by Kiersten White, the sequel to Paranormalcy.

 Sweetly by Jackson Pearce is the sequel/companion novel to Sister's Red which I am very, very excited to read.

And, of course, as I've mentioned before, I'm totally dying to read Where She Went by Gayle Forman, the sequel to If I Stay and The Piper's Son by Melina Marchetta, which is the sequel/companion novel to Saving Francesca.

Review: Looking for Alaska by John Green

Looking for Alaska by John Green is a story of friendship, betrayal, grief, happiness, hope, despair, laughter, tears, and growing up. I could go on and on about how many facets of life this book embodies, but I think you get the point.

Miles, Chip and Alaska were perfectly drawn characters. We were able to see both their strengths and their weaknesses, their perfections and their flaws. These characters each have so many dimensions to them, it's hard to believe they aren't actually real. Sometimes they get along, sometimes they make good choices, and other times they act recklessly, with a complete disregard for the rules and their own well being.

This is definitely not a perfectly wrapped story, decorated with ribbons, and wrapped with a bow, so if that's the story you're looking for, look elsewhere. However, if you are interested in reading a story that is going to alter the way you view your world, I highly, highly recommend this book.

The characters in this story are really stupid at times. But they learn. Miles went to boarding school, searching for his 'great perhaps'. He's lived a fairly boring life, nothing exciting ever happens to him, and he's looking for something, but he doesn't know quite what that something is. When he gets to school, he meets his new roommate, Chip, and one of his best friends, a beautiful and exciting girl named Alaska.

John Green shows an amazing talent for writing with this story. He manages to create in Miles a character who is intelligent, and able to think deep and philosophically without talking over the reader, or condescending to them. Miles thinks a lot about what he's learning, especially in his world religion course, and because he is our narrator, we hear a lot about what he's thinking and feeling. But, I never once felt preached to or overwhelmed.

This is a story about the hard parts of growing up. It's a story about those things every parent wishes didn't happen. But these things do happen and to ignore them, brush them under the rug and act as if they are not real is doing everyone a disservice. I makes kids feel like they are alone and that no one else has ever felt the way they do. But this story lets us know that there are other people out there who can relate to us, and that it's okay to hurt, okay to cry and okay to move on.

John Green, I think you are a brilliant man and I cannot wait to pick up your next story.

Review: Pegasus by Robin McKinley

Pegasus by Robin McKinley was one of my most highly anticipated books of 2010. I've mentioned before that I love Robin McKinley. She is the author I credit with teaching me that fantasy can be a great genre to read. I was so excited when I noticed a new McKinley book that I'm pretty sure I made those embarrassing 'sqeeish' noises.

When the book came in the mail, I was beyond excited. And then, I started reading... End of excitement. The entire book was a struggle for me to get through. The beginning of the book is really vague, with the readers jumping into the middle of our 12 year old princess' history lesson and the narration doesn't really clear up much after that. I felt like I was reading the story told many years later by someone who kept forgetting the order things happened. It was full of flashbacks and flashforwards that would go on for pages, before the narration would pick up again in the present. I'm normally okay with this in books, but I like a little warning first. These flashes would just happen, and I'd find myself wondering where we were, and when we left the present tense.

I also regularly found myself bored with all the description. McKinley is a fantastic world builder and has a great imagination. I am amazed that she is able to come up with such beautiful and vivid descriptions for this magical world, but I got tired of hearing about them over and over again. It felt too much like a really boring teacher's desperate attempt to make a history lesson interesting to a group of students who couldn't care less. (ie: fail).

The story does definitely pick up once Ebon enters the picture and the story is no longer solely about Sylvi. Ebon was a fun character and I found myself truly enjoying his blunt and honest interior commentary. But this too was over used.

I must also admit that I was seriously upset, disappointed and annoyed when I realized that this book was actually going to have a sequel. I thought that McKinley could easily have cut the book down by 100 or so pages, removing the repetitious and redundant descriptions, and smoothing out the timeline, and then I find out she's going to follow it up with a second book?! Sigh. That was a bit of a bummer. And, of course I need to read the sequel because this book has one of the worst endings I've ever read. It ends, quite literally, in the middle of a scene. Nothing is resolved, everyone seems doomed, and all we have to go on are questions, assumptions and vague references to history.

I know that this review is predominantly negative, which makes me sad, and is not entirely what I was going for. The writing is, as always, beautiful and very well done. Sylvi and Ebon were a great character team, and their friendship is almost palpable. Their connection has enriched their lives, and I'm very interested to see what they will be able to accomplish in the future.

