The Book Thief

The Book Thief
by Markus Zusak

Third on my 20 book challenge, this selection is exactly why I created my challenge.  I know I have added a lot of really fine books to my list and then proceeded to ignore them based on what I've come across or what's caught my eye since.  Who knows how long I may have continued to evade being captured by this book, or maybe miss it entirely. 

I love this book.  It should not be overlooked or missed.  If you also have it on your shelf, pull it out now and put where you can guarantee you will choose it to read next.  You won't be sorry. 

The Book Thief is a war story, centering around Liesel, who is the book thief, in the late 1930s and early 1940s. The narrator of the story is Death, which sounds pretty morbid, but actually was done very well.  Death had just the right amount of sensitivity and disdain and never overshadowed the story.  The author discusses his decision to write from Death's perspective and the challenge.  I think he did it very well.

The story begins when Liesel is about eight.  Her mother is taking her and her brother to stay with foster parents.  Her brother dies on the train and Liesel begins life with her foster family on her own. Although one foster parent is more nurturing than the other, they both clearly love and care for her. Times are bad in Germany and they are a poor family.

When Liesel comes to the family she has in her possession a book that she found/stole when burying her brother.  She does not know how to read and enters her new school far behind the other children her age. Eventually, her foster father helps her learn to read and together they read her stolen book, The Gravediggers Guide.

The story progresses over a few years.  Liesel's reading and love of books enables her to help people in ways she is not even aware of. Life in Nazi Germany is not easy, even for the Germans. To avoid any spoilers, I will end my recap of the actual story with that. 

I appreciated this story in part for the struggles it portrays for the German population at this time.  One did not have to be a Jew to find life difficult and dangerous in Germany.  Starting with a little girl who has lost her parents for reasons she doesn't know or understand and her brother's death.  She lives with a family who is poor and struggling day to day. And the utmost care must be taken at all times to stay on the 'right' side of the Nazi party or pay a price.  Just being the 'person you are' can put one in great danger.

I give The Book Thief five shots of five - and a Tissue Alert.

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children
Ranson Riggs

Here I present another selection from the young adult or children's section of the book store or library.  There are some fun stories to be found there!

Within the pages of this story you will find many vintage photographs, such as the one on the cover of the book.  I couldn't help but think as I read the story that the author must have come across this collection of photos and decided to create a story around them. At the end of the book there is a small blurb along with the photo credits and I do believe the story was indeed conceived while pondering the "photographic evidence."

Jacob is a young child taken with his grandfather's tales of his life in an idyllic, happy home for children where he was sent after his family perished in the war.  The children were all "peculiar," each having some strange ability or characteristic. His grandfather shares strange photos of the odd children as he tells his stories. 

As Jacob grows older he comes to realize his grandfather had been making up stories to entertain him as a child and he easily sees through the gimmicky photography.  The days of boyhood fantasy are now behind him and he helplessly watches as his grandfather slowly loses his hold on reality. 

When Jacob's grandfather dies a violent death, Jacob begins to feel his own grasp on reality is slipping.  That is until he discovers all of his grandfather's stories are actually true and that he himself is an important ingredient in a story that continues on. 

Because I don't want to issue a spoiler alert I'll leave the synopsis of the story at that. Ranson Riggs spins a tale where past and present come together and Jacob has to make the decision of his lifetime.  And through it all we meet a cast of quirky characters that I found quite charming, and really not so odd.  There will surely be a sequel to this book.  I don't think the story can be left where it ended.  I only hope we have more peculiar photos to go along with it.

I give this novel four shots of five. 

Mocking Jay

Mocking Jay
by Suzanne Collins

Again, I am not going to give you much of a review of this book.  Being number three in the trilogy, I will refer you back to number one (The Hunger Games) to start there.  If you enjoy that one, and then Catching Fire you won't even need my review to know you must read Mocking Jay. 

Suzanne Collins keeps the action and tension going strong in book three.  The relationships of the main characters changes somewhat as their situations change, but we adapt to the changes just as they must.  More twists and turns and surprises await you. 

And of course the end of Mocking Jay also means the end of the trilogy.  I had my preferred outcome from the beginning of the first book and continued to hope I'd see it.  Although I must admit my preferences were pulled in opposite directions more than once.  As for the ending...  was it what I hoped for?  Yes and no.  It's one of those happy/sad endings that you know you can't avoid because it's right.  It's the way things had to end... or to continue on.

