The Compound by S.A. Bodeen

245 pages

"Eli and his family have lived in the underground Compound for six years. The world they knew is gone, and they've become accustomed to their new life. Accustomed, but not happy. For Eli, no amount of luxury can stifle the dull routine of living in the same place, with only his two sisters, only his father and mother, doing the same thing day after day after day. As problems with their carefully planned existence threaten to destroy their sanctuary - and their sanity - Eli can't help but wonder if he'd rather take his chances outside. Eli's father built the Compound to keep them safe. But are they safe - or sorry?" -Back Cover

I thought the final tag line in the description of this book "But are they safe - or sorry?" was lame, but I was still intrigued enough by the rest of it to read it. The story had potential but I think it fell flat in a lot of places. And it was just plain weird and wacky in others.

{SPOILERS}

We find out early on that Eli is an identical twin and that his twin and his grandma didn't make it into the Compound, which is meant to keep the family safe from nuclear fallout after Eli's dad tells them the world has been destroyed by a nuclear bomb. His dad is obsessed with nuclear war and it just so happens he's a billionaire. Eli spends a lot  of time in the beginning missing his brother and bemoaning the fact that he is the reason Eddy isn't there. I get that thinking you're the cause of your brother's death would eat away at you, and I guess if you've got nothing but time to dwell on it, then it would consume your thoughts. I found it annoying.

The author had the potential to make Eli's dad a truly crazy person but I didn't find him crazy in the scary way I was hoping to. He's just plain off his rocker. He has a few, brief moments of evil. I wish he would have been more like that throughout the story because then it would have made the reader feel more desperation for Eli and the rest of his family.

I could not get past the Supplements. About halfway through the book you find out what's behind that ominous yellow door. It's children that Eli's mother and father have given birth to while living in the Compound. Their purpose? To provide a solution to the growing food shortage. Eew, eew, and double eew. Eli's dad plans to test their will to survive by seeing if they will get desperate enough to eat their own brothers and sisters. He loves Eli, Lexie, Terese and his wife so much that he's spent millions of dollars creating the Compound, yet he cares nothing for his other children. Then you find out that it's all been a lesson in entitlement. The dad feels like the kids need to learn what it's like to not have everything handed to them on a silver platter so he decides to go to the ultimate extreme and make them live like the world has been destroyed. Those elements of the story ruined it for me. I don't know if the author thought that would really make Eli's dad seem sadistic or what, but I think she could have gone about it in a much more subtle, scarier way.

I did like the leave-you-hanging ending. That was probably the most suspenseful part of the story for me. I'm disappointed in this book. It could have been much better than it was.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling

309 pages

"Harry Potter has never played a sport while flying on a broomstick. He's never worn a cloak of invisibility, befriended a giant, or helped hatch a dragon. All Harry knows is a miserable life with the Dursleys, his horrible aunt and uncle, and their abominable son, Dudley. Harry's room is a tiny closet at the foot of the stairs, and he hasn't had a birthday party in eleven years.

But all that is about to change when a mysterious letter arrives by owl messenger: a letter with an invitation to a wonderful place he never dreamed existed. There he finds not only friends, aerial sports, and magic around every corner, but a great destiny that's been waiting for him...if Harry can survive the encounter." -Back Cover

I haven't read this book since it first came out and I can't believe it's been so many years ago! I like to revisit favorite books at different stages of life. I think you appreciate them differently.

This book is still a favorite. I love the message of friendship and courage in this series. I like that Harry, Ron and Hermione are allowed to learn things on their own and that they are trusted to do great things at such a young age. Dumbledore puts great faith in Harry. I can't wait to re-read the other books, but I think I'll read different things in between. I got several books on my wish list for Christmas and I can't wait.

1984 by George Orwell

298 pages

"The year 1984 has come and gone, but George Orwell's prophetic, nightmarish vision in 1949 of the world we were becoming is timelier than ever. 1984  is still the great modern classic of 'negative utopia' - a startlingly original and haunting novel that creates an imaginary world that is completely convincing, from the first sentence to the last four words. No one can deny the novel's hold on the imaginations of whole generations, or the power of its admonitions - a power that seems to grow, not lessen, with the passage of time." -Back Cover

I love dystopian fiction which is why I'm kind of embarrassed to say that I'm not sure that I've ever read this classic, so I wanted to rectify that. I have to preface my review by saying that I love to read because I enjoy being transported to new worlds and/or entertained or moved in some way for a few hours. I don't necessarily want to have to think very much while I'm reading. I am the mother of three and the wife of a busy executive director so by the time I do 2nd-6th grade math and listen to my husband's worries, my brain's done. There's not much left to put towards deep literary thinking.

Having said that, I did try to pay attention! I'm amazed that this book was written in 1949. Its message still resonates today in different ways. I believe George Orwell was writing to warn of the dangers of communism. The threat of Big Brother today comes in a different form yet is no less real. Government is increasingly present in our lives. Big Brother watches us and monitors our actions in many places. Government tries to assert itself into our families and tell us what's best for us. Mass media tries to tell us what is real and what is not. In a lot of ways our society accepts what is given to it by government without question.

1984  is not a happy story. It is a cautionary tale. Winston Smith does not win his fight against Big Brother and the Party. In fact, he stands no chance of winning from the start and the tragedy is that he knows it and the reader knows it. He is manipulated, tortured, brainwashed, and ultimately stripped of his humanity. He becomes exactly what the Party wants him to become - a human machine that suppresses any real memories in exchange for "truths" given to him by Big Brother and acts in an automated, predictable way. He's so reprogrammed that he has lost all feeling for anything. You almost feel relieved that that's the case because of the hopelessness O'Brien instills in the reader via Smith during his time in the Ministry of Love. You feel like it would almost be better to live in trained stupidity than to rage against such a big machine. Big Brother destroys everything good and leaves nothing but hatred and loneliness. Its sole purpose is to destroy the individual and control thought.

As depressing as the story was I also found it be hopeful. I still felt, even at the end, that there was hope for humanity, that even though Winston failed someone else might one day rise up and succeed. Maybe that's what George Orwell was trying to tell us - that we must be the ones to succeed. I'm sure there's probably a deeper message than that. One of these days I'll let one of the 2,000 reviewers of this book on Amazon tell me what it is.

On the Wings of Heroes by Richard Peck

148 pages

"The whole world was golden with forsythia in bloom that noontime when Bill walked me home for lunch. He'd come off the morning train with just time to see Mom first. His uniform buttons sparked sunlight, and there was a little strut in his step. I rode all the way home on the wings of my hero. So did Scooter, as far as his house.

When Bill and I got home, Mom had all our favorites. Toasted cheese sandwiches and tomato soup. A pie was in the oven.

Bill was only home for a few days before he had to report for training. On Saturday he went out to Dad's station, and I tagged along. I shadowed him the whole time, trying to match his stride and memorize him for later." -Dust Jacket

This is my second Richard Peck book and I'm starting to realize that he is a genius at writing books about delightful, normal, everyday people. He manages to bring characters alive in a few short pages in a way that few authors can and I think I'm going to have to read one of his books to my kids. They're great for families. I laughed out loud several times reading both this book and A Long Way From Chicago.

In 148 short pages the reader experiences typical life on a suburban American street before the war, then the effects of the bombing of Pearl Harbor - rationing, blackouts, loved ones going off to war, and the toll war takes on a community. Davy's family is full of lovable characters, but Miss Titus steals the show for me. Everybody needs a teacher like Eulalia Titus. Oh, and a dad who plays hide-and-seek on Halloween and lies in wait for the teenagers out playing pranks.

Room by Emma Donoghue

321 pages

"To five-year-old Jack, Room is the world. It's where he was born, it's where he and his Ma eat and sleep and play and learn. There are endless wonders that let loose Jack's imagination - the snake under Bed that he constructs out of eggshells, the imaginary world projected through the TV, the coziness of Wardrobe below Ma's clothes, where she tucks him in safely at night in case Old Nick comes.

