Fangirl

I’m a total fangirl for Fangirl.  I picked up this book from the library because I knew friends who gushed over Rainbow Rowell, the author, and because I’d just read her adult book Attachments and thought it was cute.  Being a nerd-girl myself, I totally got into this book.

Cath and her twin sister, Wren, are off to college.  While Cath is introverted and awkward (like their bipolar father), Wren is social and outgoing…and has decided she wants a break from “twinning.”  Cath now has to navigate college life alone.  Not only that, Cath also is a secret Internet celebrity, writing fan fiction for a popular set of magic books (about Simon Snow, who is totally a rip off of Harry Potter but it’s done so on purpose).  Baz and Simon, the two main characters in her stories, are the only thing keeping her sane at college, but when her fiction writing professor critiques her for writing fan fiction, she’s thrown off her game and wondering if she truly has a place in the writing world.  To make her feelings more complicated, there’s some boy drama with a kid in her writing class, her roommate’s boyfriend is always hanging out in their room, and her father is starting to spiral into an unhealthy manic state without the twins there to reign him in.

I just feel for Cath.  As a person who’s introverted, I understand a lot of her social anxieties, just on a lesser scale.  For example, the first week or two of school Cath doesn’t eat in her dorm’s dining hall because she doesn’t know where it’s located, she’s too shy to ask anyone for help, and she doesn’t know what the dining hall protocol is (where do you wait for food?  How do you pay?  Where do you sit?  What if you have no one to sit with?).  For me this would cause a mild level of anxiety but my hangry attitude would win in the end and I would suck it up where Cath just lived off her stash of protein bars.

All the characters are very well-written and very believable:  Cath's roommate Reagan with her no-nonsense attitude, Levi with his overly chivalrous charismatic personality, Wren and her roommate’s typical college girl personas, Cath’s dad’s brilliant yet manic state of disarray.  The writing makes you feel for the characters and root for your favorites.

Another part of this story is that it’s really a story within a story.  In between some of the chapters, there are “excerpts” from the made up magic novels and some of Cath’s own fan fiction stories.  Rowell has taken on three writing personas:  one as herself writing the story of Cath, one as Gemma T. Larson—the author of the Simon Snow books—and one as Cath writing her fan fiction.  They all have their own voice, and I just admire Rowell’s writing ability.  The fan fiction story Cath is writing in this story—Carry On—actually has it’s own spin-off novel by Rowell, so if you are interested in more Simon and Baz action, you can check it out.

This book is one of those that makes you feel better when you’re sad.  It reminds you it’s okay to not be perfect.  It reminds you that everyone has their own battles to fight (fictional or otherwise).

Patina & Sunny

Since I read both of these Jason Reynolds middle grades reads in the same weekend, they are getting reviewed together.  Patina is book two in the Jason Reynolds’ track series, and Sunny is the third book.

Patina starts where Ghost (book one in the series…read the review here) leaves off.  We find out the outcome of Ghost’s first track meet (since it was left as a cliffhanger) and learn about Patty’s life.  Her and her younger sister live with her aunt and uncle because her mother had to have her legs amputated because of her diabetes.  She’s at a new private school, on a new track team, and generally doesn’t feel like she belongs. 

This book had a lot going on, and my one major critique is that it’s written like a stream of consciousness.  This can add authenticity to the story, but at some point it does need to structure itself into a story.  This one does pick up about halfway in, but it’s a slow start.  My one other hang-up was how Patty’s story—mother is sick and must go stay with a family member and go to a private school where she feels like she doesn’t belong—is exactly like her aunt’s story.  I get that Reynolds is trying to show Patina she’s not as different from her aunt as she originally thought, but it almost seems like overkill to have their stories match up so perfectly.  I did like how it shows her growing friendships.  Yes, she’s slow to open up, but the idea that you need to open up and let other people know you even if it frightens you is a good lesson for middle grade kids to learn.

Sunny starts where Patina leaves off with yet another cliff hanger (you’re killing me, Reynolds!).  Sunny is the best long distance runner on the track team, but we find out that his real passion is dance.  The only reason he runs is because his father makes him, since his mother was a runner and she died in childbirth.  This new realization leads to conflict with his grieving father but leads Sunny to a pastime he actually enjoys.