And although I was quite annoyed that this story ends in the middle of the scene, I must admit that I am incredibly interested in watching what Sylvi's father does with this new information, and how it will change their lives.

Overall, this is a beautiful story that just happens to be a little difficult to get through. But, I'd still recommend it for McKinley fans. Just, don't get your hopes too high.

* Disclaimer: I received this book through Star Book Tours.

Memory Monday, the seventh

The Little Match Girl by Hans Christian Anderson and The Gift of the Magi by O. Henry are two of my very favorite Christmas stories. Both of these stories are able to instantly bring to mind clear memories of past Christmases, and times spent with my family. Click the titles if you would like to read the stories online. They are both definitely worth the time it takes to read. 

As I mentioned in a previous Memory Monday, my family is a bit... dramatic. My dad's parents started a home town theater in West Yellowstone, Montana and my grandfather was a drama professor for years. Acting, orating, speaking and dramatic readings are one of the most clear and vivid pictures I have of my grandfather, and certain milestones in my life are remembered by which story Grandpa was telling.

These two stories were stories that he told over and over again. Both stories are bittersweet, although the ending to The Gift of the Magi is most definitely happier than that of The Little Match Girl but both embody something inherent to the spirit of Christmas.

In O. Henry's story, the husband and wife are willing to sacrifice their most prized and valued possessions to purchase something nice for the other. Their desire to show the love they have for each other is stronger than the desire to maintain their possessions, and learning this is a greater gift than any trinket or bobble, no matter how nice, could be.

Anderson's story appears far more tragic, and it took me a while as a child to appreciate and understand why the story was told at Christmas time. The story leaves us with the idea and the hope of a better place. Our little match girl is alone, cold, and unloved. When she begins striking the matches she is supposed to be selling in a vain attempt to keep warm, she sees a glorious image of food, warmth and love, directed and given to her. Desperate to maintain that vision, she strikes all of the matches and is found in the morning frozen, with a wide smile upon her face. I admit that I don't have an easy line or idea about what this story means about Christmas. I have a much stronger reaction to this story when I listening to a recitation of it, or reading it on my own. But, I have a gut reaction to this story, that makes it feel like Christmas and love.

I know that this is largely due to my grandfather, because of his love for the tale, but regardless, this is a story that resonates with me, that leaves me questioning, thinking and wondering about the true meaning of Christmas.

Both of these are stories that I strongly recommend you seek out if you are unfamiliar with them. What Christmas stories do you hear every year? What memories do those bring?

Another one...

I think this needs to be the last challenge I commit myself to for next year... Pretty soon, I'm going to get overwhelmed! :)

Among the Muses is having a Fairy Tale reading challenge for 2011. And I absolutely love retold fairy tales. It's one of my favorite genres, and one I consistently read and enjoy. So, I was really excited to hear about a challenge designed around them!

I've decided to go for the Magical level, which is 4-6 fairy tales, but it's very possible I'll end up reading more than that. This is just the number I'm committing myself to. We'll see how I do! :)

Review: Case Closed? Nine Mysteries... by Susan Hughes

Case Closed? Nine Mysteries Unlocked by Modern Science by Susan Hughes is a fun look into nine mysterious disappearances, many going back to ancient times.

The book is definitely geared toward middle grade readers. The language was on a level younger kids could understand, and larger words (like Anthropology) that young kids might not have come into contact with previously are explained in a way that does not make the reader feel stupid or condescended to. And, the author also included a glossary in the back of the book to use as a reference guide.

This is a great starting point, and would definitely be a book I'd direct children toward if they showed an interest in history, or science. My main complaint with this book is that there wasn't a lot of detail. Both our introduction to the original mystery, and its resolution were told with just the basic facts presented. Knowing that this is a book geared toward younger kids makes that understandable and acceptable, but I still found myself wishing for more detail. But, this is a great place to start. If mysterious disappearances intrigue you, this is likely a book you will enjoy as a starting point, but don't expect very much new information if you are already familiar with the cases.

Although I did enjoy reading this book, it doesn't cross over for adults as well as I'd hoped. However, I do not fault the author or the book for that, because it is meant to be a place to initially learn about some of these disappearances, and it was written for kids. If you have kids who are interested in history or science, I'd definitely recommend picking up a copy of this book and giving it a shot.

*Disclaimer: Review copy received from the author/publisher in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.

