This is the first book I have read by Ms Thornell, and it wasn't bad. This is a more than a little wish fulfillment going on with the love interest. He is the ideal man with fortune, a kind heart, and patience to wait for Katherine to work out her emotional turmoil. It is common in modern stories for the female character to be bold, and even brash in her pursuits, but Katherine is mostly sweet and submissive to the desires of her parents and those around her who care about her. The side theme of Kate and her mother learning to stand up to Katherine's abusive father is satisfying and shows good character development. I will probably try Thornell again, but will wait to put her on my Clean Romance list until I have read at least one more of her full length books. (2021, 218 p.)
Saturday, December 21, 2024
To Marry an Earl by Karen Thornell
Friday, December 20, 2024
The Christie Curse by Victoria Abbot
While I was looking for Agatha Christie novels, I kept running across this one. Finally I gave in and checked it out. It turned out to be a fairly well written cozy mystery. I liked the strange host of characters, from Jordan's not-so-law abiding uncles, to the Italian cook who wants everyone to "eat, eat!". There were a good amount of plot twists, and some fun information about Agatha Christie. I was kind of glad there wasn't a romance involved. It is just a good, clean, fun mystery read. (293 p, 2013),
Monday, December 16, 2024
Various Works by Agatha Christie
Tuesday, December 3, 2024
The Quiet Gentleman by Georgette Heyer
I checked out this book to read on the airplane on my trip to Italy. It is not one of Heyer's most famous books and doesn't seem to be available in audio, so I hadn't read it already. It is ok, but not my favorite of the Heyer books. Gervase is an interesting protagonist. He is wealthy, smart, and a bit of a dandy, but he is also very patient and fair with his unfriendly extended family. That being said, he doesn't let them bully him and he knows his own mind. The focus of the story is the mystery of who is trying to kill Gervase, and the character of Drusilla, and her growing regard for Gervase, almost seems like an afterthought. It is as if Ms Heyer wrote a mystery, and then someone told her she should add a romance, so she quickly added in the Drusilla character. Still, I generally like Heyer's writing style and enjoyed the book well enough to make an extra effort to finish it before the lone expired. It wasn't a bad choice for an airplane trip.
Sunday, December 1, 2024
The Spindle of Fate by Aimee Lim
This is the first book of a new author, but in the tradition of the Rick Riordan Presents imprint. To me it felt like a Chinese Dante's Inferno. Since the characters are going through Hell, the story ends up being pretty dark. At one point they are swimming through a river of blood, and there are several other rather graphic depictions of the different kinds of tortures in Diyu. It would be too much for some young readers, but I could see certain 10-12-year-old boys liking the gross-out factor. There is some snarky sarcasm in the story that helps lighten things up a bit. The author does a good job of making Aimee a very believably flawed character, and doesn't flinch away from the complex nature of her grief. Kevin is also an interesting character, and they have pretty good chemistry (though not romantic). The author keeps the ending open for a sequel, which seems to be coming out next summer, but I am not sure if I will read it. (2024, 304 p)
Friday, November 29, 2024
Getting to Yes by Roger Fisher, William Ury
This is an old classic in the library of business self-help books, but there is a reason has gone through multiple editions. The advice is common sense and really useful. The writing is clear, and the authors use interesting examples. Since it is an older book, younger readers might not remember some of the famous examples, like the Iran Hostage Crisis, or the Egypt Israel treaty of 1979, but the authors explain them well enough to still be illustrative. In this third edition, the authors include a few comments about how the internet has influenced negotiations, but mostly to warn people not to try to negotiate solely via texts or emails. I checked out the book because of some upcoming negotiation I will need to do at work, and I felt like I gained some good ideas from it. (240, 2011)
Wednesday, November 27, 2024
Ring of Secrets by Roseanna M. White
My dedicated readers know how much I loved Ms White's Christian spy romances that were set in WWI. They have been some of my favorite all time Christian historical romances. I also really enjoyed this one but it has a slightly different flavor. As I read it I wondered if it was one of Mrs White's earlier books, and it is. Her writing just wasn't quite as refined as in the Codebreakers series. The religious elements are quite a bit more heavy handed. Every chapter has the characters praying out-loud of spouting scripture. It could be off-putting to some, but it was actually just right for me this week (despite the less than ideal cover). I like her characters, and her plot was well crafted. I wonder how much reflects actually Revolutionary War history? I have already put the second in the series on my wish list and will check it out next time I need some biblio RX. (352 p. 2013)
Monday, November 25, 2024
12 Days at Bleakly Manor by Michelle Griep
One of the patrons at the library recommended Michelle Griep to me as a good Christian Historical Romance writer, so I picked one of her books to try. It ended up being pretty good. Griep is a decent writer and likes a clever turn of phrase. The characters, though not terribly deep, where still well drawn and sympathetic, The ending was a little contrived, but I liked it anyway. I will definitely be putting Ms Griep on my Good Clean Romance Writer's list. (2017, 192 p.)
