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".

Pretties by Scott Westerfeld

370 pages

"Tally has finally become pretty. Now her looks are beyond perfect, her clothes are awesome, her boyfriend is totally hot, and she's completely popular. It's everything she's ever wanted.

But beneath all the fun--the nonstop parties, the high-tech luxury, the total freedom--is a nagging sense that's something's wrong. Something important. Then a message from Tally's ugly past arrives. Reading it, Tally remembers what's wrong with pretty life, and the fun stops cold.

Now she has to choose between fighting to forget what she knows and fighting for her life--because the authorities don't intend to let anyone with this information survive." -Back Cover

*SPOILERS*
I liked this second book in the series better than I thought I would. I liked Tally a lot in the first book and I was reluctant to "see" her become pretty and lose her feistiness. But, I also felt that that journey was probably a necessary one to show us what's really wrong with the pretty world. I was also reluctant to add another love interest. I liked David's character in the first book and I liked their relationship, basing love on personality rather than looks, but Zane's character wound up being a nice addition. (I shouldn't read reviews of books in a series before I've read the books.) Zane is more than just pretty. He's thoughtful, feels remorse, and wants to be free. I thought his feelings and relationship with Tally were believable and eventually I wasn't sure who I wanted her to be with.

I liked how the author made the lines between right and wrong somewhat blurry. As a reader you can almost be convinced that the pretty world isn't all that bad. After all, everyone gets along. There's no crime and life's a party. Except for the fact that there's no choice. Tally and Zane have to fight to stay "bubbly" and think clearly. I really liked how Croy made finding the cure into a puzzle that forced Tally to come out of the haze and have to think. The ending was pretty heartbreaking. When you find out why Zane is having such bad headaches you just wish Tally could catch a break for once and not feel like everything is her fault. And you feel so bad for Zane. I liked how she describes being torn between two loves from two different lives. In the end I would have made the same decision she did. Tally has changed. Her experiences have made her a different person. She reminded me a little of Katniss from The Hunger Games. She's a strong female character and I just hope she can retain that part of her, the strength and bravery that makes us root for her, throughout the rest of the series and stay true to who she was in the beginning. That was my biggest complaint about Katniss. She felt like a completely different person by the end of the series, too damaged by what she'd been through to have any fight left in her at all. I'm hoping that doesn't happen to Tally.

I had one of those "NOOOOOO!" moments at the end of this book. Shay is a complex character. You want to hate her and feel like she's a villain but you're not quite sure she is because she's a victim of circumstance too. She still feels like a girl who just wants to be with her friend...albeit a friend that she also hates. Book 3 should be interesting. I'm at least relieved that Tally doesn't become a Special by choice. I sure hope Dr. Cable gets what she deserves.

A Red Barn

I haven't had much time to read over the last two weeks because my husband and I have been trying to get this done:

Not quite the red barn I'd hoped for, but it's almost done and it's lookin' good. I've wanted chickens for years and this spring we got six black sex links. Bring on the fresh eggs!