Room is home to Jack, but to Ma it's the prison where she has been held since she was nineteen - for seven years. Through her fierce love for her son, she has created a life for him in that eleven-by-eleven-foot space. But Jack's curiosity is building alongside her own desperation - and she knows that Room cannot contain either much longer." -Dust Jacket

On the recommendation of a good friend who loves good books, I went to the library and checked this out. I haven't been outside the children's section of the library in years; I just love buying books, and finding good deals on those books. I think sometimes I keep Amazon in business single-handedly. Or not, since I usually buy books for $0.01 and pay $3.99 in shipping. I will be buying this book but I didn't want to wait for the right price.

I couldn't put this book down. I ended this book sobbing, but in a good way. I think the last paragraph on the dust jacket sums up how I feel perfectly:

"Told in the poignant and funny voice of Jack, Room is a story of unconquerable love in harrowing circumstances, and of the diamond-hard bond between a mother and her child. It is a shocking, exhilarating, and riveting novel - but always deeply human and always moving. Room is a place you will never forget."

One thing did nag at me as I was reading: why on earth would a 19-year-old girl fall for the "my dog's hurt/going crazy" routine from an older man and willingly get in his truck? Maybe a young child, but a college student? The reader never learns Ma's full name. I liked that. I think it makes it easier to envision this brave young woman as being anyone and no one in particular. She could be any young mother. Jack loves her and she loves Jack, so much so that she creates a heaven for him out of her hell. I think the way Jack feels about Room is a testament to her courage and compassion. She gives him as normal a childhood as their circumstance allows, creating games and retelling stories, making him feel loved and happy and keeping him safe. I like that this story is told from Jack's perspective. I think the author does a great job writing the thoughts and feelings of a five-year-old and making those thoughts and feelings believable. Jack's voice creates a tender innocence for a horrific situation. It keeps things PG-rated and it lets you find beauty in tragedy. His using proper nouns for items like Rug, Wardrobe, Table, made those things come alive and made you feel how important they were to Jack in his small world. Told through Ma's eyes this story would have been a completely different read. Their very different feelings about Rug are proof of that.

{SPOILERS}

I liked the flow of this story. Jack and Ma escape halfway through, which leaves the second half of the book to deal with the aftermath and emotions of seven years in captivity. Jack and Ma both have adjustments to make to being free. Jack has only ever known Room and Outside is overwhelming for him. Ma has the emotional and physical trauma to deal with of having had her life stolen from her. It is not an easy road for either of them and they both have to find a new way. Ma's strength lies in the fact that she gets back up and keeps going. The ending was a full-circle moment, and again a testament to Ma's character. Jack wants to visit Room again and she takes him so they can both say goodbye.

I love books that make you feel and sometimes think differently about life. This one does that the whole way through. It's one you won't soon forget. And can I just say that I love Steppa? He keeps it real.

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

122 pages

"Ebenezer Scrooge is not a nice man. He is mean to his employees and mean to his family. He doesn't understand Christmas at all. Then three ghosts appear, haunting Scrooge. One shows him Christmas past. One shows him Christmas present. And one shows him an eerie Christmas future. Now Scrooge has one last chance...before it's too late." -Back Cover

What can you say about Charles Dickens? Except perhaps that I ought to read more of him more often. I've seen versions of this movie several times, probably every Christmas, but I'm not sure I've ever read the book. Unlike many of his other books, this one's short. I feel a new holiday tradition coming on.

A Christmas Carol is a story of redemption. Ebenezer Scrooge is as cranky and dispassionate as they come. He has no tolerance for the suffering or condition of others. Yet the lessons of the three ghosts, four if you count Marley, are not lost on him. The thing I love about Scrooge is that he's really not a bad person. He's just lost his way, and become all consumed with things that aren't important. Yet he's also quick to embrace change. I've sometimes wondered why Marley would appear to him in the first place, to give him a shot at changing the course of his life. They didn't seem to have been that good of friends while he was alive. I think it's probably because Marley wasn't a bad person either and didn't wish his fate on anyone.

I love Scrooge's nephew and his zest for life and cheerful countenance. He's the type of person that spreads joy wherever he goes. I love that Scrooge has some fun with him and with Bob Cratchit on Christmas Day. You know that the change Scrooge has experienced is a permanent one and that the message of A Christmas Carol is for everyone.

Crossed by Ally Condie

367 pages

"RULES ARE DIFFERENT OUTSIDE THE SOCIETY.

Chasing down an uncertain future, Cassia makes her way to the Outer Provinces in pursuit of Ky - taken by the Society to his sure death - only to find that he has escaped into the majestic, but treacherous, canyons. On this wild frontier are glimmers of a different life and the enthralling promise of rebellion. But even as Cassia sacrifices everything to reunite with Ky, ingenious surprises from Xander may change the game once again." -Dust Jacket

I had to re-read Matched before I could start this one because I couldn't remember much of it. I've read a lot of dystopian fiction this year and there are similar elements in all of them (read: love triangle). Crossed was a typical filler book, like a lot of seconds in a trilogy are. I like it but it was sort of slow going. It set up some interesting things for book 3, I hope.

{SPOILERS}

WHAT I LIKED: The switching points of view. We already know Cassia fairly well and in this book we get to know Ky. He discloses bits and pieces of his story and how he became an Aberration. I thought it was an effective way to show how his and Cassia's experiences overlap while they're apart and then to show their thoughts and feelings when they're together. Ky is much more interesting than Cassia is.

Ky. I really like him. I think he's smart and clever and resourceful. In this book it's revealed that he's at least as good a sorter as Cassia is. You also learn just how adept he is at blending in and playing people to his advantage. I like his potential. I liked the history that he has with Xander.

The new characters - Indie, Eli, Hunter, and Vick. I thought they were a good addition if they have parts to play in the last book.

The poetry. I love books that show love for the written word, and in this world the written word that is not part of the Hundred Poems is considered valuable enough to trade. I like how poetry is used as a secret code and to express love.

The potential for book 3. I have high hopes for the last book in this series. I think Ally Condie's set up some great ideas and story lines. I like that Cassia has rejoined the Society and will work from the inside even though I didn't like how she got there. I like that there are so many unanswered questions. I like that Ky is wary of the Rising.

WHAT I DIDN'T REALLY LIKE: Xander's involvement...or lack thereof in this book. Love triangles have become a part of every story it seems like since Twilight and love triangles are all pretty much the same: you want the reader to like both guys and anxiously wait to see who the girl will pick. Xander and Ky are both likable guys, so this series will inevitably create Team Xander and Team Ky. The author does a good enough job that I'm undecided, although I do tend to lean towards Team Ky. I would have been okay with Xander's absence since Cassia is in the Outer Provinces looking for Ky and he's back in the Society, except that the dust jacket says "ingenious surprises from Xander may change the game once again." Xander shows up one time in this book. He gives Cassia a packet of blue pills with secret messages hidden inside. The blue pills, it turns out, are poisonous, but he doesn't know that. The secret messages, except for one, are just a recap of his Match information. On that one it's revealed that Xander has a secret. The reader gets reminded of that over and over until you finally learn that the big secret is that Xander has been recruited by the Rising and that Ky knows because he was approached too. Frankly I wasn't surprised that Xander's part of the rebellion. If he wasn't, his part in the story would become irrelevant.

The Rising. It's so vague which makes me not care much about it. You don't really know if they're good or bad, you just know that they're supposedly fighting the Society and have been for some time. Cassia and Indie eventually make it to the Rising only to be immediately sorted and Cassia sent back to the Society, this time to the Capital. The Rising reads her data and sends her on her way, so by the time Ky makes it there she's already gone. I just thought it was awfully fast and abrupt for a newcomer.

Several loose ends. Cassia escaped from her work group and yet can somehow rejoin Society, in the Capital no less, and begin working there. Her status as a Citizen hasn't changed, which makes you think that there's someone on the inside watching and helping her. Someone put Ky's face on the port screen for her to see. There's more going on with Cassia's mother and her work than we know. There are a lot of questions about the Society.

Bottom line is that I'll really love this series if all the loose ends are wrapped up in the last book.

Ranger's Apprentice: The Lost Stories by John Flanagan

419 pages

"They were mysterious. Some claim they were merely the stuff of legend - the Rangers with their mottled green-and-gray cloaks and their reputation as defenders of the Kingdom. Reports of their brave battles vary, but we know of at least ten accounts, most of which feature a boy - turned man - named Will and his mentor, Halt. There are reports, as well, of others who fought alongside the Rangers, such as the young warrior Horace, a courageous princess named Evanlyn, and a cunning diplomat named Alyss.