Holiday Break Reading Challenge

I've been a little unmotivated lately to do things in advance, and I don't really know what/where to go with a few things. 

So, when I stumbled across this Holiday Break Reading Challenge, I decided to participate in an attempt to focus my plans, get organized, and get motivated. It lasts from today, Friday the 17th and runs until January 2nd. I don't know exactly what's planned for the upcoming days, but I am excited to see!

There are little challenges/activities to get us moving, and today's is setting goals. Easy right?

So, my goals for this challenge, which will also kind of translate into goals to stick to:

1. Read at least 50% of the review copies I have waiting to be read. 

2. Get ahead of my reviews- start writing/scheduling them in advance. At least 1/3 of the 'notebook reviews' should be typed by the end. 

3. Explore twitter, and decide if I want to cave on that one... (Any suggestions?) 

4. Clean up/rewrite/update some of the pages on my  blog.

Is anyone else planning to participate in this challenge? It looks like it could be a lot of fun, so here's to hoping! :)

Review: Just Listen by Sarah Dessen

Just Listen is my second attempt at a Sarah Dessen book. (Read my review for This Lullaby) I liked This Lullaby okay, but wasn't wowed by it the way so many people seemed to be. But, I did enjoy it.

Just Listen was better. I felt more of a connection with these characters, and I can most definitely see myself reading more by Sarah Dessen in the near future.

Owen was a great character. The boy has got a lot of bottled up anger, but he's got a huge capacity for love as well. Watching him open up was wonderful. I think he was my favorite character in this story.

Annabel was also a great character, and it was painful watching her struggle. You have a pretty good idea the whole time why she's struggling so much, but that doesn't make it any easier to read about. She is hurting, and distrusting, but she slowly begins to open up to Owen, and allow him a place in her life. I thought they were great together, and I really wanted for things to work out.

This book really reminded me of Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson, and I think that is a weakness of this story. Not because Just Listen isn't powerful or important, but because I believe Speak to be more so, and I read it first. That being said, I do honestly believe that Just Listen is an important story, one that needed to be told, and one that will touch just as many people as Speak has. Speak is powerful in its simplicity and sparseness, but Just Listen offers us a deeper look into the characters and their relationships with each other, not just focusing on the main character.

Music plays a hugely important role in Owen's life, and as they grow closer, it begins to change Annabel as well. This is a story that will reach certain people and that makes me truly happy, because people need to know that life gets better, that there can be an end to pain, that sometimes, all you have to do is be willing to listen.

Review: Girl, Stolen by April Henry

Girl, Stolen by April Henry is the story of Cheyenne, a young girl accidentally kidnapped when someone steals the SUV she's sleeping in. She's sick, (pneumonia) and she's blind.

I can't imagine how terrifying that would be. Being kidnapped would be horrifying enough, but to be blind as well?! I can't imagine. I thought this was handled very well by the author. Cheyenne's emotional state when she realized she was being kidnapped seemed very real. She tried threats, she tried bargaining, and she tried begging. She was scared, but she's also a smart girl, and she thought things through- used her brains.

It was also interesting to watch Griffin's character, and discover more about him. He's the boy that takes the SUV, but right from the beginning, it's pretty obvious that he's not an inherently bad kid. There are outside influences on Griffin that seem to be shaping his behavior, and that broke my heart, just the tiniest bit.

Overall, reading this book I was more impressed with the characters than I was the story itself. Large parts of the story were just a little bit too unbelievable. It was hard to suspend my disbelief long enough to take what was happening to or between the characters seriously. However, I thought this was an interesting look into human characteristics. It's often hard to know who we will be in different situations, and how we would react to them. April Henry has us look into what circumstances might make of us. Griffin doesn't have to be a bad kid, he's just desperate for his father's love and approval. Cheyenne wasn't always blind but once she got over the initial shock and depression, she didn't let it keep her down, and she learned to live around the blindness. It makes me wonder how I'd react to various stimuli.

And, I also have to add that I loved the climax of the story! It was very well done, and the only part of the story I found to be compulsively readable. It was handled wonderfully, and was just realistic enough to have been possible.

Overall, this book was an enjoyable read, but not one I found to be terribly memorable. It's a book I'm not going to remember much about down the road, but it's that book that will come to mind at odd moments and make me stop, to think and contemplate on life.

*Disclaimer: I received this book through We Love YA Tours.

Review: The King of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner

The King of Attolia is the third book in The Queen's Thief series by Megan Whalen Turner. (Read my reviews of The Thief and The Queen of Attolia here) Eugenides is back again, although the bulk of this book is not narrated by him, but by a young member of the Queen's guard, Costis.

