Hi all! A really great mix of books this month. I continue to try and keep pace with some of the girls' reading, and am trying to balance adult books and kids books. Several pretty weight adult books that took a while to get through this month. Here are the recaps:
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue - V.E. Schwab - science fiction - four stars - This was one that took me a while to get into. I definitely liked it, but it has been so hyped, I think I was expecting more. Addie LaRue wants more in life than to marry and have babies and die in her little town in France. On the evening of her wedding she makes a deal with the devil, to take her from this life and give her another. But it came with strings attached, she can live forever, or really until she's tired of it, but she is unable to leave any sort of memory/mark on anyone she meets. The story skips back and forth between 1714, when Addie makes her deal, and present day, it shows her learning how to deal with the fact that someone will meet her, leave the room and come back in and not recognize her at all. She lives through all sorts of upheaval, war, and good things. She travels the world. Through it all, the devil returns from time to time to see if she's ready to stop living and surrender her soul. I thought the premise was good, but it took so long to get into and in general this book was just so long. I wish there had been a little more editing.
Beyond Valor: A World War II Story of Extraordinary Heroism, Sacrificial Love, and a Race against Time - Jon Erwin - biography - five stars - The amazing survival story of Red Erwin, a medal of honor recipient. During WWII, he saved his entire crew when a phosphorus bomb prematurely detonated aboard his B-29. He was on fire and severely burned, but he managed to pick up the bomb and get it out of the plane before it destroyed the plane. He suffered third-degree burns over his body. No one expected him to survive but he beat the odds and did. He went through many many surgeries, and eventually got a job working for the VA, helping others returning from war. His quiet disposition and strong faith made an impression on all who dealt with him. This was such a great story of courage and faith. Really loved it.
Ancestor Stones - Aminatta Forna - historical fiction - four stars - This book traces the stories of of four women, half-sisters of the patriarch of a West African family. They sisters are all born of different mothers I think the father had something like 11 wives. This was such an interesting read, the women were born many years apart and life changed quickly in Africa during their lives. The book covers a shift from a patriarchal society to a more modern one, it deals with religion, colonization and European owned mining companies, corruption in elections, and freedom for women allowing them to go to school and to own their own businesses. I really enjoyed the stories of the sisters and seeing the world through the eyes as well as hearing the stories of each of their mothers.
The Case of the Missing Marquess (Enola Holmes, #1) - juvenile detective - Nancy Springer - five stars - I'd read good things about this series and had been waiting months for this to become available at the library. I thought Ellie would enjoy it. I love this twist on Sherlock Holmes. Enola Holmes is the much younger sister of Sherlock and Mycroft. She hasn't gotten to know her brothers at all since her mother was estranged from them following the death of her father when Mycroft refused to let his mother take control of the family's home/estate. Enola's mother has spent the decade or so cheating her son out of money - sending him receipts for costs that needed to be paid, while letting the estate go. On Enola's 14th birthday, her mother disappears, leaving her some gifts. Enola contacts her brothers who come to sort out the mess. They aren't particularly helpful, and Enola ends up following the clues her mother left her in birthday gift which lead her to little pots of cash all around the estate. It becomes clear that her mother hoarded the funds to make an escape, to see the world, and also left funds for Enola to escape as well. And escape she does. On the way she happens to solve the mystery of the kidnapping of the Marquess of Basilweaher, which also lands her in a bit of trouble. All of which she is more than capable of getting out of. A really good book, really enjoyed the character of Enola and am looking forward to reading more of her adventures.
The Enigma Game - Elizabeth Wein - young adult historical fiction.- five stars - The most recent book in Wein's novels about aviators in WWII. Her books are all loosely related with characters that appear from one book to the next, but the focus of the books changes from one to the other. In this book, the focus is Louise Adair, a Jamaican/British teenager whose parents have just died, her father at war, and her mother during the Blitz. Louise need to find a way to support herself, but no one seems to want to hire a mixed race teenager. She finds a job, hired over the phone, escorting a woman's German aunt Jane from an internment camp to her home in Scotland where she runs a pub/inn. This also happens to be where Jamie Beaufort-Stuart and Ellen McEwen (characters from previous books) are currently stationed/working at the local airfield. While there, a German pilot lands, hiding an Enigma machine at the inn where he was supposed to meet an intelligence handler, before taking off to return to Germany. Louise and Jane discover the machine and how it works and end up decoding messages that Jamie's plane picks up. They use this information to help them sink submarines, protect the planes from attack, etc. I really enjoy Wein's books, but they haven't all been five stars for me. This one was really good. I loved the relationship between Louise and Jane, and the story of the Enigma machine. Definitely hoping that Louise will s how up in future books.