Yet this crew left very little behind and their existence has never been able to be proved. Until now, that is...Behold the Lost Stories." -Dust Jacket

Book 10 of this series ended in a satisfying way, sort of an "and they sailed off into the sunset" way, which I thought completely fit the series. So, although I was content, I was completely excited for this book. Will, Halt, Horace, Alyss, Evanlyn, Gilan, Duncan, they're all characters you don't want to leave behind. They endear themselves to you as the reader and if this series were to go on and on I would be the first in line.

The Lost Stories begins with an archaeological dig near Castle Redmont and the discovery of Will's former cabin. There Professor MacFarlane unearths carefully hidden pages - the lost stories of the Rangers. At first I was kind of...stunned, I guess. Will and Halt are larger than life and it was hard to imagine a fictional world in which they don't exist. They are legendary. It was hard to think of them having grown old and passing away. Which is probably precisely why the author chose to go this route.

The Lost Stories is meant to be a gift to the readers of Ranger's Apprentice, and it definitely is. Some stories are a result of reader questions and comments. I loved every one. Some gave back stories, such as Will's coming to the ward at Castle Redmont, Halt's becoming a Ranger, but most take place after book 10. I felt like each one added that extra special touch to a fantastically entertaining journey, the icing on a great cake. Where I was satisfied with the ending before, I'm now completely satisfied. I might have even gotten a little teary-eyed towards the end. The way the author introduces the reader to his new series at the end was a fun addition. I'm excited and I'm hoping the new characters will be just as lovable as the old, though right now that's hard to imagine. I'm sure John Flanagan will make it happen though.

Ranger's Apprentice has become one of my all-time favorite series and one I know I'll revisit over and over again. It's a great story of loyalty, bravery and friendship - perfect for all ages.

The Death Cure by James Dashner

324 pages

"Thomas knows that WICKED can't be trusted. They stole his memories and locked him inside the Maze. They forced him to the brink of death by dropping him in the wilds of the Scorch. And they took the Gladers, his only friends, from him.

Now WICKED says that the time for lies is over. That they've collected all the data they can from the Trials and will rely on the Gladers, with full memories restored, to help them with their ultimate mission: to complete the blueprint for the cure for the Flare. But Thomas must undergo one final test.

What WICKED doesn't know, however, is that Thomas has already remembered far more than they think. And it's enough to prove that he can't believe a word of what WICKED says.

The time for lies is over. And the truth is more dangerous than Thomas could ever have imagined." -Dust Jacket

I've sort of started to describe this series as Lost meets The Hunger Games meets Lord of the Flies. It's confusing, violent, and dystopian. Overall, I liked this series. It would definitely be better to read it now, when all the books are finished, than one each year. Without re-reading the other books I found that I'd forgotten some of the characters and some of the things that had happened to them. I'm sure some day I'll go back and read the series again to see if it makes any more sense the second time around.

{MAJOR SPOILERS}

The first two books are very much like a Lost ride. Some things seem to make sense but then there's a figurative smoke monster thrown in and you realize that you have no idea what's really going on, but the ride's still fun and you stick with it in the hopes that you'll be able to figure it out. Thomas and his friends are part of some "clinical" trial to find a cure for the Flare, a manmade virus, released after the catastrophic sun flare in the hopes of controlling the population, that then becomes out of control and incurable. Thomas has played a major part in the planning of those trials and seems to have done some repulsive things but he can't remember. In the first book he survives and escapes the Maze. In the second book he survives and escapes the Scorch and now in the third book he survives and escapes WICKED.

Most of the story takes place in Denver. I liked this more realistic element. Thomas, Minho, Newt, Brenda and Jorge go to Denver to find Teresa and the others who've escaped, and to find a man who can take the tracking device out of Thomas's head and make it so that he can't be controlled by WICKED. While there they meet up with Gally, who survived Thomas's beating, and is now part of a Right Arm resistance group. They have plans to take down WICKED. Mixed in to all of that is the Cranks. They are scary, but this book really puts into perspective exactly what they are. They are monsters yes, but they are also people infected with a virus that destroys their brain, yet sometimes they have moments of clarity, making the disease that much nastier. They have their own plan to take over Denver. Denver has tried to weed out those infected with the Flare, but they've been unsuccessful and more and more people are getting sick. They are relocated as they are discovered to the "Crank Palace," a city of sorts where the infected are housed and kept until they are past the Gone. Thomas and his friends are immune to the virus and therefore highly valuable to "Munie" traders. They play cat and mouse with the traders and with the Cranks until a plan is formed to infiltrate WICKED and destroy them once and for all.

Thomas volunteers to return to WICKED and plant a device that shuts down all of WICKED's weapons, thereby equalizing the field for when the Right Arm's people arrive. After that they have their own plans. Thomas knows that he is the Final Candidate for the cure but he doesn't know what that means...until he returns and is told that his brain is the final piece missing from developing the cure. He's supposed to sacrifice his brain to science, but his friends arrive in the knick of time and he gets away. He finds an envelope with instructions for escape and then leads his friends and other immune people to a safe haven.

Overall, I'm still confused. Over and over certain characters remind Thomas (and the reader) that "WICKED is good." I guess the ambiguity of that statement is the purpose of the book. How can they possibly be good after everything they've done throughout the series? They've killed so many people and done such nasty things. One of the disappointments for me of this series is that more isn't explained. Thomas doesn't want to have his memories restored and so you never get to find out what he did to help WICKED before he was sent into the Maze. You get bits and pieces of his memory but not everything. You don't really get to find out the results of the Trials, to see how the ends justified the means either. How did the Grievers mutilating kids in the maze help contribute to a cure? How does traumatizing Thomas and his friends over and over possibly contribute to preventing people from going crazy? And...how does studying their brains to see how they react, but putting something in those brains to make it so their actions can be controlled, make it a valid trial? Chancellor Paige says in the epilogue that WICKED has failed but ultimately succeeded because they sent a couple hundred immunes to a place where the human race can avoid extinction, i.e. the beautiful place Thomas and his friends wind up in. The rest of the world is left to go crazy and destroy itself.

There are some very sad elements to this story. Like The Hunger Games, these characters are kids being put into traumatizing situations over and over again. They lose friends in horrific ways. Newt's story in this book is absolutely heartbreaking. The Crank Palace shows the reader just how hopeless the disease is. Teresa and Thomas's relationship is also never fully disclosed despite the fact that Teresa opted to have her memory restored.

I guess the bottom line of this series for me is this: It was a fun ride. I couldn't put it down. I'm also just a little disappointed.

A Conspiracy of Kings by Megan Whalen Turner

316 pages

"Sophos, under the guidance of yet another tutor, practices his swordplay and strategizes escape scenarios should his father's villa come under attack. How would he save his mother? His sisters? Himself? Could he reach the horse in time? Where would he go? But nothing prepares him for the day armed men, silent as thieves, swarm the villa courtyard ready to kill, to capture, to kidnap. Sophos, the heir to the throne of Sounis, disappears without a trace.

In Attolia, Eugenides, the new and unlikely king, has never stopped wondering what happened to Sophos. Nor has the Queen of Eddis. They send spies. They pay informants. They appeal to the gods. But as time goes by, it becomes less and less certain that they will ever see their friend alive again.

Across the small peninsula battles are fought, bribes are offered, and conspiracies are set in motion. Darkening the horizon, the Mede Empire threatens, always, from across the sea. And Sophos, anonymous and alone, bides his time. Sophos, drawing on his memories of Gen, Pol, the magus - and Eddis - sets out on an adventure that will change all of their lives forever." -Dust Jacket

{SPOILERS}

Megan Turner doesn't disappoint in any of the books in this series, including this one, but it wasn't my favorite of the four. I liked Sophos in the first book and enjoyed learning more about him in this one, but I really missed Gen. Sophos is not like Gen at all. He's weak. He's unsure of himself. He's a scholar not a fighter. He's not arrogant. There are no moments when you know he'll get the better of the people around him and you as a reader will thoroughly enjoy it when he does. He feels inferior and questions himself not only as a future king but also as a man. He finds himself quite content to hide as a slave for a period of time, until he realizes that he must rise up and become who he's supposed to be. By the end he's definitely grown up and holds great potential as the king of Sounis. Regardless of his self-doubt he's always likable though. I love the part when he tells Eddis that his strength is that he knows when he's made a complete fool of himself.