I love Sunny.  I was so excited to get to hear his story and see his home life.  But again, my biggest negative about this book is that the writing is very fluid, like anything the character things about (off topic or on topic) is included.  Sunny also has lots of onomatopoeias since he thinks in beats and sounds.  This is very on point for his character, but it does lead to some confusion when reading.  I really liked Sunny’s change throughout the book and his strength to open up to his father about what he really wants.  Overall, a solid book that most upper elementary and middle grade kids will enjoy.

A Life in Parts: An Autobiography by Bryan Cranston

I’m not a huge nonfiction fan.  I find autobiographies sometimes crass and needlessly over the top, especially if they’re written by celebrities.  However, this autobiography by Bryan Cranston has exceeded my expectations.

This one found its way into my hands via my husband.  He’s also a reader, and sometimes after reading a book he slides it over to my TBR—to be read—stack by my bed and says, “You have to read this.”  I was a little unnerved, but only because Bryan Cranston’s serious face was staring at me from my bedside table, subconsciously judging me for not reading him right away.  I couldn’t even flip the book over because the back of the book is Walter White—his character from the TV show Breaking Bad—grimacing at me.  So I finally picked this one up to read.

Wow.  Cranston lays out his life story not in chapters but in characters.  He goes through all the different roles in his life—from Son to Flea Marketeer to Dad to Producer.  Some roles only take up a page or two, like the time he failed at being a newspaper delivery boy, but other parts take up more time, like his time filming on Malcolm in the Middle and Breaking Bad.  He recounts his time growing up with a distant father and an alcoholic mother, his two-year cross-country motorcycle trek with his brother, his various auditions for TV and commercial roles (like when he lied about knowing how to repel down a mountain and had to quickly learn how), and how he eventually became a name in the acting world.  The storyline is quick, the stories are moving—some hilarious and some emotional—and his insight to the acting world is beyond what I’ve heard other actors talk about. 

Next to Lauren Graham’s book—Talking as Fast as I Can—this book is one of the top of my biography/autobiography list.  Well done, Bryan Cranston!

The Wedding Date

I didn’t want to write this review.  I was embarrassed.  I didn’t want people to judge me based on my book choices.  But a wise bookish person once told me, “Don’t let others shame you about what you read.  If you love it, read it!”  So here’s my admission:  I love cutesy, predictable romance books and movies.  I’m a sucker for a good rom-com.  The Holdiay?  I’ve seen it dozens of times.  You’ve Got Mail?  Yep.  You Drive Me Crazy?  Watched it recently and still find it adorable.  10 Things I Hate About You?  Practically had the movie memorized in high school.  The book The Wedding Date is not going to win any literary awards, but, much like these romantic comedies, it will make you giggle and sigh with a relaxed “didn’t that all work out well” feeling.  

The premise of the book can be found in the title alone:  Drew needs a date to his ex’s wedding when he finds himself stranded in an elevator with Alexa, a cute bubbly girl who would be the perfect distraction.  After hitting it off at the wedding, they decide to see each other the next weekend…and the next weekend…and the next weekend until they realize that there may be more to this relationship than a simple fling.  

Yes, you can predict the ending.  Yes, they do end up getting into a fight that results in a large dramatic demonstration of love.  But it’s all a part of the rom-com genre.  

My only caveat for this book is they do have sex…like a lot.  It’s nothing over-the-top graphic, but still, if innuendos and sexual banter makes you uncomfortable, it’s probably best to stay away.  Also, the characters are somewhat one sided. Don’t expect lots of dramatic insights and metacognitive awareness with this one.  It’s just plain good fun to read.  

So that’s my confession.  Whew!  Glad to get that off my chest!

The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street

This book was just a cute book for pre-teens.  Quirky yet relatable characters?  Check!  A problem that the adults can’t solve?  Check!  A mild romance miscommunication?  Check!  It really was a nice little read.

The five Vanderbeeker children have lived in their Bronx brownstone for six years, but four days before Christmas, they find out their landlord (and upstairs neighbor) isn’t renewing their lease.  Their parents are resigned, but the kids decide they will fight the move with…kindness!  They figure if they can show their landlord how great they are, he will let them stay.  It’s a good plan in theory, but all their acts of kindness seem to fall flat.  In the midst of their last-ditch plan, there is also a romance with the boy down the road by the eldest twins.