Sunday, November 24, 2024
The Unselected Journals of Emma Lion V. 6 by Beth Brower
This is just more of the writing confection that is Emma Lion. The characters are all brilliant, and Brower comes up with some really delightful moments, both happy and sad. It is such a lovely story of a shattered young woman and the three men who decide to hold her gently while she gradually mends. (247 p. 2022)
Thursday, November 7, 2024
Love and Lavender by Josi Kilpack
Here is another in the Mayfield Family Series. I have enjoyed the books in this series because the main characters learn to overcome their own shortcomings and hangups to make their match work. I love the message that two people who are willing to be nice to each other can learn to love each other. Kilpack does a good job of making Duncan sympathetic, even though he is not neurotypical and showing how Hazel could fall in love with him. She also shows how Duncan learns to recognize and show his love for Hazel. It was a refreshing read after the heavy Irving Stone book. (2021, 320 p.)
Wednesday, November 6, 2024
The Agony and the Ecstasy by Irving Stone
You may have been wondering why I haven't posted in a while. It is because this recorded book is 34 hrs long! Someone recommended I read it before my trip to Italy next week, and I am glad I did. I had read it before, years ago, maybe when I was in college*, but it was good to refresh my memory about the time period and all the social pressures that influenced Michelangelo's work. The reader of the audiobook does a good job (even at 125% speed) and the writing style is very readable, if a little sentimental. I wonder how similar Michelangelo was to Stone's portrayal? Stone quotes from Michelangelo's letters and poems, and refers to contracts and deeds, suggesting that these were the primary sources he used in writing the book, but that might have just been a literary device. I was very impressed with Stone's ability to describe and interpret the motivations behind each of the principle art works. Mostly, I am just excited to actually get to see some of these amazing works next week in person! (776 p. 1961)
*When I read the book those many years ago, I think I was too naive to pick up on a lot of the sexual imagery the justified the book's title. It is subtle, but everywhere :)
Saturday, October 26, 2024
The Barren Grounds by David Robertson
Robertson has borrowed a bunch of tropes from The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. There is the magic door, the perpetual winter, talking beasts, and a different timeline when you are in the mystical land. In both books there is the epic struggle of the good vs evil. In the Narnia Books, the White Witch represents evil or Satan, but in this book the bad guy represents Europeans. It is also interesting to compare Ochek, who is the hero/mentor of this book to Aslan in the Narnia book. (spoiler alert) When Ochek first meets Arik, a talking squirrel, he wants to kill and eat her, even though she is a sentient being. The children have to stop him. In other words, the big hero, the savior character, is, in a way, a confessed cannibal. I could see some people having problems with that and the anti- "white man" message. If, however, you just take it as a middle-grade fantasy, it is actually pretty good. The writing is artful and the characters as are well drawn and complex. It is a book that would make a good young reader stretch and contemplate some really hard questions. It would also be an interesting book for a parent/child book club. (2021, 256 p)
Thursday, October 24, 2024
The Truth about Miss Ashbourne by Joanna Barker
As you can tell from the summary, this is not an original storyline, but Ms Barker does a good job of telling the story in an appealing way. It is a bit like eating a favorite dessert. Even though you have eaten it dozens of times before, you still enjoy eating it again. Cassandra is a mixture of reserve and spunk. William is a charming tease. The relationship between Cassandra and her new found grandmother is sweet, and even her first experience with a ladies' maid is cute. Ms Barker has a good sense of humor, and there are some delightfully lighthearted scenes. I look forward to reading more by Ms Barker. (2018, 272 p.)