Behind the scenes - so behind the scenes that you never read of the bribes, spies and informants the book's description hinted at - Gen, Attolia and Eddis manipulate and choreograph the events of the book. They want a united Attolia, Eddis and Sounis (the sovereigns are called by the names of their respective countries) to ward off the threats of the Medes so they basically trick their friend into swearing loyalty to Attolia, thereby forcing an alliance upon Sophos. They make him feel so inferior that he never once considers that he might be able to win his country on his own. In a way it's for his own good as he needs to learn valuable lessons and learn to trust his own ability.

I'm glad that there are apparently two more books coming in this series. I don't think this would have been a good place to end the story. I hope that the next ones will have more Gen and Attolia. I hope that Sounis, Eddis, Gen and Attolia will conspire against the Medes and there will be more trickery and brilliance. Books three and four hint that Gen is ill in some way. He's attended to by the court's physician and Eddis says something about how he walks between two worlds and there is a thin veil between him and the gods. That's an interesting part of the story for me, that supernatural part of it. I just hope it doesn't mean that Gen will die. He's grown to be larger than life. Even when he's wounded he seems invincible. Yet all along the author has made us aware that the Thief's fate has always rested in the hands of the gods. I can't wait to read this series again.

The King of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner

385 pages

"By scheming and theft, the Thief of Eddis has become King of Attolia. Eugenides wanted the queen, not the crown, but he finds himself trapped in a web of his own making. Attolia's barons seethe with resentment, the Mede emperor is returning to the attack, and the king is surrounded by the subtle and dangerous intrigue of the Attolian court.

When a naive young guard expresses his contempt for the king in no uncertain terms, he is dragged by Eugenides into the center of political maelstrom. Like the king, he cannot escape the difficulties he makes for himself. Poor Costis knows he is the victim of the king's caprice, but he discovers a reluctant sympathy for Eugenides as he watches the newly crowned king struggle against his fate." -Dust Jacket

Before the spoilers I'll just say that this series has now joined my short list of all-time favorite books and I'll be reading it often. I can't wait to go back and find the hidden gems and all the subtle twists and turns that I missed the first time through. The Scarlet Pimpernel has long been on that list and Eugenides reminds me of Sir Percival in a number of ways. This is a great, smart series. Unfortunately, or maybe not if all the books are this good, there will be two more in this series so it's not done yet. Four are out now.

{SPOILERS}

The shift in narrators was a really wise choice for this third book in the series. By this time the reader knows how brilliant and capable Eugenides is, so the joy of this book is in the waiting for Costis to figure that out as well. Eugenides doesn't want to be king. He just wanted Attolia, but with her comes a crown. He tells Costis at one point that he's caught in a web of his own making and for the first time he can't find a way out. He is used to a life of solitude to a certain extent, and now he's thrust into the public eye in a major way and he feels lost. He can't sneak around like he's accustomed to because he's got all these attendants that follow him around and poke fun at him at every opportunity. He's left his country, friends, and family behind so of course he feels lonely. He's playing a part to protect Attolia. I think that he doesn't want to undermine her power. Attolia says that he's afraid of failing. I think the whole "problem" is that Eugenides is just a good guy. He's surprisingly, or not, very compassionate. He punishes those who need punishing but then displays a great level of mercy, at least to those who deserve it. He's fair. Attolia has never been one to show mercy and so they balance each other well. That doesn't mean that Eugenides's mercy doesn't anger Attolia though.

Costis, the narrator, is a likable character. He's an ordinary guy who's trying to work his way up in the military but finds himself at the beginning of the book jailed for punching the king in the face. He knows it was stupid, he knows his life is probably over, but he also knows (or thinks he knows) that the king is an idiot and he doesn't want to see the crown reduced to idiocy. Of course, as the reader, you know Costis is in for a major surprise and Turner does not disappoint. Eugenides has been manipulating those around him all along, Costis being one of them.

I love that the reader doesn't get a real glimpse of Eugenides's and Attolia's marriage until the middle of the book. You know they've expressed their love for each other at the end of the second book, that Eugenides has left his country, friends and family behind for her, but you don't really know how that love has or hasn't grown now that they're married. They treat each other indifferently in public, sometimes with seeming contempt on the queen's part, and you wonder if that's how they have grown to really feel...until the king is stabbed by assassins in the garden and they share a passionate kiss in front of the court. That's when you know just how deep their love for each other is. I think that's the turning point for Costis too, when he starts to realize there's more to the king than meets the eye. The second half of the book is Costis learning more and more about the king's ability, seeing the true man behind the part he's playing, and then having the desire to expose that man to the court and the guard. When Eugenides finally reveals himself it's like striking gold for the reader - such a fun scene. Everything Eugenides has done has been to show people only what he wants them to see, even down to his wardrobe choices (which are meant to disguise just how strong he really is). I love that Eugenides.

The Queen of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner

279 pages

"Revenge
When Eugenides, the Thief of Eddis, stole Hamiathes's Gift, the Queen of Attolia lost more than a mythical relic. She lost face. Everyone knew that Eugenides had outwitted and escaped her. To restore her reputation and reassert her power, the Queen of Attolia will go to any length and accept any help that is offered...she will risk her country to execute the perfect revenge.

...but
Eugenides can steal anything. And he taunts the Queen of Attolia, moving through her strongholds seemingly at will. So Attolia waits, secure in the knowledge that the Thief will slip, that he will haunt her palace one too many times.

...at what price?
When Eugenides finds his small mountain country at war with Attolia, he must steal a man, he must steal a queen, he must steal peace. But his greatest triumph - and his greatest loss - comes in capturing something that the Queen of Attolia thought she had sacrificed long ago..." -Dust Jacket

{SPOILERS}

This is quickly becoming one of my favorite series, ranking right up there with Ranger's Apprentice. The author has written characters with such depth. They're just fantastic. They are so real, particularly Gen. I've been so drawn in by his genius, his ability & daring accomplishments, but especially by his vulnerability. He's witty and snarky at times, but he's also a young man who has been through some very traumatic experiences. He is not invincible and that's what draws me as a reader in. We all love a vulnerable hero. The loss of his hand affects him deeply. It takes him a long time to recover and to come to terms with the fact that his life will be forever different. He is bitter at times and withdrawn from the world around him. People treat him differently and it makes him angry. At times he wishes Attolia had just killed him. Attolia haunts his dreams. He is deeply afraid of her, but, as the reader comes to learn, deeply in love with her as well. He has watched her for years, sneaking into her country and palace.

The other thing about this series that I love is how the author takes you on some unexpected journeys and adds twists and turns. It's those twists and turns, as I mentioned, that made the first book turn from a good book into a great book. I enjoy the history of the gods and goddesses that are included throughout the story and how the belief in those gods (or lack thereof) affects the characters. Gen's belief in those gods is shaken to the core at the end of this book but in a very moving way. It's one of those, "would you really change what's happened to get you where you are now?" moments.

Attolia is a brilliantly capable queen. She has maintained her throne because she is able to see those who are loyal and those who are not, and outmaneuver those who aren't, but that constant vigil has worn her down and hardened her. She is jealous of the Queen of Eddis and all the loyalty and trust that surrounds her. The two queens have some great conversations in this book. Attolia comes to realize that she loves Gen, but it's a foreign emotion for her and one she comes to understand when it's almost too late. She also feels a deep sense of guilt for having cut off Gen's hand. His pain and suffering has haunted her dreams. I think it's a really touching love story.

I can't wait to see what happens in the next book. Gen wanted to marry Attolia because he loves her, but he doesn't necessarily want to be a king and the Attolians are not fond of him. Fortunately this is a series that appears to be all done.