The Attolians are having a very hard time dealing with Gen as their new king. They distrust him because he is an outsider, the people we meet in the book know that he stole the Queen to force the marriage before her escape, and no one believes them truly in love, because of a certain event at the beginning of Queen. Costis loses his temper, and strikes the new King. Rather than have him killed, Eugenides makes him a member of his guard (ish) which is why so much of the story is narrated by him.

I was a little worried at first, when I learned that Eugenides was not our main narrator, because I love his character, completely. I think he's wonderful. (In fact, I think I'm making myself a little giddy, just thinking about it...) But, Turner handles it brilliantly. We are able to see Eugenides through new eyes, and the eyes of someone who strongly dislikes him. We all know how clever Gen is, and he knows how clever Gen is, but Costis does not. So, when we see these small pieces of the Gen we know and love pop through his image of boredom and weakness, we rejoice and cheer and laugh at how silly the people of his new court are, because they can't seem to pick up on his genius.

The scene where Costis finally realizes just how brilliant his new King is still makes me happy. (This is what I was referring to, as still being able to make me a little giddy...). I won't give away any spoilers, because that would be criminal, but I will hint that it's the scene when the Queen (Irene) is discussing the difference between ninety-eight days and six months with Gen.

I think this is my favorite so far (there is a fourth already out, and I believe a fifth in progress) and it's my favorite because it combines the best elements of the first two. It contains the wonderful characterization of The Thief and the intrigues and intricacies of The Queen. Turner writes wonderfully. She builds up a huge tower of cards, and you can't possibly understand how she supports it all when BAM, you realize she was never using cards at all, and that it has always been completely stable. Brilliance!

Even though, as outsiders, we know that Gen just has to have something up his sleeve, it still hurts watching the way the people treat him. It has to be incredibly hard, knowing that everyone hates you and suffering through their constant belittlements. But Gen handles it well and when he finally begins to show his true colors, and turn the tables? It's perfection in a book. I love what he says on page 356, "You can always change the perceptions of fools."

I can't wait to see where the fourth book takes me! Sophos is back (a fairly important character in The Thief who in barely mentioned in The Queen and who has gone missing in The King.)

Review: Fixing Delilah by Sarah Ockler

Fixing Delilah is so much more than it appears. If this book is anything to judge by, Sarah Ockler is a writer to watch out for because she has an incredible ability to form realistic and wonderful characters, relationships and settings. I haven't believed so much in the actions of the characters I was reading about in a long time. I have been planning to read Twenty Boy Summer for a while now, but after reading this book, it's definitely higher up on my tbr now.

Delilah used to be a good girl, who got good grades and never got into trouble, the same way she used to be close to her mom. But her mom's job is demanding, and over the years, they spend less and less time together until all they seem to do it fight. And, Delilah is facing down a whole bunch of crap at school that she can't seem to get a handle on, and no one seems like who they are suppose to be anymore.

Delilah has legitimate problems at school and home and she reacts the only way she knows how. I was impressed by the way Ockler handled this. In order for Delilah to need 'fixing' she had to have some issues to begin with. I've read too many books in my life where the author gives us a 'troubled' teen complete with the stereotypical problems that are used to completely explain away and excuse bad behavior until some easy and magical fix comes along (like a new boyfriend...). But Ockler never does that, not with any of the problems she sets up for her characters. She does give us reasons for the behaviors, but she never once treats them like an excuse. They are the catalyst, and perhaps the cause, but she always lets us know that her characters chose what their effect would be. I never felt like Ockler took the easy way out. I never once felt cheated as a reader.

I thought that Ockler was able to create a very believable family dynamic and each of the relationships in this book were truly great. I can't say enough times how believable I found this story to be. Her relationship with Patrick was perfect- a childhood friend who maybe, just might start to become a little bit more. Emily was a great addition as well, a friend for Delilah when she desperately needed one. Even her memories showed relationships, her loving grandfather, distant grandmother and her imagined connection to the father she never knew.

Both individually and in connection to others, Delilah was a very real character to me. I felt her pain and her happiness, despair and hope.

This was a strong read, one I highly recommend. It answers each question it brings up satisfactorily without over-exposing. This book reminds me once again why I really do prefer contemporary fiction. If Twenty Boy Summer is anywhere near as good as this was, Sarah Ockler will land on my instant to-read list forever.