Wednesday, October 23, 2024
Royal Heir by Traci Abramson
When I picked this off the shelf I didn't realize it was the 4th in the series but it works fine as a stand-alone. Abramson is not a NYT best selling author, but the story line is solid and the characters are, if a little too perfect, at least likeable. Ms Abramson's books often include mysteries involving the intelligence community, and I discovered that she actually worked for the CIA for a few years. This book demonstrates her understanding of the complexity of creating personal security systems. The book is by Covenant, and is squeaky clean. I was a little distracted by the narrator, who was trying to use an Italian accent, but it came out sounding like a Russian accent, but I generally enjoyed the book anyway. (2020, 304 p)
Friday, October 18, 2024
Skandar and the Unicorn Thief by A.F. Steadman
At first I was amused by the premise of this middle-grade novel. It is clearly a pushback against all the unicorn merchandising of the last few years. As I read on, however, I got caught up in the story and characters. This is an above average "magic school" novel with complex themes and interestingly flawed characters. The world building has a few holes, but the setting, particularly the Eyrie, is a lot of fun and I think would really appeal to the target audience. There are some humorous passages, and a lot of good action writing. This book has a satisfying ending, but leaves enough unanswered questions to lead the reader to the second in the series (which I am likely to read sometime) (2022, 448 p)
Sunday, October 13, 2024
Meditations for Mortals, by Oliver Burkeman
This is a good choice to hand to the person in your life who wears busyness and stress like a badge of honor. Burkeman has a lot of good advice and the book is written in an accessible tone and length. I didn't read the book as it was intended, i.e. a chapter a day for four weeks, but I still feel like I got something out of it. That being said, when I started to write this review just a few days after finishing the book, I had a hard time remembering the specific topics he covered--so not super memorable. A lot of the principles he promotes have similarities to American Buddhist ideas of non-striving and being present but he doesn't use that terminology at all. This has much more of a "put your feet up and sit a spell" vibe. I think it is a message needed in current American society. (2024, 208)
Thursday, October 10, 2024
An Unwitting Alliance by Anneka R. Walker
This is the second in the Matchmaking Mamas series and is very like the first. Walker strikes a good balance between humor, drama, and romance. Tom can be a little annoying at times, but that makes his moments of sweetness even more appealing. I liked how Cassandra, at the end, is so emotionally overloaded she hardly knows what to do with herself. I remember that stage in my own courtship. This is not Pulitzer prise level writing, but I am looking forward to the next installment in the series which is coming out later this month. (2023, 272 p)
Wednesday, October 9, 2024
Greenwild: The World Behind the Door by Pari Thomson
The "through the magic door" is a pretty common trope for middle grade fantasy, but this book does it better than most. It is clearly a "save the environment" book, but the author really does seem to have a genuine connection to and love of nature that shines through in her writing. It is almost worth reading for the nature descriptions and world building alone. Daisy, and even the secondary characters, are fully developed, interestingly flawed, and show good character development through the course of the story. The plot twists are a little predictable to me who have read literally hundreds of middle grade fantasies, but I didn't ever get bored and will probably read the next in the series. (2023, 333p.)