There was just a tad bit of feeling "I'm tired of writing, this story must end" near the last of the story.  Immediately after the climatic event the book leads up to, Katniss is confined to her "quarters" for a fair period of time, not knowing what is going on or what is real or not.  Eventually we find out in very simple terms what has happened and I felt it was more than a little implausible.  In order to make a believer of me, I really needed to know how the story played out to it's conclusion.

If I haven't mentioned it before, you may want to keep a box of tissues nearby when reading the Hunger Games trilogy.  Although an action packed adventure story, there are many times I found myself choking back tears.

Again, five of five shots for Ms. Collins and her Hunger Games trilogy.  Now, I must see the movie.  (I don't do movie reviews - sorry). 

Catching Fire

Catching Fire
 by Suzanne Collins

Catching Fire is book two of the Hunger Games trilogy.  Every bit as good as book one, I don't know what more to say.  What comes to mind that I could write would give away parts of the book I am reluctant to give away. I will say that not long into the book, Katniss and Peeta find themselves fighting for their lives, once again. And this time the results are devastating. 

Guess you'll just have to read it yourself. 

Book two starts off immediately where book one ends and Katniss and Peeta are starting on their victory tour of the Districts.  I wondered how this is done because being a victor means you have killed off the teams from every district but your own.  So it doesn't seem to me that each district would be too excited about seeing the winners visit their district. 

However, I suggest you read book two after you've finished book one to find out how the victory tour goes and....

What.
Happens.
Next.

I'm not giving anything up.  But I do give this book five shots of five, just like book one.

The Hunger Games

The Hunger Games
by Suzanne Collins

I'm beginning to feel that the best books are being written for young adults.  Perhaps I just don't know where to look for the best books, but I seem to find very good ones in the Young Adult section. 

The Hunger Games falls into this category - one of the best books and written for Young Adults.

Far into the future our country is broken into 13 Districts and the Capitol which are all very distinct and separate from each other.  District 13 has been obliterated and only 12 remain.  Our heroine and hero are from District 12 which is the coal mining district and perhaps one of the poorest.  Katniss is a hunter/gatherer roaming illegally outside the confines of the district, risking her freedom daily to bring food to her family and to trade for other goods.  Peeta is the son of the baker.

The Hunger Game is an annual event created by the Capitol in which two children from each district, a boy and a girl between the ages of 12 and 18, are all placed in an arena to fight to the death.  Katniss and Peeta are the selected from District 12.  The winner will be set for life with a new home and wealth when returned to his or her district.

We follow Katniss and Peeta from their selection through the pomp and circumstance of their preparation and presentation for the Games.  The story is well written and imaginative.  The "arena" is set around a lake, forested on one side with the terrain of the other side dropping out of view and is not described until much later in the story.  The Capitol is capable of recording the combatants in all areas and controlling the environment at will. If the Games are to become boring they can crank it up to keep it moving by changing the weather or creating hardship. 

The characters are well developed and we care about them, crying when we should, becoming anxious in tense situations and cheering when appropriate.  But we don't forget that this is an incredibly awful "game" and to win is only to survive, because in a game requiring the death of all opponents, how can one really "win?"

Definitely five of five shots!

A Great and Terrible Beauty

A Great and Terrible Beauty
by Libba Bray

Sometimes catching up on books I've owned for a long time simply means purchasing more books in the end. This book is the first of a trilogy and of course now I must read the other two, right?

When I purchased this book I was not aware of the supernatural aspect of the story, even though it refers to it on the back jacket. Silly me. I was expecting a period piece about a young girl in a British boarding school in the late 1800's. I thought the visions and powers referred to were about social power and status. I was a little put off when I realized the book was indeed of the fantasy/sci-fi genre. However, I carried on and discovered a story I very much enjoyed.

Gemma has been raised in India her entire life and very much wants to go to England to school. When her mother commits suicide she sadly gets her wish only to discover it's not the perfect life she'd been dreaming of.

She finds herself at Spence, a school for young ladies, and feeling much out of place. She tentatively makes friends with some of the girls and together they delve into the supernatural, visiting a realm, another world, of beauty and peace where Gemma finds her mother alive and the forgiveness she seeks.

But of course what appears to be wonderful on the surface has dark and evil currents below and Gemma and her friends are soon in danger.

I was thoroughly entertained by this story and particularly enjoyed the time period it takes place in. This book is found in the young adult section, where I find many enjoyable books. I'm ether young at heart or just never matured into full blown adulthood.