The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner

219 pages

"The king's scholar, the magus, believes he knows the site of an ancient treasure. To attain it for his king, he needs a skillful thief, and he selects Gen from the king's prison. The magus is interested only in the thief's abilities. What Gen is interested in is anyone's guess. Their journey toward the treasure is both dangerous and difficult, lightened only imperceptibly by the tales they tell of the old gods and goddesses." -Dust Jacket

I took a little break from reading for a few weeks while I painted some halls and doors in my house. Plus I was a little tired of dystopian and fantasy fiction. Shocking, I know. I'll be good to go again when The Death Cure comes out in less than two weeks though.

The Thief started out a little slow for me. That's probably just because I was burned out on books and had to get back into reading though. (I have this bad habit of trying to beat the last year's page total every year. One of these years I'll have to give that up.) It starts with Gen in prison and he's a tad bit whiney. When the magus gets him out he complains about almost everything. He's weak and tired and spends a lot of his time resting. I guess prison would do that to a guy. But then you realize there's more to Gen. He's actually very smart and he knows people.

One of the things I liked about this story is how the relationships change between Gen, the magus, Pol, and Sophos. They're all really likable characters. By the end there's some genuine affection and mutual respect there.

{MAJOR SPOILER}

The thing that I loved about this story was the twist right at the end. The magus appears to have lost the stone and you know all along that Gen has it. What you, or at least I, don't expect is Gen's true identity. He's cousin to the Queen of Eddis and his father is the minister or war. Gen has just played the central role in his country's carefully devised plan to steal the stone. They needed the magus's knowledge of its whereabouts and so Gen, who's actually a highly-educated, skilled-with-the-sword thief has spent months building a reputation in the magus's country solely to get his attention and then to get his knowledge. In a way, he reminded me of the Scarlet Pimpernel - playing the role of idiot to hide his true identity and genius. That was brilliant. What would have been a good book turned into a great book at that point. We'll see what happens in book 2.

Dangerous Island by Helen Mather-Smith Mindlin

178 pages

This book must be out of print which is a total bummer because my kids loved it. I checked on Amazon and the cheapest copy is a used collector's copy for almost $40. I borrowed my mom's copy and read it to my kids at our nightly 8 o'clock club. You know it's a good book when the kids say, "No! Don't stop there. Just one more chapter, please?!"

There's also no published description of this book but it's about a brother and sister who go to the east coast for a summer vacation. They meet another boy named Pug and build a raft together. Their raft comes loose from its moorings and they drift helplessly out to sea. They make it through a storm only to have their raft shattered on a small, rocky island. The island holds a few secrets, one of which is that it is sinking. The kids must fight for survival while holding out hope that they will be rescued, even though their families have no idea where they might be.

Like I said, my kids loved this book. It was suspenseful but not too scary for right before bedtime. The book is old enough that helicopters were a fairly recent invention and my kids couldn't believe that they didn't know what a helicopter was. Hopefully this book is available at local libraries because it's a great read for kids. Mine are ages 7-12. Even the 12-year-old got sucked in occasionally.

Michael Vey: The Prisoner of Cell 25 by Richard Paul Evans

326 pages

"'HAVE YOU FOUND THE LAST TWO?'
The voice on the phone was angry and coarse, like the sound of car tires over broken glass.
'Not yet,' the well-dressed man on the other end of the phone replied. 'Not yet. But we believe we're close - and they still don't know that we're hunting them.'
'You believe you're close?'
'They're two children among a billion - finding them is like finding a lost chopstick in China.'
'Is that what you want me to tell the board?'
'Remind the board that I've already found fifteen of the seventeen children. I've put out a million-dollar bounty on the last two, we've got spiders crawling the Web, and we have a whole team of investigators scanning global records for their whereabouts. It's just a matter of time before we find them.'
'Time isn't on our side,' the voice returned sharply. 'Those kids are already too old. You know how difficult  they are to turn at this age.'
'I know better than anyone,' the man said. 'But I have my ways. And if they don't turn, there's always Cell 25.'
There was a long pause, then the voice replied darkly, 'Yes. There's always Cell 25.'" -Back Cover

My mom is a huge Glenn Beck fan. (I think she might think his word is law.) He promoted this book on his show, saying it was one of the best books he's read. I think he's also friends with the author. Admittedly, I've never read a Richard Paul Evans book. I tend to steer away from the sappy/cheesy novels. This is his first foray into the world of young adult literature so I decided to give him the benefit of the doubt. I'm always a sucker for a good sci-fi novel so my sister, mom and I all ordered it. Actually, we went to Barnes and Noble to get it but we were a week early. Thanks, radio people.

{SPOILERS}

My sister finished this book first and said it was really boring until the very end. So, I went in with basically no expectations whatsoever and that probably helped my overall opinion of the book. It's good, not great. There were several elements that were borrowed from other stories: Michael Vey has Tourette's Syndrome. Hello Percy Jackson and Dyslexia. Obviously I'm not against a main character having a disability; it just didn't really add anything to the story in my opinion, unless it factors into the reason why he's probably the most powerful of the electric children. Like Percy, Michael is not popular. He's picked on in school. He spends time in detention for being shoved in his locker by the school bullies. He hates the principal. He is an only child and lives with his mother in an apartment. Lots of similarities to Percy Jackson.

Michael's best friend is Ostin. He's named for the Texas town but apparently his mom couldn't spell Austin, which just struck me as dumb because Ostin is somewhat of a genius. You'd think his mom could at least spell. He's also picked on at school. I like Ostin. He helps Michael out of some tough spots and his smarts are believable...just not inherited from his mom.

Jack and Wade are the bullies who pick on Michael one two many times and find themselves victims of Michael's gift. This led to the most implausible element of the story for me. One minute Jack and Wade are picking on Michael constantly and the next they're all buddy buddy. I guess that was one heck of a shock Michael gave them. I really like their relationship towards the end of the book, I just wish they would have come to it a different way.

Taylor is the cute cheerleader. She also has electric abilities; she can "reboot" people and read minds. I didn't quite get her instant attraction to Michael. Maybe it was an electric thing. She, Ostin and Michael form a club - the "Electroclan." Dumb name.

There are seventeen electric children, fifteen of which have been at the Elgen Academy for varying lengths of time. There was a strong resemblance to X-Men here. The kids all have different abilities. Some can shoot lightning from their fingertips, bring down planes, create a sense of fear, induce serious pain, etc. All but three of them do Dr. Hatch's bidding. The three who refused are locked up in the dungeon.

Hatch is like Magneto only without powers of his own. He wears a metal helmet for protection, not because it looks cool. His sidekick/bodyguard Nichelle protects him by inflicting mental anguish on whoever tries to harm him. They're both nasty pieces of work. Hatch is all sugar on the outside at first but Taylor's quick glimpse into his mind shows how deceitful and cunning he is even while he's trying to buy her Harry Winston diamonds. He has absolutely no regard for human life, his only ambition is power. His true nature is quick to emerge as he tries to get Taylor and then Michael to show their commitment to him. Michael winds up in Cell 25 when he refuses to kill Wade, where he's then tortured by Taylor's twin sister. In the end Hatch escapes with those kids still loyal to him. He's not the boss however. I like that we have yet to meet who he answers to.

I thought the second half of the book was much better than the first. The first half was a little slow. The ending set up a sequel, with the enlarged Electroclan planning on rescuing Michael's mom, who was kidnapped by Elgen and used as leverage against Michael. Book 2 should be pretty interesting.

Ptolemy's Gate by Jonathan Stroud

501 pages

"Three years have passed since the magician Nathaniel helped prevent a cataclysmic attack on London. Now an important member of the British government, he grapples with numerous problems: foreign wars are going badly, Britain's enemies are mounting attacks close to London, and rebellion is growing among the commoners. Increasingly impervious and distracted, Nathaniel is treating Bartimaeus worse than ever. The long-suffering djinni is growing weak and vulnerable from too much time in this world, and his patience is nearing its end.