Sunday, October 6, 2024
The Librarian of Boone's Hollow by Kim Vogel Sawyer
I thought this was going to be a sappy romance, but it turned out to be more about overcoming ignorance in an impoverished community than it was about their romance. I have read several books about the packhorse librarians now. The Giver of Stars was a bit more gritty, but really well written. The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek is still probably my favorite. This one isn't bad, though, and quite clean. The writing is not spectacular, but just fine, and the plot is interesting. The romance between Addie and Emmett is understated, but it is still a romance, and they are both really likeable characters. If you are interested in the topic and are looking for something inoffensive, this is a good choice. (2020, 368p)
Wednesday, October 2, 2024
The Truths We Hold by Kamala Harris
Kamala Harris wrote this book when she was considering a run for president. It is about 1/4 autobiography and 3/4 campaign tract. As we now know, she was not successful in her presidential bid, but did well enough to be elected as Vice President under Joe Biden. Now, of course, she is the Democratic nominee for President. This book made me think a lot and understand why some people have reservations about Ms Harris becoming President. She is definitely a crusader, and has a lot of grit and drive, but her focus has always been on the downtrodden minority. That is very admirable and I came away from the book feeling like she is a woman who really does care about helping the marginalized parts of society. The thing that gave me pause is that she is so eager to help this group or that group, she doesn't stop to consider where all the money for per proposed programs is going to come from. She also seems to take a strong arm approach to forcing changes through the system. Will that approach work with Congress? Does she understand how to use diplomacy and compromise? I couldn't help but wonder how this book might be different if she were writing it now. What has she learned in four years working as the VP with Joe Biden? Full disclosure: I still plan on voting for her in November, and consider her as a better choice than the alternative. It will be interesting to see how and what she does if she becomes President next January. (368 p. 2020)
Sunday, September 29, 2024
The Marvellers by Dhonielle Clayton
This is an interesting book. Ella is a cross between Ruby Bridges and Harry Potter. There are a lot of the now very familiar magic school tropes; the two best friends, the wise teacher mentor, the rumors of the rising force of evil etc. There is also a lot in there about being the first to cross the lines of segregation and the cruelty of child to child prejudice. There is also lot of southern black folk tale references in the book, which reminded me of Disney's The Princess and the Frog which my husband and I watched recently. I generally liked the book, but I thought it was too long and the pacing was a bit slow. It could have used a 25% edit. Ella is also a little too perfect. She is facing hard stuff, but she, herself, doesn't have many (or any) personality flaws. Brigit, with her grumpy disdain for the Marvellers, is a more interesting character than Ella. That was one of the strengths of the Harry Potter books. Harry was not at all perfect. In the first book he isn't the top student, and got stuck looking at the Mirror of Erised every night because he is messed up about his parents. It is hard to write a flawed character that is still endearing but when a writer can manage it, the book is better. There are two more in the series, and I might read them, or I might not. (416 p. 2022)
Monday, September 23, 2024
The Lost Library by Rebecca Stead and Wendy Mass
What a sweet little story! It was like an ode to the power of libraries to bring people together. I loved that Evan has a functional family and a true friend in Rafe. The mice and the cat are adorable too. It is so rarely that you find a book that is truly wholesome, and also engaging. It would be interesting to know how the two authors collaborated. I wonder if one author wrote the Evan chapters, and the other wrote the chapters about the residents of the History House. I could feel the style of Ms Stead, but I am not as familiar with Ms Mass. (224 p. 2023)
Friday, September 20, 2024
This Side of Murder by Anna Lee Huber
Here is another gothic mystery romance from Huber. She is a good writer, and her books add a nice variety to my historical romance diet. I am glad she didn't cave to the "sunshine and roses" kind of happily-ever-after ending, opting, rather, to keep things complicated. The mystery plot was pretty good as well. I was impressed that I didn't really see how everything would work out until the end. That being said, I thought she wimped out a little by having a the culprit give a long confession to explain all the details. Still, I am sure I will be revisiting Huber's books in the future. (2017, 304)
Wednesday, September 18, 2024
The Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch
I have been looking for something fun and fresh to read. I found it in this book which is like Percy Jackson crossed with Lockwood and Co. for adults. There is a lot of snappy patter and humorous pokes at London culture and folklore. Grant is a likeable chap and the magical characters they encounter are cleverly drawn. Full disclosure, this book is solidly PG-13, (or even R because of frequent use of the F word) with a lot of language and sexual references in the dialog. There isn't, however, on-screen sex, and most of the violence also happens off-screen. I am trying to decide why the content didn't bother me more than it did. I think it is because it was all done in a sassy, sarcastic way. If language and sexual references bother you, though, this is definitely one to skip. (2011, 392p)
P.S. I enjoyed this as I read it, but I realized a few days after I finished it that it left a bad taste in my mouth. It was like enjoying a rich dessert, but then getting a stomach ache from it. It is a bit too edgy for me after all.