Rumors

"Rumors" by Anna Godbersen

"Rumors" is the second in a series of teen romance novels set in 1899 Manhattan. The women are beautiful, rich & young, the darlings of the social scene.

We follow the lives of the same characters presented to us in book one, Penelope, nuveau rich and cunning. Diana, from an old family but on the verge of destitution, Elizabeth, secretly living with her former servant/lover in California after faking her death, Carolina, a servant girl with aspirations of granduer, and Henry, the male figure that in one way or another unites them all.

I didn't care for the style of the first few chapters which, being the burden of the second novel in a series, revisited many of the events of book one to bring the uninitiated reader up to date. Somehow I think this needs to be avoided to the extent it was used. If a reader were to pick up this book without first reading "Luxe" then they simply need to read "Luxe" to get up to speed and the author can stop boring me with repetitous details.

The other fault I find with the writing of this story, both in book one and book two, is the time frame of the events. On one had the author will refer to events "several months" in the past and yet in reality is refering to October while it's currently Christmas time, barely two months. And being Christmas time, even the current events are much too swiftly occuring to be believable.

Putting my peeves aside, the book was a fun read, however a bit drawn out. I surely thought the character of Carolina would have been more substantial for the effort of writing her into the story. Maybe time will tell with her story in book three. As for this book, she was the servant girl in love with the servant boy, Will, who ran away with Elizabeth. She thought her only failure in capturing his interest was in being less than Elizabeth was in her social standing. But once she felt she could honestly call herself a lady, she decided being with Will would be a step backwards after all.

Henry is the pivot for which Diana and Penelope revolve around. He seems to have finally fallen in love (rather than lust) and desires a real relationship with Diana. His previous engagement to Diana's sister Elizabeth, who is believed to be dead, prevents their love. Meanwhile, Penelope has always desired Henry and helped Elizabeth fake her death to be with Will and freeing Henry up for herself. Who will win? Will it be the sweet love of Henry & Diana or will it be the cunning of Penelope? One of these two ladies is married to Henry by the end of the book.

For me, I am moving away from Gossip Girl circa 1899 for a while and partaking in some non-fiction. Next up - "The River of Doubt" by Candice Millard

Luxe

"Luxe" by Anna Godbersen.

This novel is classified as "Teen Historical Fiction." I came across it while doing some Christmas shopping at Barnes & Noble and thought it looked pretty good. My daughter insisted that she already had it and so loaned me her copy. Book #2 appeared in my Christmas stocking and is now next in line to read.

Now before you go getting all puffed up about being exposed to reading a teen novel, let me remind you that Stephenie Meyers' "Twilight" series are all teen novels. I guarantee you there are as many if not more "mamas" out there reading those than teen vampirettes. And of course there are the Harry Potter books that are found on the young reader shelves. There is a lot of good reading to be found in the youth section!

"Luxe" takes place in New York City in 1899. The characters are wealthy young socialites all very impressed with themselves. Elizabeth Holland is an attractive young lady who is known to be very virtuous. Through circumstances neither reveals to the other, she becomes engaged to society's playboy, Henry Schoonmaker, creating the event which the drama revolves around.

From the lowliest servant to the highest aristocrat, most of the characters were not very likable in this story, with the exception of Elizabeth herself. That is not to say that the book isn't full of characters you love to hate. And despite some early misgivings some of the characters do manage to redeem themselves.

My daughter hasn't finished book #2, "Rumors" yet, but I plan to steal it away from her and begin it tonight.

Twilight by Stepheny Meyer

Originally published on MySpace, Nov 21, 2008

Twilight? NOT

Current mood:confused

Am I the only person in the world that is not completely head over heels in love with Stephenie Meyers and her Twilight books/now movie?

For me it all started at Barnes & Noble in Utah. One of the employees was a Twilight fanatic and it hadn't even become the mega hit it is now. At that time there was only one book out in the series and she begged EVERYONE to read it. I thought she was annoying (sorry J) and refused for a long time. Just to reiterate how obsessed this girl is with Twilight, she had the cover tattoo'd on her. Twilight tattoo

Then my daughter gave in and read it.