*Disclaimer: I received this book through Around the World Tours.

I'm so excited!!

I don't usually do a Mailbox-eqs post, partly because I don't usually get a ton of stuff, but mostly because I just... don't. But, this last week I got so much awesomeness that I just can't keep it all to myself, so I'm going to share it! :)

I participated in a blogger Secret Santa exchange, and my Secret Santa (Margot from Joyfully Retired) was made of awesome. I got a box which included a really pretty purple journal, a hardback copy of Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly (click here for my review-loved it!) and a book called How to Plant a Tree. Each was individually wrapped, which is always lots of fun. I opened the tree book first, which I admit threw me for a minute, but then I opened the journal, which I included in a list of wants on a Chronicle Book list a few weeks back. I remembered that I had also linked a photographic coffee table volume of trees, with the aside, I seriously love trees. It's amazing how much thought she put into what to get me, and it definitely makes me feel warm and fuzzy. Basically, it was just amazing. :)

Then, as if that wasn't great enough, today I got 7 packages in the mail. In fact, my packages were the only mail that came today. We didn't even get any junk mail! 4 of those contained tour books, which I never bother mentioning, because I figure the reviews are usually up within a few weeks, so whatever, but the other three packages were all mine, and most exciting.

The first was a box from amazon, filled with books I've wanted for a while that I bought to get free shipping for my little brother's Christmas present. (I spent at least 15 dollars more than I would have spent on shipping, but I got new books! :) ) I bought Enchantress from the Stars by Sylvia Engdhal, The Thief and The Queen of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner, and The Prophet of Yonwood by Jeanne DePrau. Yay for books!

A while ago, Jamie at The Perpetual Page Turner had a birthday giveaway, and I won a journal. I love journals. When I was in high school, I wrote in them all the time. I filled 9 journals in 2 years. I can't promise that anything I said was at all interesting, but I was definitely diligent. I admit that now I seem to like the idea of a journal better than the actuality, but I still can't seem to stop buying/obtaining all these really pretty journals. I got my new journal today, and it's lovely. The pages don't have lines, which is, I admit, a potential problem, but there are really pretty flowers placed throughout the book, so I think I might turn it into something special, rather than the mundane ramblings of a potentially crazy person. ;) Also included in that package was an 'Old School Ledger'! How cool is that?! The front has to-do lists with perforated edges, the middle looks like a way to track money, and the back is a lined notebook! I'm totally excited for it, and kind of wish I was cool enough to have something official to use it for. :)

And finally, the package I was the most excited for. Antony John had an awesome giveaway on his blog the other week, and I won!! I received a personalized copy of his novel, Five Flavors of Dumb, which I have wanted to read for a while now. It looks really interesting. And, I also received an ARC copy of Where She Went by Gayle Forman. This book has been eating at me for a while now, I want to read it so bad, so I was ecstatic when I found out I had won. Both books are definitely on my radar, and now they are mine! Mwa hahaha! ;)

I'm so incredibly excited about everything that I got this week, I can't even handle it! It's beyond amazing. BooYa!

Memory Monday- VI

Today's Memory Monday takes me back- way back. I remember each of these picture books from early grade school. These are books that I first heard when my teacher read them to the class. I loved them so much I read them later on my own, but then I forgot all about them. Something reminded me of them, and I searched for both of them for a long time before I finally found them.

The first was the easiest to find- The Mitten by Jan Brett. A little boy loses his mitten in the woods, and various animals in the forest use it for shelter. I believe this book was my first real experience with the suspension of disbelief. I distinctly remember thinking to myself that what was happening simply wasn't possible. There was no way these animals could all fit inside this mitten, especially when they all start cramming in there together. But then I remember making the conscious decision to like the book anyway, and just pretend for a moment that it was possible, and I was then able to enjoy the story. What can I say, I tend to over think things.

The next book took a lot longer to find, because I didn't remember anything about the title, I just knew it was about a Christmas tree that kept getting its top chopped off over and over, because each piece was just a tiny bit to big for its new home. I was beyond thrilled when I finally found the title again. Mr. Willowby's Christmas Tree by Robert Barry. I used to examine the tops of our Christmas trees every year after I read this book, looking for that bend in the top that meant we would need to clip it off. I never got to though, and I'm pretty sure I was awfully disappointed about it...

Do any of you have a favorite winter or Christmas picture book? Or a favorite winter read now? I'd love to hear about them!

I want this bad!

I've never participated in the WoW meme before, and I know this isn't Wednesday, but I feel like I totally need to let you all know how badly I want this book...