Sunday, September 15, 2024
No Other Will Do by Karen Witemeyer
Still looking for something light and uplifting to read, I turned to Karen Witemeyer. She is on the more "preachy" side of Christian historical romance writers, but I was totally up for it last week. The writing is decent, the plot is interesting, and there is a whole cast of colorful characters. It's a bit saccharine, and I wouldn't want to read Witemeyer every week, but this week, it was just the thing. (2016, 366 p)
Friday, September 13, 2024
Chester Keene Cracks the Code by Kekla Magoon
After reading The Night Letters I was looking for something much lighter to read. This one was listed as "humorous" so I thought I would give it a try. It wasn't really very humorous, but it was well written and I am not sorry I read it. Chester is a authentic character, trying so hard to believe something despite all the evidence to the contrary. He is also on the spectrum, and the author clearly has had experience with kids who can't abide changes in their schedule, or need the familiar and routine to feel safe. Skye is also a very endearing character, and the picture of the "ideal friend." This is a good choice for kids who like the "social issues" kinds of books like Wonder or Fish in a Tree. (2022, 304 p.)
Wednesday, September 11, 2024
The Night Diary by Veera Hiranandani
I don't know how I missed this book back in 2019 when it won a Newbery Honor. (Actually, I was so caught up with being a new library director that year, I missed a lot of things.) This is a beautifully written but heartrending historical fiction. Both Nisha, who is shy and studios, and Amil, who is active but has learning disabilities, are sympathetic characters. Every character in the story is fully drawn and the reader can feel their internal struggles. Before reading the book I was not really aware of what happened when they partitioned off Pakistan from India, and it made me wonder, as Nisha did, why freedom from England should have created such discord in India. An author's note at the end explains more about the humanitarian tragedy. (304, 2019)
Sunday, September 8, 2024
DaVinci's Ghost by Toby Lester
Here is another book I read to get ready for my trip to Italy in November. It may seem strange to have a 300 page book discuss just one piece of art, but here it is. It is well written too, and I learned a lot about the symbolism behind the drawing. I had never heard of the idea that the human body could be seen as representing the whole world. I find if fascinating that both pagans and Christians found this idea compelling. The Romans saw the Roman Empire as an extension of the body of the Emperor. The Christians reasoned that if God created Adam in his own image, and if God is perfect and fills the universe, than the human body must be a representation of the universe. There is a lot more about the symbolism of the square and the circle, and also about the proportions of the perfect body. I think a lot of people who love the humanities would enjoy this book. (320 p. 2012)
Sunday, September 1, 2024
The Siren of Sussex by Mimi Matthews
This is the second book I have read by Ms Matthews, and I didn't like it as well as the first. The story line was fine, the characters were written well and there was some interesting historical detail. What I didn't like was that is was very hormonal. There was way too much time spent on describing how his touch made her belly feel, and how she felt when he had to adjust a fitting on her bodice. There was so much focus on the physical, that the reader feels that their attraction is merely physical. I also didn't like that they constantly flaunted the rules of propriety for the time period and believed there wouldn't be any consequences. Somehow was no big deal that she stripped down to her knickers for a fitting without a female chaperone present. There are certain social rules in these books. I don't know if they are based on reality or just a literary creation, but people who write in the Victorian romance genre are accepting those rules when they select the genre. Ms Matthews ignored the convention in order to give the readers yet another scene of suppressed sexual tension. Granted, the couple never cross the line, but they were teetering on the brink the whole book. I debated with myself, but I finally removed Ms Matthews from my Clean Romance Writers list. It just isn't what I want to read. (432 p. 2022)
Thursday, August 29, 2024
The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion by Beth Brower Volumes 1&2
My daughter, Diane, recommended these to me. They are not available in audio yet, so I waited until I was going on a trip to read a print-based version. They are unusual books. Each volume is quite short, and all the chapters are written as entries in Emma's journal. Both short volumes ended quite suddenly without any satisfying conclusion. Emma has a irreverent, sarcastic personality, world weary but delighting in the ridiculousness she sees in the people around her. They are super fun to read, mostly because of the snappy patter between characters. Now that my vacation is over and I have only read the first two of the seven in the series, I have to decide whether to press on and read the others, or wait until my next vacation. (V. 1, 2022, 119 p. V. 2. 2022, 160 p)