Meanwhile, undercover in London, Nathaniel's longtime rival Kitty has been stealthily completing her research on magic, demons, and Bartimaeus's past. She has a daring plan that she hopes will break the endless cycle of conflict between djinn and humans. But will anyone listen to what she has to say?" -Dust Jacket

Each book in this series was better than the one before. I liked that three year's time passes in between each book. Nathaniel is 17 years old in this book and he's become a bit jaded with the world of the magicians. He's started to see them for what they are: power hungry, greedy men and women who will betray and backstab each other to get ahead in their world. He's not really an exception to that standard either. He's constantly having to watch his back. He doesn't have any real friends. He keeps Bartimaeus around both for a connection to the past and for protection. He fears that Bartimaeus will reveal his real name. Bartimaeus spends most of the book exhausted and vulnerable which, admittedly, leads to some funny chases. His footnotes in this book are even funnier. Still, I felt sorry for him.

Kitty has also become a bit disillusioned with her world. She spends her nights working in a pub listening to commoners debate and never do anything. She realizes that the status quo can't sustain itself and that something has to change. She begins her own study of magic in an effort to contact Bartimaeus.

*SPOILERS*

I had sort of predicted who the real bad guy of this series would be. It's almost always the guy who plays the sidekick and doesn't seem to have much of a brain who is also secretly plotting behind everyone's back and masterminds the big climax. That was true here. What was surprising was how things went down after his identity is revealed. Kitty separates herself from her body and travels through Ptolemy's gate to find Bartimaeus to ask for his help. That journey forces a physical change on her body, leaving her a young person in an old woman's body. By this point she and Nathaniel feel some affection towards each other. For Nathaniel it's only about the third time he's ever truly cared about someone. It's touching to see how he tries to protect her.

I loved the conversation Nathaniel has with Ms. Lutyens on the street when she tells him that the boy she knew and tried to protect is gone and she doesn't recognize the man before her. It's kind of a slap in the face for him since all he wanted to do was thank her for what she'd done for him. He has a few other encounters like this that force him to take a figurative look in the mirror. I'm not sure he really likes what he sees. That creates an interesting internal dialogue and conflict throughout the story. He definitely becomes disenchanted with the world he's lived in for so many years.

Bartimaeus is really the main character; it's his story. I liked the flashbacks to his time with Ptolemy. You see how much Bartimaeus cared about his master then, and how much in the end, despite their rocky relationship, he cared about Nathaniel. Their constant nagging and bantering is evidence of a mutual respect. Bartimaeus has some interesting insight into humans. There was one footnote in which Bartimaeus said, "He was a human; always, always humans gravitate to surfaces." He was referring to Nathaniel looking at the outside of a person first, before the inside during one of the fights at the end. I thought that was a pretty accurate observation of human nature.

*MAJOR SPOILER*

I did not expect Nathaniel to die. I cried, I admit it. I didn't like him in the first book but about halfway through the second book I just felt sorry for him and that didn't change throughout the third book. He was lonely and basically just trying to survive a cutthroat world. He was just beginning to realize how off course his life was and I was hoping that he'd have a bright future, that he and Kitty would go on and do great things together so the ending was really sad. I think Nathaniel's death was a redemption of sorts and fitting in a way though. He sacrificed himself to save hundreds of people, and in the end to save Bartimaeus so that his story could continue. In that way, Nathaniel and Ptolemy wound up being very much alike. Who knows, maybe if the story were to continue Bartimaeus's form of choice would change from Ptolemy to Nathaniel.

Enclave by Ann Aguirre

259 pages

"In Deuce's world, an enclave deep underground, people earn the right to a name only if they survive their first fifteen years. By that point each unnamed 'brat' has trained to join one of three groups - Breeders, Builders, or Hunters, identifiable by the number of scars they bear on their arms. Deuce has wanted to be a Huntress for as long as she can remember.

As a Huntress, her purpose is clear - to brave the dangerous tunnels outside the enclave and bring back meat to feed the group while evading the ferocious monsters known as Freaks. She's worked toward this goal her whole life, and nothing's going to stop her, not even a brooding Hunter named Fade. When the mysterious boy becomes her partner, Deuce's troubles are just beginning.

Fade doesn't like following orders. Deuce has never known a boy like him before, someone as likely to touch her gently as use his knives with feral grace.

As Deuce's perception shifts, so does the balance in the battle for survival. The mindless Freaks, once considered a threat due to their sheer numbers, now show signs of cunning and even strategy...but the elders refuse to heed any warnings. No matter how hard she tries, Deuce cannot stem the dark tide that carries her far from the only world she's ever known." -Dust Jacket

*SPOILERS*

This is a pretty short book and before I started I wondered how much story could really be told in those 259 pages, but I was pleasantly surprised. Ann Aguirre's dystopian world is gritty, dangerous, and sort of a Darwinian world, where the fit survive and the weak die. She dives right into the story with Deuce's naming ceremony. Names are picked by putting items on the ground and then cutting the person's hand. Whatever item the person's blood drops on becomes their name and they keep that item. It becomes sort of a sentimental thing for the person to hold onto.

The enclave is located in New York's subway system. Most of its members have never been above ground or even left the enclave. It has survived because it weeds out the weak. The elders (in their 20's) keep order and make the rules. Hoarding is not allowed. In fact, punishment for being caught with something is banishment. Members must bring anything they find from the outside world to the Wordkeeper, a historian of sorts. By the end, there's evidence that the elders know more about the outside world then they've let on.

Deuce is banished about midway through for speaking up for a friend. She knows he is being framed so the elders can make an example of him, an annual reminder to the people of what happens if you break the rules. Fade, her hunting partner and friend, goes with her. Above ground she faces a world that's completely foreign to her. She's never been exposed to the sun and Fade, who grew up above ground, has to teach her words for various things. Fade is a great character, much like Four in Divergent. You learn more about him as the story unfolds, but in the beginning all you know is that he's an outsider who's been taken in by the enclave and allowed to become a Hunter. (By the end you know that the choice they gave him was either fight for them or die.) The enclave keeps him at a distance and Deuce thinks that she's being punished when she's made his hunting partner. She quickly learns that allow he appears hard to like, he's brave and respects Deuce and her abilities.

Deuce is pretty clueless emotionally. She hasn't grown up with affection or knowing what love is so she has a hard time figuring out how she feels about Fade, and how he feels about her. She has an even harder time realizing how a new relationship with Stalker affects Fade. Stalker is a scary guy when you first meet him but you soon realize that he's just a guy who's had to adapt to a violent world of his own, basically a kill or be killed type place. He winds up leaving the city and traveling with Fade, Deuce and Tegan, a girl Deuce rescued from Stalker's gang, which creates an interesting dynamic since they are forced together. You hate Stalker at first and then you sort of like him. I'm sure that's the beginning of the ever-present love triangle. (I'm Team Fade.)

The Freaks are scary, especially when they start showing signs of thought and strategy. They are mean and they are everywhere.

The book leaves Deuce and her group seemingly safe in an aboveground city with the fate of the enclave unknown. Deuce fears they may have all been killed by Freaks, but I have a feeling that some of them at least have survived, maybe even come above ground. I loved the names the author uses for her characters: Deuce, Fade, Thimble, Stone, Stalker, Tegan, Silk, Copper, to name a few. Of course this book will have a sequel...in the fall of 2012!

The Golem's Eye by Jonathan Stroud

562 pages

"At only fourteen, Nathaniel is a rising star: a young magician who is quickly climbing the ranks of the government. There is seemingly nothing he cannot handle, until he is asked to deal with the growing Resistance movement, which is disrupting London life with its thefts and raids. It's no easy task: the ringleader Kitty and her friends remain elusive, and Nathaniel's job - and perhaps his life - are soon at risk.

As the pressure mounts he is distracted by a new series of terrifying attacks in the capital. But is it the Resistance again, or something more dangerous still? To uncover the perpetrators, Nathaniel must take desperate measures: a journey to the enemy city of Prague and - worse - summoning once again the troublesome, enigmatic, and quick-witted djinni Bartimaeus. Meanwhile, Kitty and her fellow rebels are planning their most daring exploit of all - one that will make their fortune and change the history of London forever." -Dust Jacket

Much, much better. I think I'd assumed that Nathaniel would be like that other famous 11-year-old magician, good and willing to fight evil. But in Nathaniel's world magicians seek power and prestige at the expense of their fellow magicians and all their power comes from the demons they summon to do their bidding. Nathaniel doesn't really stand a chance in that world, being trained by those kinds of people so I had a little more empathy for him. He's still ambitious in this book, still arrogant and self-serving, but there's a faint glimmer of hope for him that he'll turn out all right.