I recently read Saving Francesca by Melina Marchetta and I loved it. A few months before that, I read Jellicoe Road which I loved hardcore. It is one of the best books I've read, ever. I've developed a bit of an author crush on Ms. Marchetta... I haven't reviewed either of them yet, but it's coming. :)

Anyway, I was browsing the blogosphere, and I can't remember where it was that I saw this, but a few days ago I saw this book being mentioned: The Piper's Son by Melina Marchetta. It comes out in 2011, and it revisits the world of Saving Francesca. I loved those other books, and I was definitely a little ... overcome by my excitement for this one, and I may or may not have made a series of Oh My Gosh freakout noises... ~shrugs what can I say... I was beyond excited to hear about this.

But, it doesn't come out until March of 2011, and I'm depressed. I want it bad! Sigh... Maybe my good luck fairy will come to visit me soon. A girl can dream, right?!

Another challenge! :)

Adam over at Roof Beam Reader is hosting a challenge in 2011 using our long-standing tbr piles. The challenge is to chose 12 books, each that have been on your tbr for over a year (so no 2010 release dates) and read them. You must read all 12 to complete the challenge, but you have all year to do it, and the order doesn't matter. He also allows a little bit of wiggle room, giving us the option of 2 alternate book choices. You can read the specifics on his site here.



I love reading challenges, and I'm loving that this one draws exclusively from our tbr piles. There are so many great books that have been languishing in that pile for so long, that it will be nice to have an excuse to pull them out and read them.

Here's my list:

1. Frankenstein- Mary Shelley
2. The Sun Also Rises or A Farewell to Arms- Ernest Hemingway
3. The Secret Life of Bees- Sue Monk Kidd
4. Shadow of a Bull- Maia Wojcieowska
5. Surviving the Applewhites- Stephanie S. Tolan
6. The Golden Compass- Phillip Pullman
7. Rebecca- Daphne du Marier
8. Freakonomics- Steven Levitt & Stephen Dubner
9. War of the Worlds- H.G. Wells
10. The Handmaid's Tale- Margaret Atwood
11. Ender's Game- Orson Scott Card
12. The Shining- Stephen King

Alternates:
13. Twenty Boy Summer- Sarah Ockler
14. The Five People You Met in Heaven- Mitch Albom

Read-A-Thon!

I love Read-a-Thons, and I haven't participated in one for a while. So, when I heard that The Bookish Type and Book-Savvy were hosting a Read-a-Thon, I knew I wanted to sign up. So, head on over to their blogs to participate in the Out with a Bang Read-a-Thon!

Here are the details, as listed on their sites:

The Readathon will run from December 29 - 31 and participants will be reading as many books as they can during that time! This Readathon is mainly to finish off the fabulous debuts for the Debut Author Challenge, but participants don't have to focus on that category if they have non-debut books that they would like to finish before 2010 ends.

And, if you need an extra incentive to participate, we'll also be giving away tons of swag and books during the Readathon (and a lot of it will be signed!)

Several awesome authors have been kind enough to donate items! I will do a special thank you post once we have all the details so that I don't miss anyone!

Heather and I will be hosting giveaways during the event, and there will also be fun daily Mini-Challenges, hosted by the following fabulous bloggers: (see their sites for the list)

YA: Love Triangles and the Double Standard

I was thinking about how many love triangles I've noticed popping up in YA literature lately, and whether or not I like them. And, it occurred to me that I cannot think of a single instance of a love triangle involving one boy and two girls. In my experience, it is always one girl deciding between two guys. I was trying to figure out why that is, why there were no cases involving two girls and one guy when I realized that as a general rule, we consider guys who are leading on two different females to be a player or a (insert string of long curse words here).

So why is it then okay for it to be a girl deciding between two guys?!

I'm sure every one, at one point or another has come across someone, either in literature or real life who is upset or affected by the gender stereotype/double standard that a boy who has many sexual partners is a stud, but a girl is a slut.

I've heard a lot of people get really up in arms over the above stereotype, both in real life and in literature, but I've never heard anyone talk that way about the reverse (love triangles).

So, what do you think? Why is it that one double standard is so offensive to people, but the other totally acceptable?

Whether you like reading love triangles or not, what are your thoughts on this?

Review: Matched by Ally Condie

Matched by Ally Condie was one of those books that I was super excited about. When I first heard about it, I was beyond excited. I love dystopian literature, and was definitely looking forward to spending some time in Cassia's world. I tend to ignore the hype that other people give to a story, so that rarely affects my overall feelings toward to book, but my own expectations certainly come into play.