Tuesday, August 27, 2024
Mrs Quinn's Rise to Fame by Olivia Ford
A friend recommended this to me and I really enjoyed it. After all the shallow, self-centered characters of the previous book, the deep rich relationships in this one are as sweet and Jenny's treacle tarts. The writing is lovely, and Bernard is the most unlikely but likeable of all love interests. I also enjoyed the "behind the scenes" view of being in a televised baking show. I wonder if the author was allowed to visit and research what it is like to be on the British Baking Show (for that it what it was) or if she just has a very vivid imagination. The book was very sweet and poignant, but also delightful. I will be recommending this one to a lot of friends who like clean reads. (284 p. 2024)
Wednesday, August 21, 2024
The Secret of Platform 13 by Eva Ibbotson
I thought I had read this book years ago, but as I went through it, I had either totally forgotten it, or I never read it in the first place. Ibbotson is a wonderful storyteller. This is classic children's literature at its best. The conflicts are straightforward and there is a healthy heap of humor in every chapter. Good is good and evil is evil and you are always sure right will win out in the end. Raymond is deliciously horrible and one can't help but wonder if he was a model for Dudley Dursley when Rowling wrote Harry Potter three years later. Odge is also an endearing character. I enjoyed it and now I am tempted to go back and read more Ibbotson. (256 p. 1994)
Tuesday, August 20, 2024
Winter in Paradise by Elin Hilderbrand
This book was recommended to be by one of my patrons, but I will admit that I only got through 4/5th of it. It was not only too spicy for my taste, but I also realized that all the main characters where pretty shallow and I didn't really like any of them. Even though I was mildly interested in what actually happened to the husband (it was clear that he wasn't really dead, but that he had faked his death to get out of some kind of trouble with the law), the author wasn't focusing on the mystery at all, but instead on how quickly the mother and both brothers (one of which was married with a child) abandoned their whole prior life to go chasing after people they had just met. Maybe if I had spent the final two hours to see how it turned out I might have liked it better, but after I had to skip several steamy pages a second time, I decided it wasn't worth it. Sorry, Ms Hilderbrand, you are going on my "Authors to avoid" list. (2019, 336 p)
Sunday, August 18, 2024
The Camel Club by David Baldacci
Here is another political thriller by Baldacci. Like the other books by him that I have read, it is relatively clean but contains a fair amount of language and violence. Baldacci is good at intricate plotting with a large host of characters, and as you are reading you have to stay on your toes to keep track of all the different names and backstories. Baldacci gives each one a personality and motivation. He also sneaks in a fair bit of social commentary. (At one point I skipped to the end of a chapter because I got a little tired of it.) The book is old, so the politics it deals with are dated. Also, the series of events at the end of this book are pretty improbable. As I was reading, I thought to myself, this is a fantasy as much as a realistic fiction. Still it was fast paced, mostly engaging, and interesting, and I am glad to have another book to recommend for our middle-age-plus male patrons. (2006, 624 p)
Tuesday, August 13, 2024
Grace and the Preacher by Kim Vogel Sawyer
I haven't read something by Sawyer is quite a while, and I had forgotten how overtly religious her books are. There is a lot of preaching going on in the book, and not all by the minister. Neither Grace or Theophil has any degree of wit or even intelligence. I usually don't like reading about people who are stupid, but even though Grace and Theophil aren't particularly intelligent, they are not stupid. They are making good choices based on their knowledge. They are simple souls trying to make their way in the world and everyone is trying very hard to do what they think God wants them to do. The book has a different kind of vibe from most of the historical romances I read, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. I am, myself, pretty overtly religious and I was Ok with them spouting scripture and repeating
admonition to turn to the Lord. I would not want to read this style of book every week. It is not great literature, but it suited my mood this week. I will probably read more from this author when I again need a break from the grit I find in other books. (2017, 352 p.)