I liked how the author included pictures of the house layout (maybe because I am a visual person and love seeing how houses are laid out) and the neighborhood map.  I also liked how the characters worked out their conflict resolution in a positive way.  The only problem I had with it was the ending tied up neatly and quickly.  I guess for the age group this book is aimed for (upper elementary), that’s okay, but it seemed a little hasty to me.

A Break-Up Letter to The Immortalists

Dear Immortalists, 

I have a few things to get off my chest.

First, I don’t like you.  I don’t like your moodiness, your brooding, or your whiny characters.  But I also don’t like that I can’t seem to put you down.  It’s killing me (and my library card—I only get three renewals, ya’ know!).

I will grant you praise in that the hook of your book is solid:  four siblings go to a fortune teller and she predicts when they will die.  However, from the start, I did not like how you were written.  You pull the reader into your dark world where nothing seems to go right for the Gold children.  I don’t mind dark stories and dealing with death, but the four sibling’s attitudes just rubbed me the wrong way.  They seemed too narcissistic, each kid growing up into a “woe is me” adult.  Simon runs away from home instead of trying to allow his family to understand his homosexuality.  Klara continues delving into her magic tricks, her life’s passion, but finds that it really just makes her feel more trapped within herself.  Daniel feels he’s done everything by the books and then is blindsided at work with a demotion that sends him over the edge.  Varya is the only redeeming character who at least acknowledges and confronts her self-pitying behavior.

Then there’s the content.  Here’s a little advice:  if you want to hook a wider audience of readers, don’t include graphic sexual content (verging on rape) in the first 100 pages of your book.  It turns a lot of people off, and I should know.  My internet book community recently discussed the top reasons why they abandon a book, and graphic sexual content seemed to be the number one reason.  I understand what you were trying to do…Simon’s coming into his own.  He’s exploring his new sexuality he had to suppress when he was in New York.  But maybe there’s a way to do it without page after page of one night stands and booty calls and random hookups?  Or maybe I’m just a prude.  Who knows.

The one thing that kept me reading…the only thing that pushed me to finish your awful book…is the fact that I had to find out if the prophecy came true.  Did they all die on their predicted days?  And is your future shaped by this knowledge in a positive way or a negative way?  Interesting thoughts to bring up, just poor execution on your part.

So this is where we part ways, Immortalists.  I think a clean break-up is best.  So let’s just say you go your way and I’ll go mine and we never have to see each other again.  Sound good?

(Not) Sincerely Yours,

Mrs. Harper

The Girl I Used to Be

This book is a perfect YA thriller “who-done-it” novel.  It’s got suspense but not gore.  Intrigue, but not morbidly so.  I definitely will be picking up more books by April Henry!

When Arial was three, her mother was murdered in the woods near their house.  Arial, who was with her mother at the time, was randomly found three hours away at a Walmart with no memory of the event.  Her dad was the prime suspect, however, no one’s seen or heard from him since…until his jaw bone is found in the same woods fourteen years later.  Arial, who changed her name to Olivia, decides to investigate on her own and moves back to her hometown.  Estranged from her family and incognito, she tries to find her parents real killer before they decide to come after her too.

Honestly, at first glance, the cover kind of creeped me out.  I usually don’t do well with scary, horror stories, however, a friend read this one and convinced me it was more of a mystery (which I’m TOTALLY in love with).  So don’t judge this book based on the cover…no one is drowning nor are there any paranormal things.  Just a pure crime story.

What I really liked about this story is that the story and characters evolved very naturally.  There were no awkward parts (except for an accidental kiss…but it is YA so a little romantic attraction is expected) and I really didn’t get a sixth sense for who the killer might be until close to the end—which is good because my husband says I have an uncanny ability to figure out endings very quickly.

All in all, this was an enjoyable read and very appropriate, even for middle schoolers.

Rebel with a Cupcake

Have you ever heard the phrase “everything but the kitchen sink”?  That’s how I feel about this YA novel by Anna Mainwaring. Body issues?  Bullying?  Romantic love triangle?  Quirky family dynamics?  School stress?  Internet fandom?  It’s got a little bit of everything…and that is this novel’s downfall.