"Oh, Mom! You have to read this book!" Okay, so I gave in and read it. It was a cute story but not particularly gripping or developed as far as I was concerned. The thing I liked most about it was the location. It takes place in Forks, WA. I know that area. Hubby and I were in that area on our first anniversary and it was completely stormy and the power was out. We were in a small resort just west of First Beach, mentioned in the book. There is also a Second Beach and a Third Beach. As a child we camped in the area and hiked to all three beaches. As an adult with our first newborn baby, G'ma & G'pa camped in the RV and took care of baby while hubby and I backpacked up the beach. The area is rich with indian history, including petroglyphs on the beach.

So, yea, a story taking place in that location was kinda cool. Too bad SM had never even been there!

Working at the bookstore in a the center of the LDS universe and SM being LDS - well of course there were a number of people that shopped there that had to tell you they were related to Stephenie, or went to school with her at BYU.

So what is the attraction to these books and stories of hers? I don't know. I'm not a vampire fan, even if they don't suck human blood. I'm just not into these books, and SM is as famous as JK Rowlings now because of them. Maybe there is a pattern here - I didn't get past the 3rd HP book either....

7:15 PM

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    Mimi

    Kudo's to you Betsy. I as well came into the Twilight phenom. from miss "J". I resisted as long as I could be eventually picked them up. I almost feel guilty still when people come in and ask what I thought, clearly thinking that I am going to start screaming and drooling over my love for them, and I dash their expectations. I highly recommend it everyday, but not for serious readers who want something more than just a fun read.
    I know that you aren't a HP fan, but I swear to you that if you finished them, you would be appalled at the compairison. I am a HP fan FOREVER, and would never even think that they were even close to the same level.
    Pick up the book "Dead Until Dark" by Charlaine Harris. This book inspired the new HBO series True Bloods. The overall premise is very similar to SM novels. Female mind reader can't read her love interests mind. Sound familar?!
    I love the fact that not EVERYONE is enthralled by this series. Makes me feel like not so much of a loser.

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    2 years ago
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    Connie

    I'm back because I just read a blog about Twilight by one of my other favorite bloggers, and I really liked what she had to say - particularly this part. I think she's on to something:
    
    "When I first wrote about the book I said that it wasn't high brow reading. That the dialogue wasn't great. But something about the book tapped into that teenage girl I used to be. I remembered what it was like to be excited to go to school the next day just to be with your new love/crush. The feeling of "will this day ever end" when he's not around. What Twilight captured was this amazing first love experience for those that never experienced it. When you're of a certain age (teens) your worldview is shaped by the environment you're in, the type of books you read, and/or what you see on T.V. More often than not, teenagers base their opinions on what's hot, funny, how love should be, how marriage works, the best way to talk to boys, etc., on media because real life usually isn't as exciting. Then, when you know better (get older) you do better."
    
    BTW I did wonder while reading if Forks was a real place or not. (Yeah I could have looked it up but I was lazy!) How cool that you've been there! I bet it'll become a pretty hot tourist spot! (Did you know they actually do Harry-Potter themed tours of England now?) ;o)

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    2 years ago
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    Connie

    Ha! I *am* a huge vampire-novel fan (love Anne Rice, Laurel Hamilton, etc) but I resisted reading Twilight for a long time because it seemed like much more of a young-teen novel than the Harry Potter series. And it definitely IS aimed more at young teens. I don't think SM is as good a writer as Anne Rice or JK Rowling. But I can definitely see the appeal in the story for young teens. She does capture the realm of teen fantasy and teen angst quite well, particularly in the second book. I see it as a modern-day Romeo and Juliet story; star-crossed lovers and all that. It's very...what's the word I want...archetypal in it's appeal. And if you love stories about vampires and werewolves, all the better. I'm not surprised it's popular, but I am amazed at what a HUGE phenomenon it's become. I would have said the same about the book - good, not great - the depth of the angst inspired a bit of eye-rolling at times, although again, I can see how teens would relate. But I found that the characters do suck you in (no pun intended) and I confess that I am getting very excited about seeing the movie!! I guess I'm still a teen at heart! ;o)

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    2 years ago

The Sledding Hill

"The Sledding Hill" 

by Chris Crutcher

Teen Fiction, Paperback, 230 pages

I am so overwhelmed by books I want to read at work. I can't exactly explain how this one popped up as 'next in line' because it wasn't on my "must read" list.

The author, Chris Crutcher is apparently better known for his work being banned from schools than the work itself. He deals with issues that are relevant to today's youth using language that much of our kids also use, whether within earshot or not. This book, however, deals more with the issue of banned books than social issues. The language is clean and controversial topics are barely touched on.