The Children's Blizzard - Melanie Benjamin - historical fiction.- five stars - I really interesting book about a blizzard that developed within hours on January 12, 1888 in the Dakota Territory. It was completely unexpected and fierce. Families died heading home from town in their wagons, it occurred right as school was letting out, and schoolteachers were faced with a choice of keeping the kids at school, trying to get to the closest homestead, or sending the kids home on their own. Many were killed, some even by staying at the schoolhouse - frozen in place. The story follows two sisters, Raina and Gerda Olson, who taught at two different schools and who handled the emergency differently. One was hailed a hero, and the other a villain. I loved the story of Raina and the difficulties she faced as well as Annette, one of Raina's students who worked in the home where she boarded. I wasn't as crazy about how Gerda's story ended, but overall an excellent book.
The Orphan Collector - Ellen Marie Wiseman - historical fiction - five stars - Wiseman is one of my favorite authors, so when I saw that she had a new book out, I immediately put it on hold at the library. I really didn't know what it was about, I just knew I wanted to read it. The subject matter is jarring relevant to current events, it takes place during the Spanish Flu Pandemic. The story is about Pia Lange, a German immigrant. Her father is in the Army in WWI. Her mother gets sick with the flu and dies. Pia is left to care for her infant twin brothers. She muddles through for a while, but then they run out of food and she needs to go find some. She leaves her brothers in a little cubby/closet while she goes out, but she is actually ill also, and collapses when she is out. Meanwhile, Bernice Groves, an anti-immigrant neighbor whose own infant died just weeks before. Bernice notices odd behavior at the Lange's and goes to investigate. She finds the twins and decides to keep them. Pia wakes up a week later in the infirmary at a church, and then is transferred to an orphanage. She's unable to check on her brothers or leave a message for her father at her home. Her aim becomes escaping from the orphanage, but then she's hired out to assist the family of a local doctor. Meanwhile, Bernice has found a new, deranged calling with regard to the city's orphans. Their paths will again intersect and Pia will need to unravel the mystery of Bernice's actions.
Ancestor Stones - Aminatta Forna - historical fiction - four stars - This book traces the stories of of four women, half-sisters of the patriarch of a West African family. They sisters are all born of different mothers I think the father had something like 11 wives. This was such an interesting read, the women were born many years apart and life changed quickly in Africa during their lives. The book covers a shift from a patriarchal society to a more modern one, it deals with religion, colonization and European owned mining companies, corruption in elections, and freedom for women allowing them to go to school and to own their own businesses. I really enjoyed the stories of the sisters and seeing the world through the eyes as well as hearing the stories of each of their mothers.
The Case of the Missing Marquess (Enola Holmes, #1) - juvenile detective - Nancy Springer - five stars - I'd read good things about this series and had been waiting months for this to become available at the library. I thought Ellie would enjoy it. I love this twist on Sherlock Holmes. Enola Holmes is the much younger sister of Sherlock and Mycroft. She hasn't gotten to know her brothers at all since her mother was estranged from them following the death of her father when Mycroft refused to let his mother take control of the family's home/estate. Enola's mother has spent the decade or so cheating her son out of money - sending him receipts for costs that needed to be paid, while letting the estate go. On Enola's 14th birthday, her mother disappears, leaving her some gifts. Enola contacts her brothers who come to sort out the mess. They aren't particularly helpful, and Enola ends up following the clues her mother left her in birthday gift which lead her to little pots of cash all around the estate. It becomes clear that her mother hoarded the funds to make an escape, to see the world, and also left funds for Enola to escape as well. And escape she does. On the way she happens to solve the mystery of the kidnapping of the Marquess of Basilweaher, which also lands her in a bit of trouble. All of which she is more than capable of getting out of. A really good book, really enjoyed the character of Enola and am looking forward to reading more of her adventures.
The Enigma Game - Elizabeth Wein - young adult historical fiction.- five stars - The most recent book in Wein's novels about aviators in WWII. Her books are all loosely related with characters that appear from one book to the next, but the focus of the books changes from one to the other. In this book, the focus is Louise Adair, a Jamaican/British teenager whose parents have just died, her father at war, and her mother during the Blitz. Louise need to find a way to support herself, but no one seems to want to hire a mixed race teenager. She finds a job, hired over the phone, escorting a woman's German aunt Jane from an internment camp to her home in Scotland where she runs a pub/inn. This also happens to be where Jamie Beaufort-Stuart and Ellen McEwen (characters from previous books) are currently stationed/working at the local airfield. While there, a German pilot lands, hiding an Enigma machine at the inn where he was supposed to meet an intelligence handler, before taking off to return to Germany. Louise and Jane discover the machine and how it works and end up decoding messages that Jamie's plane picks up. They use this information to help them sink submarines, protect the planes from attack, etc. I really enjoy Wein's books, but they haven't all been five stars for me. This one was really good. I loved the relationship between Louise and Jane, and the story of the Enigma machine. Definitely hoping that Louise will s how up in future books.