The beginning of the story was brilliant. I just knew, by about page 10 that this was a book I was going to need to own. It was only the first chapter, but I already felt that edge of your seat excitement, wondering what was going to happen. The book begins with Cassia on her way to the matching banquet, and her nervous excitement definitely rubbed off on me. I was quite impressed by Condie's writing skills. It's not often I'm that hooked on a story that early.

I felt like I knew that my expectations had been on the mark, and this book was going to amaze me. Sadly, although I did enjoy it, the build up and anticipation ended up being both bigger and better than what was actually delivered.

Condie did a wonderfully horrible job of world building. I think that the idea behind the Society is extra scary, because so few people question it, and so few people recognize that there is something wrong with the way they live, at least of the characters that we met. The Society has completely removed choice. The ability to make my own choices is something I've thought a lot about. I don't believe in destiny or fate, and I don't believe that anyone has a right to make my choices for me, whether my choices are good or bad, they are mine, and mine alone. But, the people in Cassia's world have never known choice. The Society removed it by telling the people that their way was best- it removed disease, genetically weak children, old age, crime, etc. All the bad things are gone, leaving only the 'good' behind. But none of that good is something you were able to decide on.

I listened to Cassia tell us about the choices the Society made for her, and justify their actions, and I kept waiting and waiting for her to wake up, and realize how awful an existence that was. But it wasn't until she began to fall in love with Ky, and realize that she would never be able to be with him that she decided the Society was in the wrong.

Now, I understand that the love story between Cassia and Ky is important to the story, that this is where her awakening begins and yada yada yada. But I was a little disappointed, because I felt like that's all the story was. When I read a dystopian novel, I expect the conflict between character and world to be dominant, not the conflict between love interests. I never felt like Cassia really came to the understanding that the Society was inherently bad or flawed. All she knew was that the Society's control over her ability to make choices was keeping her apart from Ky, whom she loved and that Ky would never be able to make his own choices. If the Society had noticed this part of her, and made an exception for her and Ky, I kind of believe that she would have then been content to live the remainder of her life in peace, leaving the Society as it stands and forgetting her teenaged rebellion in favor of the peaceful settled life with Ky.

There was also a lot of information missing from the story. A lot was left undisclosed, most importantly- how the world became the way it is now. It would take some seriously heavy stuff to completely obliterate choices like that, and I would like to know what happened that convinced the people it was okay to give up all rights and choices, and how long it took to happen. I do know that this is a trilogy, so there are two more books for Condie to make her explanations, but I would still have liked a little more information.

I'm briefly mentioning the love triangle with Xander and Ky because I know that is the main basis for the book, but I don't really think there was that much conflict. This wasn't a case of being in love with my best friend, and then having someone else pop up. Although Cassia and Xander are matched, and even though she is excited about kissing the boy she knows she will marry, Cassia is never really in love with Xander. She loves Ky, and you always know the story is headed in that direction. But, I will say that I thought both boys were incredibly well written characters, and both of them care about Cassia very much. I am looking forward to their roles in the future.

Even though there were a few things I disliked, this really was an enjoyable book. I liked reading it, and would definitely consider myself a fan. I will be reading the next book and I can only hope that Cassia will open her eyes to more flaws than just the injustice being done to Ky.

*Disclaimer: I received this book through Around the World Tours.

Review: Hattie Big Sky by Kirby Larsen

Hattie Big Sky by Kirby Larsen is the story of 16 year old Hattie, who has never felt like she has a home of her own. She's been moved around her whole life, and desperately wants a place of her own. Her uncle leaves her his Montana claim, if she is willing to move there to work it in time to meet the deadlines/guidelines for staking a free claim. Hattie gets her affairs in order and moves to Montana, without knowing anyone or anything about what she's really getting herself into.

There is a wonderful family that lives close to Hattie, and they do all they can to make her feel welcome, help her get settled in and survive. But, it's the middle of WWI, and the husband is German. It's a small town, and the people can't see past his German heritage to the good man they've known for so long. Hattie's never seen anything like it, and it, among other things, forces her to change her view of the world. The story also uses a series of letters Hattie is writing to a friend overseas fighting the war, and articles she sends back to her hometown newspaper about her life in Montana to earn a little money.