More of Kitty and the Resistance is a great addition to this book. She's a commoner and likable, yet has some immunity to magic, which added an interesting element to the story. Their raid on Gladstone's tomb was exciting and released a very funny character. Bartimaeus comes across as even wiser and wittier than he was in the first book. He's still bound to do what Nathaniel commands but he also seems to make a few more independent decisions. He's like the wise grownup of the book. The three worlds collide and intertwine in this book and I'm hoping that Kitty and Nathaniel will eventually team up in the third...and that Nathaniel will finally grow up.

I think if you go into this series understanding that Nathaniel is not Harry Potter - in fact he's quite opposite in a lot of ways - you'll enjoy it more. It's still hard to nail down the exact time period of this story. There are cars and computers, but they refer to America as the colonies and make it sound like America is only developed along the eastern seaboard. Nathaniel goes to the aerodome rather than the airport to fly to Prague. The author is English so maybe those are still modern English terms, I don't know. They make it a bit confusing for me. I'm not sure if the author intended to make the exact time period a bit vague but it bugs me just a little.

The Amulet of Samarkand by Jonathan Stroud

462 pages

"Nathaniel is eleven years old and a magician's apprentice, learning the traditional arts of magic. All is well until he has a life-changing encounter with Simon Lovelace, a magician of unrivaled ruthlessness and ambition. When Lovelace brutally humiliates Nathaniel in public, Nathaniel decides to speed up his education, teaching himself spells way beyond his years. With revenge on his mind, he masters one of the toughest spells of all and summons Bartimaeus, a five-thousand-year-old djinni, to assist him. But summoning Bartimaeus and controlling him are two different things entirely, and when Nathaniel sends the djinni out to steal Lovelace's greatest treasure, the Amulet of Samarkand, he finds himself caught up in a whirlwind of magical espionage, murder, and rebellion." -Dust Jacket

This book was okay. It's supposed to take place in a modern-day London but it didn't feel very modern, as compared to Harry Potter's modern-day London. Maybe the movies helped out with that a bit. This story felt more like it was happening in a different century except for the black limos the magicians ride in. Nathaniel lives in a house that is old, he dresses old, his master's appearance is old so the story feels a bit old.

Nathaniel is a whiner. His behavior throughout the whole story is pretty much one big magical tantrum. He's smart and he wants people to recognize and praise him for it. He wants to get even with a powerful magician whose basically given him a public spanking and so he does some reckless things that set even more reckless things in motion. I didn't like his character much at all.

Bartimaeus, on the other hand, is arrogant yet actually likable. His footnotes were at first annoying and then entertaining. They're basically side comments. He provides some comic relief in this whine fest.

I liked how the author switched points of view throughout the story. Had the story been told strictly from Nathaniel's POV I would have stopped reading. Bartimaeus feels like the main character anyway. He's been around a long time and has learned a thing or two. Some of his observations of humans were pretty insightful. I'm going to read the other two books in the hopes that Nathaniel will grow up. He has potential, both magical and otherwise, but he's got to develop a moral center and be motivated by something other than revenge for me to like him. He needs to learn from his mistakes. Bartimaeus gives him some advice at the end of this first book that hopefully he'll follow.

Plain Truth by Jodi Picoult

405 pages

"The discovery of a dead infant in an Amish barn shakes Lancaster County to its core. But the police investigation leads to a more shocking disclosure: circumstantial evidence suggests that eighteen-year-old Katie Fisher, an unmarried Amish woman believed to be the newborn's mother, took the child's life. When Ellie Hathaway, a disillusioned big-city attorney, comes to Paradise, Pennsylvania, to defend Katie, two cultures collide - and for the first time in her high-profile career, Ellie faces a system of justice very different from her own. Delving deep inside the world of those who live 'plain,' Ellie must find a way to reach Katie on her terms. And as she unravels a tangled murder case, Ellie also looks deep within - to confront her own fears and desires when a man from her past reenters her life." -Back Cover

The pros: Lancaster. Having been one of those tourists who stares at the Amish and takes pictures in front of the Intercourse, PA sign I gained a new respect for them and their way of life and if I go there again I will be a different kind of tourist. I thought of them as a bit strange and different, not so much as people who are similar to me in many ways. I admire them for their beliefs and for their desire to be "in the world but not of it."

The story. I liked the melding of two worlds and I liked that Ellie had a connection to the Amish world through her aunt. It was fun to read about her having to help around the farm and petition for electricity to do her work.

Katie's dad. He was a tough nut but every now and then he'd crack.

Coop. He's one likable psychiatrist.

The cons: The ending. I pretty much had the who-done-it part figured out and I almost wish that the author would have left it ambiguous. Telling us in the end just made me frustrated with that character for not doing the right thing earlier on (or ever really).

Language & some adult content. That's one of the things that I hate about "adult" books; I have to read with a pen so I can cross out offensive words. I'm not very good at quitting a story once I've started unless it's completely offensive. I get too interested in finding out how the story's going to end. I think that's one of the biggest reasons why I love YA/Kid's books. You don't have to always be on your guard and the stories are often just as interesting. This book had some language (including a few of the big ones) and some adult content. It wasn't graphic but still. So, I liked this book, but I'd recommend it with reservation because of those things.

Divergent by Veronica Roth

487 pages

"In Beatrice Prior's distopian Chicago, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue - Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is - she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.

During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles to determine who her friends are - and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes infuriating boy fits into the life she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers a growing conflict that threatens to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might held her save those she loves...or it might destroy her." -Dust Jacket

So I read this book twice...and LOVED it both times. I'm glad I read it again because sometimes when you blow through a 400+ page book in one day (because you can't put it down) you miss stuff, especially when it's getting into the early morning hours. For a debut novel this one is superb, one of the best I've read. The distopian world Veronica Roth created is one of my favorites. She did a great job helping the reader visual the people and places. I liked that it was set in a real city. I loved the idea of factions and the idea that only one character trait should be developed in each person. Being Divergent means that you are capable of more than one trait at a time and that makes you dangerous. The idea is that free will is dangerous to those who are in charge.

Tris is a well-written character. She's a lot like Katniss; she's small in stature yet packs a punch. I hope she stays strong throughout the series. Most of this book is spent in the initiation phase of her Dauntless training and there is a lot of action from start to finish. The author is great at writing action scenes. I love where this book ended. It didn't leave you hanging like so many do, just wanting more. My favorite character was Four. He's a great "leading man," so real. As a reader I totally believe his relationship with Tris. It seems to take a more natural progression than some relationships in other books. 

I'd put this book in the same league as The Hunger Games and absolutely recommend it. Just make sure you don't have anything else to do that day.  

The Gollywhopper Games by Jody Feldman

332 pages

"Gil Goodson's future happiness depends on winning the Golly Toy & Game Company's ultimate competition. If Gil wins, his dad has promised that the family can move away from all the gossip, false friends, and bad press that have plagued them ever since The Incident. Inside the toy company's fantastic headquarters, Gill will have to master trivia, solve puzzles, and complete physical stunts--and he'll have to do it better than all of the other kids competing.

Oh, and did we mention that Gil's every step--and every mistake--will be broadcast on national television? Hold on tight, because the ride of his life is about to begin!" -Back Cover

My kids and I have been having reading time every day (sort of) during the summer. We sit out on the deck when weather permits and when it doesn't we read in the basement, eat a treat, and read a few chapters. My oldest daughter read this book and suggested we read it together. It was a success because it interested the other two girls enough to have them asking to read every day. Or maybe they were just interested in the treat. I thought it was just okay. The puzzles and games were all right. We did borrow one of the ideas for Father's Day. My husband had to figure out a puzzle similar to one in the book to learn the location of his present.

My problem with this book was that there were way too many incomplete sentences. I'm not a stranger to using them myself but too many and it gets annoying. For instance, on page 290 you get, "She looked up at him. Laughed. 'I won?' He jumped. High. Came down. Grabbed Carol, spun her around, let her go. 'I won?' Looked over at Lavinia. Lavinia was smiling. Smiling big." It was just too many, too often for me. It distracted from the story, which I didn't think was that well developed to begin with. For this genre of book I would recommend The Candy Shop War by Brandon Mull before this one. The characters are more likable and the story is better.