The Children's Blizzard - Melanie Benjamin - historical fiction.- five stars - I really interesting book about a blizzard that developed within hours on January 12, 1888 in the Dakota Territory. It was completely unexpected and fierce. Families died heading home from town in their wagons, it occurred right as school was letting out, and schoolteachers were faced with a choice of keeping the kids at school, trying to get to the closest homestead, or sending the kids home on their own. Many were killed, some even by staying at the schoolhouse - frozen in place. The story follows two sisters, Raina and Gerda Olson, who taught at two different schools and who handled the emergency differently. One was hailed a hero, and the other a villain. I loved the story of Raina and the difficulties she faced as well as Annette, one of Raina's students who worked in the home where she boarded. I wasn't as crazy about how Gerda's story ended, but overall an excellent book.
The Orphan Collector - Ellen Marie Wiseman - historical fiction - five stars - Wiseman is one of my favorite authors, so when I saw that she had a new book out, I immediately put it on hold at the library. I really didn't know what it was about, I just knew I wanted to read it. The subject matter is jarring relevant to current events, it takes place during the Spanish Flu Pandemic. The story is about Pia Lange, a German immigrant. Her father is in the Army in WWI. Her mother gets sick with the flu and dies. Pia is left to care for her infant twin brothers. She muddles through for a while, but then they run out of food and she needs to go find some. She leaves her brothers in a little cubby/closet while she goes out, but she is actually ill also, and collapses when she is out. Meanwhile, Bernice Groves, an anti-immigrant neighbor whose own infant died just weeks before. Bernice notices odd behavior at the Lange's and goes to investigate. She finds the twins and decides to keep them. Pia wakes up a week later in the infirmary at a church, and then is transferred to an orphanage. She's unable to check on her brothers or leave a message for her father at her home. Her aim becomes escaping from the orphanage, but then she's hired out to assist the family of a local doctor. Meanwhile, Bernice has found a new, deranged calling with regard to the city's orphans. Their paths will again intersect and Pia will need to unravel the mystery of Bernice's actions.
Supergifted (Ungifted, #2) - Gordon Korman - juvenile fiction - four stars - Ellie and both read the first book in this series, Ungifted, and really enjoyed it. In this episode, Noah Youkilis, the smartest kid at the Gifted Academy, has gotten himself kicked out of the Academy and is at the 'regular' school with Donovan. Ironically, Noah is on the verge of failing. He's too smart for normal school, the teachers don't get him, he doesn't pick up on nuances/sarcasm, and he's thrilled that he's doing poorly. For someone like Noah, failing is a new and unique experience, he LOVES regular school. Noah decides he needs to join a club and cheerleading is perfect because he has so much school spirit. Through a series of ridiculously ludicrous and amusing circumstances, Donovan saves the head cheerleaders house from being blown up by a run away gas truck, but he can't take credit for it. Noah, thinking that he is helping his friend takes the credit and is dubbed the 'Superkid'. This book definitely wasn't as good as the first one, and I thought it dragged in the middle, but I really liked the idea of a supergifted kid in a normal school, and how that combination doesn't necessarily mean success for the student. The characters remain as fun, funny, and likable as in the first book.
Harvey Comes Home - Colleen Nelson - juvenile fiction - five stars - A book that Carina and I read together. This was a really sweet story about a dog named Harvey who gets lost while his owner, Maggie, is on vacation. She's found by a boy named Austin who helps his grandfather in the afternoons at the nursing home where he works. Austin takes Harvey to 'work' with him where he helps make connections with the residents, in particular grumpy Mr. Pickering. With Harvey around Mr. Pickering opens up to Harvey, telling him about his best friend growing up. Meanwhile, Maggie returns home and is horrified to find out that Harvey is missing. She starts putting up flyers and searching for him. We both loved this book, the connections between the characters were really lovely and sweet, and we just loved the voice of Harvey in he book. This is the first in a series, and we've already put the second book on hold at the library.