I thought this book was stunning. The writing is beautiful and engaging. Hattie is a wonderful narrator. She has a strong, independent voice, spoken, internal and written, and she knows who she is, but she also recognizes that she has room to grow, and she welcomes the help other people can bring to her. She is friendly to all the neighbors, and develops a really solid relationship with all of them, except the stories main antagonist, and even then, Hattie goes out of her way to be nice, and friendly. Chase and Mattie are the older children of the family mentioned above. Their father died, and it's their step-father who is German. These children were a wonderful part of the story. They reminded me of why I really do just love kids. They have a freshness and innocence to them as well as a firm pride in themselves and the man they call their father that you can't help but love them. Some of the most emotional, hopeful and heart-rending scenes involve those children.

Larsen is also a wonderful writer. I live in Idaho, which shares a border with Montana, and I've spent my fair share of time up in Montana and Wyoming both. Larsen nailed it. The area is beautiful, but wild and that feeling is really captured here with Hattie. Larsen's descriptions were so awe-inspiring that I found myself tempted to be a homesteader, and I know what it feels like to be so cold mere minutes outside freezes your blood in your veins, and you think if you close your eyes you'll never be able to open them again. It doesn't get to negative 65 degrees here anymore, but it sure gets cold. The terrain is majestic. When you stand at the edge of a huge expanse of open terrain, it makes you feel like you are a part of the land, like the earth is filling you completely. I can't imagine how much more powerful that feeling would be if you knew that you owned that land.

This is a book I think it would be a shame to miss. This book is one to break the heart. It's rough. Living on your own in the wilds of the Montana prairie would not be easy for anyone, but Hattie handles her trials admirably. Although the story is not always a happy one, it is always a hopeful one.

Review: Daughter of Xanadu by Dori Jones Yang

Daughter of Xanadu by Dori Jones Yang is the story of young Emmajin, the eldest grandchild of the Great Khan. Her closest friend is her cousin, Suren, the eldest grandson of the Khan. Strength and fighting skills are valued in their culture, and Emmajin desperately wants to be allowed to serve in her grandfather's military. She would be the first.

Her grandfather gives her an important assignment. She is to become the companion and guide to the young traveler Marco Polo, and his father and uncle, who are traveling with them. She is basically a spy- sent to extract secrets that will make it easier for her grandfather to conquer their lands, and fulfill the prophecy from the Gods that their empire would unite the world.

Predictably, as Emmajin gets to know Marco better, she stops thinking of him as a stranger, or enemy and begins to consider him a friend, and then- more.

Although I found several parts of this story to be fairly predictable, I still really enjoyed the book. I thought that Emmajin was a great character, and we see a lot of growth in her over the course of the story. She really comes into her own. In the beginning, she is enthralled by the stories told in the courts about the mighty battles their warriors fought, and the grand acts of heroism and valor in battle. She can't imagine anything more rewarding or wonderful than being involved in something like that. But, as the story progresses, and she begins to learn more about Marco Polo's European ideals, and his desire for peace, she starts to question her belief systems, and view their culture from the eyes of an outsider. Eventually, Emmajin learns the hard way that battle is not all glory. The enemies have faces, lives, and stories of their own.

I loved watching her learn about differing points of view, and realizing that there isn't only one way of doing things. I thought Emmajin was a very well drafted and carefully thought out character. Unfortunately, she was about the only character I thought was fully imagined. Suren is Emmajin's best friend. They've been inseparable since they were tiny, and continue to be close as they grow. But, Suren is only ever fleshed out in relation to Emmajin. It's almost like he is only fully a person when sitting next to Emmajin. I felt like that about most of the other characters, including Marco Polo. To toss in a bit of philosophy, it reminded me of Idealism, which is the idea that there is no real reality. Everything we know/see only exists in relation to us. Sort of like The Matrix, except we aren't really plugged into any machines.

I wished that there had been more character development outside of Emmajin, but my biggest problem with the story was the ending. I thought that the ending was unrealistic. I don't want to go into details, because that really ruins the story, but I didn't believe it at all. I stopped believing what was happening as soon as Emmajin was sitting around the fire at the camp with Marco Polo, her grandfather and other members of the court and hunting party. It just would not have happened like that, and I feel like the author just needed a quick and happy resolution.

I do think this is a book worth reading.  I wish the author had stayed a little truer to her characters when writing the ending. I think it was a disservice to both the characters and the reader to end it as she did. That being said, overall, I still enjoyed Emmajin's character and her discoveries about her world, and I enjoyed following her interactions with people.

*Disclaimer: I received this book through Around the World Tours.