Saturday, August 10, 2024
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child by J.K. Rowling, Jack Thorne, John Tiffany
When this play script was first released as a book I made a decision not to read it. I had heard that it wasn't that good, and I didn't want to mar my memories of the series with a below par sequel. Recently, however, I heard that they were considering making a movie of the script so I decide I better read through it. I actually think the plot wasn't too bad. The plot had some of the feel of the books, and some of the interpersonal relationships were in keeping with might be suggested in the books. The thing that wasn't so great was the characterizations of the original characters. They felt counterfeit. Harry was kind of like Harry but not quite. Ron was a caricature of Ron, instead of the real Ron. Draco Malfoy was perhaps the worst. He was one of the really deep and complex characters in the book, but in the play he is almost comic relief.
After I read the play I found out that the rumors about the movie are false. The original cast is not willing to come back as their adult selves, and it wouldn't really work without them. After reading the script, if they had made the movie, I would have gone to see it. (2016, 343 p)
Tuesday, August 6, 2024
The Princess Protection Program by Alex London
This is a story aimed at the kids who like the "Whatever After" series or the "Descendants" books. It is cute, but also deals with serious questions like, "what if following your dreams means hurting someone else?" and "How much freedom are you willing to give up to be safe?" Some elements of the story make it appropriate for fairly young readers. For example, nobody actually gets hurts or kills anyone, and their is a pretty strong idea that no one is truly evil, they are just misguided. One of my favorite parts of the book is a battle between some unicorns and a dragon. The unicorns are the sparkly kind with brightly colored manes whose flatulence smells like freshly baked cookies. Protective parents should be aware, however, that the reason there is one prince at the academy is because he prefers to find another prince, rather than a princess, for his happily-ever-after. If you are not ready to expose your third grader to that concept, then you might want to avoid this book. Otherwise, it is a fun addition to the fractured fairytale genre. (224 p, 2024)
Sunday, August 4, 2024
Faith by Beverly Watts
When I checked this book out, I forgot that the first one in the series had more sexual element than I was comfortable with. The true was the same with this book. 98% of the book was just fine, but one chapter suddenly depicts them jumping into bed together. The description was at a level some might not object to, but it was too much for me. Actually, the references to sextual arousal, though pretty tame, were throughout the book. I think I need to start a companion list to my "clean romance writers" list. This one will be "Not so clean romance writers to avoid." Watts will be my first addition. (2021, 254)
Monday, July 29, 2024
Heroes by Alan Gratz
I saw this one on the shelf, and being someone who enjoys WWII historical fiction, decided to give it a try. It is a pretty historically accurate description of trauma and destruction of that event. Gratz doesn't sugar-coat anything. The reader sees soldiers get shot, blown up, even body parts fall from the sky. Even though Gratz doesn't spend a lot of time describing each scene of blood and gore it was enough that it gave me, a 59-year-old lady, bad dreams. Not only does Gratz describe the battle, he also deals with the instant prejudice Stanley's family suffers after the battle is over. I can imagine a certain set of young readers who would really like this book, and another set who would be really upset by it. This is way more hard-core than the "I Survived" novels. I suggest a parent/teacher/librarian read the book before handing it to a child. (272 p. 2024)