Harvey Comes Home - Colleen Nelson - juvenile fiction - five stars - A book that Carina and I read together. This was a really sweet story about a dog named Harvey who gets lost while his owner, Maggie, is on vacation. She's found by a boy named Austin who helps his grandfather in the afternoons at the nursing home where he works. Austin takes Harvey to 'work' with him where he helps make connections with the residents, in particular grumpy Mr. Pickering. With Harvey around Mr. Pickering opens up to Harvey, telling him about his best friend growing up. Meanwhile, Maggie returns home and is horrified to find out that Harvey is missing. She starts putting up flyers and searching for him. We both loved this book, the connections between the characters were really lovely and sweet, and we just loved the voice of Harvey in he book. This is the first in a series, and we've already put the second book on hold at the library.
Apeirogon - Colum McCann - non-fiction - five stars - The story of Rami, and Israeli, whose 13 year old daughter Smadar was killed in the 1997 Ben Yehuda suicide bombing; and Bassan, a Palestinian, whose 10 year old daughter Abir was killed by a rubber bullet in 2007 on her way to school. Rami and Bassan were already friends. Bassan has been convicted at 17 of terrorism (he and some friends threw some old grenades they found in a cave at some Israeli military jeeps. He was sentenced to seven years in prison. While there, he watched a documentary about the Holocaust and something changed in him. He founded a group called Combatants for Peace in 2005. He and Rami became friends and they often speak together. Besides the fact that the stories of Rami and Bassan are so inspiring, the book itself is so interesting. It's written in very short little bits, some just a sentence, others just a paragraph or a couple paragraphs. There are a few larger ones, but for the most part the sections are very short. The little chapters/sections count up to 500, and then back down. The book also has all these little threads running through them. There are bits of information/facts that tangentially relate to the story that are told, and I really love the inclusion of them. For example, there's a theme of birds throughout and there are bits of information about types of birds, their patterns, how they are cooked, etc. For example the type of bird French President Mitterrand ate for his last meal. It discusses how it was prepared, and then throughtout the book are little facts about Mitterrand, or quotes from him. Definitely worth the read.
Rip to the Rescue - Miriam Halahmy - juvenile historical fiction - three stars - Carina loves reading books about dogs (and watching movies about dogs). I'll often browse through the new books/books on order at our library, and when I saw this one, I thought she would love it. It's about Jack, 13 years old, who is a bike messenger during the London Blitz. Because of all the bombs falling during the Blitz, the phone lines were down more often than not. Bike messengers were used by area Air Wardens to contact fire/rescue and direct them to where to go. Jack's got a difficult home life with a father who doesn't understand him, and is hiding his work as a bike messenger, telling his parents he is helping his grandfather get to the shelter and back. Meanwhile, Jack meets some new friends, and also adopts a dog named Rip. It turns out Rip is able to locate individuals trapped in rubble. Jack and Rip become a pair, working together to save lives during the Blitz. I liked that this was based on a true story, and I like that it made this part of history very accessible to younger kids. Carina really enjoyed the book. I thought it was OK, there were a lot of different side stories and relationships, and I thought it got a bit muddles, not everything necessarily helped to push the story along, in some ways I thought the author was trying to do too much, but overall a good book that I think is great for introducing kids to this part of history.
Rip to the Rescue - Miriam Halahmy - juvenile historical fiction - three stars - Carina loves reading books about dogs (and watching movies about dogs). I'll often browse through the new books/books on order at our library, and when I saw this one, I thought she would love it. It's about Jack, 13 years old, who is a bike messenger during the London Blitz. Because of all the bombs falling during the Blitz, the phone lines were down more often than not. Bike messengers were used by area Air Wardens to contact fire/rescue and direct them to where to go. Jack's got a difficult home life with a father who doesn't understand him, and is hiding his work as a bike messenger, telling his parents he is helping his grandfather get to the shelter and back. Meanwhile, Jack meets some new friends, and also adopts a dog named Rip. It turns out Rip is able to locate individuals trapped in rubble. Jack and Rip become a pair, working together to save lives during the Blitz. I liked that this was based on a true story, and I like that it made this part of history very accessible to younger kids. Carina really enjoyed the book. I thought it was OK, there were a lot of different side stories and relationships, and I thought it got a bit muddles, not everything necessarily helped to push the story along, in some ways I thought the author was trying to do too much, but overall a good book that I think is great for introducing kids to this part of history.
It's hard to pick a favorite this month. I think The Children's Blizzard and The Orphan Collector are probably my favorites. I have a HUGE pile of holds that just came in from the library that I'm tackling this month. Right now I'm reading Transcendent Kingdom and will probably read The Lions of Fifth Avenue after that, but really I have so many choices right now.... Would love to hear what you have been reading!
No comments:
Post a Comment