First, let’s talk about the characters.  The narrator of the story is Jezebel (Jess), a high schooler in England who is confident in her pudginess…until she’s not.  After a wardrobe malfunction and then standing up the school bully, Jess becomes a YouTube sensation, but this leads to spiraling doubt in her body and what she can do to change it.  I’m okay with people trying to work out to be more in shape, but Jess’s reasons are purely for a boy’s attention (which is always a bad call).  By the end, she does come to the realization that feeling confident in your body is the most beautiful, but it’s a long road of bad thinking to get there.  

Then you throw in all the side characters, which often get confused.  There’s her two best friends that try to guide her through her struggles, but there are also other satellite friends from school that get mentioned frequently (but not frequently enough for them to matter).  We have Zara, the school fashionista bully, and her gaggle of friends.  There’s Jess’s two guy friends who show up at the beginning and end of the story (but seemingly disappear in the middle).  There are Jess’s two love interests.  Then throw in her weirdly dysfunctional family—the little sister with the imaginary friend who bullies her, the weed smoking grandmother who lives in the attic, the former-fashion model mother, the rockstar father, the older sister with an eating disorder—and you have a motley crew of characters.  Honestly, there are just too many side stories to keep track of, too many character quirks to process, just too much of everything.

Finally, the plot. Again, the main adjective I can use to describe it is “bloated.”  There’s too many side dramas—like Jess’s internet fame or her rockstar father’s reunion concert or hating her sister’s possessive boyfriend—and you find yourself wondering when it will end.  I don’t mind a few plot twists here and there, but a few changes at the end of the novel seem like they are only there because someone said, “Wait, this is all tying up too nicely…let’s throw in a misdirection just for the heck of it!” 

This one might just be one to skip…unless you’re really in the mood for a predictable, overly dramatized story.

*This title was given to me by Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

Not If I Save You First

This heart-pounding story had me hooked from the start.  Ally Carter (also the author of the Embassy Row series…which is not my favorite) has crafted a well-balanced story of intrigue and danger in her newest YA read.

This story alters between Maddie and Logan’s perspectives. Logan’s dad is the President of the United States, and Maddie’s dad used to be his head Secret Service agent until he almost gets killed during a hostage situation.  After that, Maddie’s dad whisked her off to the wilderness of Alaska where she hasn’t seen or spoken to Logan in six years. Until he shows up unexpectedly on her doorstep.  And then promptly gets kidnapped.  With a storm coming in and her dad off getting supplies, Maddie’s the only person who can save him.

I really liked the characters, especially having a strong female lead.  Maddie is resourceful and practical while still feminine and girly.  She thinks quickly and is stronger than everyone thinks, which leads to many humorous interactions with their kidnappers.  Logan is also a strong lead, however, it’s Maddie who really shines.

There are a few plot holes, but this book was a fast-paced and enjoyable read.

The Martian: A letter to Mark Watney

Oh, Mark.  Dear, dear Mark.  I’m sorry for your troubles and I wish I could do something to help.  Instead I wait, restless and reading, to find out your outcome.  And it is awesome science all the way!

First, your perseverance is amazing!  I wish I had half of your tenacity.  Trying to survive on Mars all by yourself?  Trying to fix broken rovers, water systems, and HAB houses?  Trying to figure out a way to communicate with Earth while not starving?  You have a keen way to turning nothing into something.  Part of it is science and part of it is pure luck, but it makes for a riveting read nonetheless. 

You’re personality also shines.  You’re a constant joker, always seeing the humorous side of a situation instead of the near-death panic I would feel.  Even when things seem bleak--like when the airlock ripped and you got ejected into Mars atmosphere with a smashed faceplate or when you realized that you would starve from lack of caloric intake--did you give up?  No!  You found a way to repair the tear.  You found a way to grow potatoes in your HAB house.  However, you could cut down on the cursing.  As in you do it every time you talk.  

Finally, your cover art is--as the cool kids would say--on point.  I know there are probably some other covers out there with Matt Damon on the cover, but, as much as I admire Matt Damon, it pales in comparison to your captivating cover art.  I know, you’re not SUPPOSED to judge a book by it’s cover, but let’s be real.  People do it all the time.  And your cover is magnificently simple.