The story is presented by a character who is tragically killed in the first chapter. It is the story of his best friend, Eddie, who is dealing with the death of his father, three weeks earlier, as well as that of his friend. Eddie was the first to find each body.

Billy, the dead kid, decides to stay around for a while after his death to be sure his friend is okay, although he realizes his friend's life is a minute blip in time. With what Billy now understands and knows about the universe, this really isn't plausible, but without it, there would be no story. I find it kind of interesting how much of my reading lately, has to do with death and "life" after… Which makes me think about "The Laws of Attraction" which I will be reading soon, but I digress.

Only Billy and a few other people realize that Eddie is a very bright kid who apparently is ADHD. Through my own child development classes of the past I realize that people learn in different ways, some through sight, some through sound, some through writing, and some through motion. Eddie learns through motion. When he is moving is the only time his brain seems to be able to stay focused. When he is 'still' his mind bounces from one subject to another. It appears this bouncing is also what allows Billy the opportunity to present himself to Eddie, which of course makes Eddie believe he is crazy. 

When school starts in the fall Eddie's class is assigned a book by Chris Crutcher. A top student, athlete and head of the Youth for Christ club objects to the book and begins the process of getting it banned. The remainder of the book is the fight for and against banning the book and the final outcome, with the book being pulled from the school, along with many other authors' works written for youth. 

I started off really liking this book. The deaths and the afterlife and Billy's connection with his friend kept my attention and anticipation high. Where it lost me was at the point the book was introduced to the students.

Why? Because at this point the author made himself the center point of attention. As far as I can ascertain, the book itself ("Warren Peece") is fictional, but supposedly written by the author of the book I am reading. I cannot say exactly why that put me off, but it did. 

I finished the book, eventually getting beyond this annoyance. The ending was weak but overall the message of the book, censorship in our schools, was an important one. The author included three appendixes at the end of the book dealing with his experience of the issue. 

I have to believe that exposing our children to all the diversity and issues in the world, with our own parental loving guidance, will only strengthen them as adults. Sheltering them from the real world leaves them unprepared to deal with real issues. Like a vaccination, a little controlled bit of the disease makes us strong. I'd rather give my kids exposure to foul language, teen sex, drugs, diseases, etc. through books than through experience.

The Giver

The Giver, 

Lois Lowy

MM paper back. 180 pages.

This is a Newbery Award winning book that has been calling me since I began working in the book store. I picked it up with a few other books by Lois Lowry that caught my attention.

Written for young adults and juveniles I found the story and characters a little underdeveloped for adult readers, although probably just right for younger readers. I mention this because I have had people of all ages looking for it.

The story takes place in the future and follows a twelve year old child into the first year of training for his "assignment," the job he will perform for his community for the rest of his life. His assignment is to become the Receiver of all ancient memories. There is only ever one Receiver until he/she becomes old and near release, and then a new one is trained. The assignment is a very honored one, but causes isolation and pain to the Receiver. The title, The Giver, comes from the boy, now the new Receiver, questioning what he should call his mentor, the old Receiver. The old Receiver instructs him to call him the Giver.

In this futuristic world "sameness" is what is important. The Receiver has the memories of the past which support the value of "sameness." However, both the old and new Receiver can see that "sameness" means a myriad of things not experienced. Sameness equals safe, no conflict. Different equals choice which may not be a good thing.

The end of the story was very ambiguous to me. If I were a middle school reader I might have thought it was a happy ending. As an adult with the knowledge and experience of age, I am not sure if the ending was happy or sad. Although it came very close to wrapping it up, it stops just short of spelling out the truth of it.

I was left to ponder what purpose a world of sameness could have. But ultimately that took me full circle to wonder what purpose the world as it exists today has. Does anything we do have any real affect on anything? Can we say that our purpose/existence will matter in a thousand years? Perhaps, if sameness is all you know then it's purpose is as meaningful as any other existence. 

The Giver is an interesting look at a potential future. Possibly as scary in it's own way as George Orwell's 1984. 

Addendum:

If you clicked on The Giver link and went to the Lois Lowry website featuring this book you will see mention of the cover design.  This book is in several sections of our store, Kids, Teens, and I think it may be in the Adult Fiction or Science Fiction &Fantasy area as well.  I purposefully picked up a copy with a different cover because the old man pictured on the cover really creeped me out.  I thought it was interesting that others thought so highly of it.  Oh well.