*The ancient computer was not to be revived (thank goodness). I'm still figuring out this new one.

A Hiatus

My husband is currently trying to resuscitate our ancient computer that decided to stop working today. (Dreaming of an iMac....) Summer crimps my book time because the kids are all home from school but today we finished the book we've been reading together in the hot afternoons when we escape to the basement. Hopefully I'll be able to post soon.

Divergent by Veronica Roth

Let's just say that maybe this book was so good that I sat down to read a couple of chapters one day last week and wound up reading the entire day while my kids watched 2 out of the 3 High School Musical movies. (They would have watched all three but we don't have number 2.) Maybe this book was so good that I decided that I needed to read it again before I wrote a review. Maybe I haven't started it again because I've got a house to clean and some laundry to fold, but soon. Very, very soon.

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

376 pages

"The unforgettable novel of a childhood in a sleepy Southern town and the crisis of conscience that rocked it, To Kill a Mockingbird  became both an instant bestseller and a critical success when it was first published in 1960. It went on to win the Pulitzer Prize in 1961 and was later made into an Academy Award-winning film, also a classic.

Compassionate, dramatic, and deeply moving, To Kill a Mockingbird  takes readers to the roots of human behavior - to innocence and experience, kindness and cruelty, love and hatred, humor and pathos. Now with over 18 million copies in print and translated into ten languages, this regional story by a young Alabama woman claims universal appeal. Harper Lee always considered her book to be a simple love story. Today it is regarded as a masterpiece of American literature." -Back Cover

This book truly is a masterpiece of American literature. I haven't read it since probably freshman or high school English and I know I liked it a lot way (!) back then, but I have a much greater appreciation for it now. The message of tolerance that runs through this book is as appropriate today as it was back then. There are so many powerful life lessons in this story about how we should conduct ourselves, treat others and raise our children. It is also a story about how life goes on. The characters are some of the greatest ever written. I could gush on and on but there's no need. If you've read it you know what I mean and if you haven't get yourself to the library right now.

Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi

323 pages

"In America's Gulf Coast region, where grounded oil tankers are being broken down for parts, Nailer, a teenage boy, works the light crew, scavenging for copper wiring just to make quota - and hopefully live to see another day. But when, by luck or chance, he discovers an exquisite clipper ship beached during a recent hurricane, Nailer faces the most important decision of his life: Strip the ship for all it's worth or rescue its lone survivor, a beautiful and wealthy girl who could lead him to a better life..." -Dust Jacket

*SPOILERS*
This book was really hyped on Amazon and, as you can see from the cover, it received some critical acclaim so I was expecting a really great read. I think The Hunger Games  has become the frontrunner in dystopian fiction these days and so I tend to compare other novels of that genre to it. This one didn't really measure up for me.

I thought the world the author created had some great potential. Oil has been the downfall of our generation and what's left of us are oil tankers strewn along the coasts and cities underwater. City-destroying hurricanes occur frequently. Nailer lives in a coastal community where scavenge is the currency. People believe in luck and the Fates. Nailer works long hours and in dangerous conditions trying to keep his place on the light crew by meeting his daily quota of copper wiring from the beached oil tankers. His mother's dead and his father's an abusive drunk/drug addict. His only real "family" are his friend Pima and her mom, Sadna. He has a life-altering, near death experience during one of his shifts which then keeps him from killing Nita, choosing to rescue her instead.

The problem for me is that Nailer isn't really tangible. I didn't feel like I got to know him well enough to really believe him, which made me not really care about what happens to him. Almost dying in the oil tanker creates just enough compassion within him to not slit Nita's throat, but only just barely. I'm sure that's because Nailer's world is rough and people kill without compunction or remorse. He's seen his father kill many times. Still, I wanted to feel him feeling more. Nailer's dad is scary but he's also a drug addict. He acts evil and nasty when he's high. For some reason that made him less scary for me than if he had just been evil and nasty and sober. I kind of felt sorry for him in a way.

Sadna is the heart and soul of this book for me. She is compassionate and brave. (She's also quite a fighter.) Surprisingly, my favorite character was Tool, a half-man, which according to a vague description is a genetic mix between a man, a tiger, a hyena and something else, I forget what. They're bred to fight and protect their master but Tool doesn't have a master and his past is very vague. He's intriguing and I want to know more about him. I'm sure I'll get the opportunity as sequels/trilogies seem to be the norm these days. I'll read it because this book was good enough to keep me interested. It just didn't wow me.

A Long Way from Chicago by Richard Peck

148 pages

"What happens when Joey and his sister, Mary Alice - two city slickers from Chicago - make their annual summer visits to Grandma Dowdel's seemingly sleepy Illinois town?

August 1929: They see their first corpse, and he isn't resting easy.
August 1930: The Cowgill boys terrorizes the town, and Grandma fights back.
August 1931: Joey and Mary Alice help Grandma trespass, poach, catch the sheriff in his underwear, and feed the hungry - all in one day.

And there's more, as Joey and Mary Alice make seven unforgettable summer trips to Grandma's - each one funnier than the year before. Now an old man, Joe Dowdel remembers these seven summers and the 'larger than life' woman who outsmarted the law and used blackmail to help those in need." -Cover

A friend recommended this book after reading it in her book club and I'm so glad she did. It's pure joy from start to finish. Grandma Dowdel is a total crack-up but she's also a woman with a big heart who goes about doing good in strange and funny ways. She's the type of grandma everyone wishes they had. This book had me smiling and laughing out loud. It also had me glad that the copy I bought on Amazon also came with the second book, A Year Down Under, more experiences with Grandma Dowdel from Mary Alice's point of view. Definitely one of my favorites this year.

Specials by Scott Westerfeld

372 pages

"Tally thought they were a rumor, but now she's one of them. A Special. A super-amped fighting machine, engineered to keep the uglies down and the pretties stupid. But maybe being perfectly programmed with strength and focus isn't better than anything she's ever known. Tally still has memories of something else.

But it's easy for her to tune that out--until she's offered a chance to stamp out the rebels of the New Smoke permanently. It all comes down to one last choice: listen to that tiny, faint heartbeat, or carry out the mission she's programmed to complete. Either way, Tally's world will never be the same." -Back Cover

*SPOILERS*
I was only going to read a few chapters last night and before I knew it I was staying up really late because I couldn't put this book down. First of all, the Specials are scary with their wolf-like features, ceramic bones, and razor-sharp teeth and fingernails. For awhile all I could think about was how much Tally's physical appearance has changed since the first book and if she's even recognizable at this point. This book started off like the second one: Tally has been changed and she's got to try to think her way out of the brain damage. Sometimes that bugs me a little when a series does that because it feels unoriginal...and frustrating in this case because you finally get the character back that you love and then she's gone again.

In the end I thought this was a story about victims, just not helpless ones. Tally, Shay, Zane, even Dr. Cable, they were all victims. They were all manipulated/changed for someone else's gain or ideal and the beauty of the books is how they fight against that. They have bad things happen to them and they keep going. I had wanted Dr. Cable to "get hers" in the end but loved how things turned out with her. After all, she deserved the cure just as much as everyone else and rescuing Tally was a form of redemption for her. Although...I kind of wish Tally had had the operation. Her staying Special and her Manifesto at the end was a little disappointing for me. I didn't think that her moral compass was good enough for her to declare herself the policeman/woman of the new world. But maybe with David's help, who knows. The author is definitely an environmentalist.

I have to admit, I cried when Zane died. I really liked his character. I knew it was going to happen ('cause that's what happens when you read reviews sometimes) but I wanted so much for Tally to be able to shake off the effects of being Special as quickly as she shook off the effects of being Pretty and think clearly regarding Zane. Zane never stopped believing in her. Or loving her. But then again, neither did David.

For some reason I went into this series not expecting to like it as much as some of the other dystopian novels I've read but it ranks right up there. Any book that makes you care for its characters and have strong feelings about their decisions and what happens to them is a book well-written in my opinion. I'm sure eventually I'll read the fourth book in this "trilogy".