So, Mark, thank you for sharing your journey with me (and all other readers).  It was nail biting and times, side splitting at others.  It was a great illustration of what could happen if we just banded together to help another human being.  Like what you said, “But really, they did it because every human being has a basic instinct to help each other out.  It might not seem that way sometimes, but it’s true.”

Ace of Shades

The book has a lot going on.  Fantasy world.  Magical undercurrents.  Overthrown government.  Street gangs and crime families.  No wonder this book is over 400 pages long!

New Reynes—the City of Sin—is the center of all things corrupt, as Enne Salta soon finds out.  She came to the city to look for her adopted mother, whose last words were “if I’m not back in two months, I’m dead.”  Now Enne is having to rely on Levi Glaisyer, a street lord, for help.  But the longer Enne stays in the city, the more she feels her life (and her pious, follow-the-rules attitude) is crumbling around her.  

First, you need to know this is the first in a series, so if you’re looking for a story that ties up all the loose ends, this is not it.  As all good series start, it leaves you hanging with a teaser epilogue that makes you anticipate when the next book will come out.

But the story stalled at the beginning.  As I said earlier, there is a lot going on and a lot of information the reader needs to know about the city.  We find out about the layout of the city (north side bad, south side good), about the three street gangs and their purposes in the city, about the various crime families that own casinos, and about the seemingly magical abilities that are passed down through bloodlines.  The story does a good job developing in the second half of the book; however, the first half seems a little weighted down because of all the back-story explanations.  

I enjoyed the character developments—the story swaps between Enne and Levi’s perspectives—and their obvious romantic tension.  I did feel like some details were added for no other purpose than to showcase the perverse nature of the city.  When I’m reading, one of my perspectives is as a mom.  Would I be comfortable letting my kids read this?  Maybe if they were in upper high school…maybe.  There’s just a lot of things (like drug usage, masturbation innuendos, and one-night-stands, just to name a few) that bothered me, from a parent’s perspective.  I also feel like there are other fantasy novels that have some of the same elements and storylines that would be better reads—like the Six of Crows duology or The Embassy Row novels or the Red Queen trilogy.

Overall, the story gets better as it goes along.  Will I read the next one in the series?  Probably.  Am I going to mark my calendars to watch for it’s release?  Probably not.

*Thanks, Net Galley, for this prerelease!  This book will be available April 10th.

Explaining my Love for Jon Klassen

Parenting is hard.  Like sacrifice your mind and body hard.  So, one way my husband and I try to combat the rough times is by finding humorous books for our kids, ones that make us belly laugh after a long day of dealing with tantruming two year olds.

We found our first Jon Klassen book while browsing through Target before baby #1 came along (because who has time for browsing peacefully with kids in tow).  We were in the book section—of course—and my husband bursts out laughing.  “You’ve got to read this one.”  I was introduced to This is Not my Hat about a fish who steals a hat.  It’s ironic and funny and makes you infer the ending through the pictures, which I LOVE (and sometimes take it into my classroom to show my middle schoolers because they appreciate irony).  

There my love for Jon Klassen started.

Next we stumbled upon I Want My Hat Back.  It has a similar concept to the first except this one is about a bear whose hat was stolen and he’s trying to find it.  The characters interactions with each other…the repetition that doesn’t get old…an unexpected ending…again, hilarious!

Now we were hooked.  Our boys both loved them, and we wanted more.  So we raided the library where we found a jackpot of other stories:  

• The Wolf, The Duck, & The Mouse where a wolf eats a mouse and unexpectedly finds a duck living in the wolf’s belly.*
• Triangle features a triangle trying to play a sneaky trick on his friend Square.*
• We Found A Hat continues the hat stories with two turtles finding a hat and have to decide which turtle should keep it.
• Extra Yarn showing a girl with a magical ball of yarn that never ends.*

So, thank you, Jon Klassen, for giving us a break.  For giving us a laugh.  For allowing us a moment of sanity in the middle of our whirlwind of crazy.

*These books are co-written by Mac Barnett, another awesome writer.