The Journal of Curious Letters by James Dashner

Genre: Middle Grade, Fantasy/Sci-fi, Utah Author

Published: March 2003, 432 pp.

Read: Mar. 2009

Source: Own

Category: Heinz 57 (Look on sidebar for explanation)

Review: 4/5

I thought that my first "Heinz 57" review should be an easy one. As I looked through my lists, this one popped out at me. I read this one in March of 2009 because I had just met James Dashner at the first Utah Book Bloggers Social in February. My husband and I both found him very funny and interesting so we went right out to buy his book. My husband called first dibs, my daughter got it next and then finally I was able to read it.

The Journal of Curious Letters tells the story of Tick Higginbottom and the strange letters he starts receiving, which contain riddles and puzzles to solve. He eventually learns about the existence of alternate realities, meets new friends, and has some adventures.

There are two main reasons I really liked this book. The first is that Tick's parents are loving, supportive, intelligent people. Tick actually goes to them with his problems instead of hiding things from them. Why is that kind of family relationship so uncommon in middle grade and YA fiction? I found it very refreshing from the usual depiction of families. The second reason I liked this book was the idea of alternate realities. Some of my favorite episodes of my favorite TV series, Star Trek: The Next Generation and Stargate: SG-1 (yes, I'm a nerd), have to do with parallel universes or alternate realities. I love the one where Worf keeps popping in and out of different realities and then at the end thousands of Enterprises appear from parallel universes. I love the part with the crazy Riker who says something like, "You don't know what it's like back there...We won't go back!" There's a clip on youtube that I tried to embed but I couldn't get it to size down small enough so you'll have to link to it if you want to see it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=67YFR-wmgjc

Anyway, this was a fun book that we all enjoyed.

Rating: 1.1.1 Clean read.

Laurie Viera Rigler's Jane Austen Addicts

Genre: Jane Austen fan fiction
Published: Confessions--2007, 304 pp., Awakenings--2009, 289 pp.

Source: Library

Review: Confessions 2.5/5
Awakenings 3.5/5

I read Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict in 2009 but I never wrote a review for it. Then just recently I found Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen Addict and remembered that the first one had a strange ending that I needed to have cleared up so I checked it out and read it. I hadn't enjoyed Confessions as much as I wanted to but I still wanted to read Awakenings and I'm glad I did. It was more enjoyable and helped me like the first one a little more, too.

In these novels the two Jane Austen addicts magically switch places. Jane Mansfield is a young woman living in England in the early 1800's and has read and become obsessed with Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility, the only two books that have been published at the time. Courtney Stone lives in modern day LA and is obsessed with all things Jane Austen. Confessions is Courtney's story of waking up in Regency England. Very fun concept but Courtney is such an obnoxious and annoying character that I found it hard to care what happened to her. Jane's story of waking up in modern day was much more enjoyable for me. I liked her and the funny situations she got into much better. Awakenings also answered some questions that were left at the end of the first book.

Ratings: Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict--2.1.1 It's been a long time since I read this but it seems like there was a little bit of sexual content maybe even enough to warrant a 3 rating.
Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen Addict--2.1.4 I was afraid that there might be some sex in this one but it ended up being fairly mild. There is a smattering of profanity with one f-bomb.

Matchless by Gregory Maguire

Genre: Short story

Published: Nov. 1, 2009, 112 pgs.

Source: Library

Review: 3/5 stars

Gregory Maguire has taken the rather dark tale of "The Little Match Girl" by Hans Christian Andersen and has added a little light. This story was first heard on NPR and was written as a read-aloud Christmas story. It's a tragic story but feels a little less so as Maguire puts his spin on it. I wasn't very familiar with the story of "The Little Match Girl" when I read this book and I wonder if I would have enjoyed it more had I known the original tale better. It takes only 15-20 minutes to read so it's definitely worth the time. It really is a lovely story but I finished it feeling like I wanted a little "more". I'm not even sure what "more" I wanted but I wasn't completely satisfied. Has anyone else read this? I'm interested to hear what you think.

Rating: 1.1.1 As my mom used to call a good cleaning job--spic 'n' span clean.

Cry, the Beloved Country by Alan Paton

Genre: Realistic fiction

Published: Published 1948, 320 pgs.

Book club

Review: 5/5 stars

I read this book in a very short time period because I procrastinated but I really wanted to finish it before book club. I wish I had had more time to savor it because it is a beautiful book. Cry, The Beloved Country tells the story of Zulu pastor Stephen Kumalo as he travels to Johannesburg in search of his sister and son who have not been heard from in many months. The setting is South Africa in the 1940's, a time of change and great racial tensions. It is a beautiful tale of compassion and forgiveness as well as a heart-breaking story of hate and prejudice. The dialogue is so simple and straight-forward but I found it to be profound and conveyed such feeling and meaning. I think this book is wonderful for learning more about the struggles of South Africa but is also very pertinent to our lives today.

Rating: 1.2.1 There are some references to prostitution, mild descriptions of violence, and some mild profanity (Biblical in nature).

Devil's Cub by Georgette Heyer

Genre: Regency romance
Published: Originally 1932, this edition--1 Nov. 2009
320 pgs.
Review book from Sourcebooks
Review: 4.5/5 stars

Whenever I read a regency romance novel I realize again what a hopeless romantic I am. It comes as a surprise because I'm really quite a practical person, but something about the story of a reprehensible rake changing his life and habits all for the love of a sensible, intelligent girl gets me every time. I know that in real life that kind of thing is completely unrealistic. I would never believe in the real world that a promiscuous womanizer would completely change and become faithful to one woman because he finally found someone he couldn't live without. Give me that unrealistic story in the form of a regency romance, especially a Georgette Heyer novel, and I will swallow it hook, line, and sinker. It's pretty pathetic, I know, but it's my weakness.

As I began reading Devil's Cub I thought I may have found an English rogue that I wouldn't like. The Marquis of Vidal seemed too wicked and objectionable even for me. The heroine, Mary Challoner is so clever, sensible, and unassuming, however, that as she falls in love with the Marquis I can't help but do the same. It really makes no sense to me, this attraction I have for these literary men since I'm not at all attracted to "bad boys" in real life. My husband is about as straight-arrow as they come.

This latest Heyer novel made me want to pick up another immediately. It was predictable yet completely enjoyable with a fast paced story line, clever dialogue, and interesting characters.

Rating: 1.1.1 Includes some mild innuendo, mild violence, and a little language but not enough to warrant a 2 rating in my opinion.

Searching for Pemberley by Mary Lydon Simonsen

Genre: Historical fiction, romance

Published: 1 December 2009, 496 pgs.

ARC

Review: 3.5/5

Simonsen's Searching for Pemberley is not your typical Austen sequel. Set in England after World War II, Maggie is an American working in London when a sight-seeing trip to Derbyshire leads to a friendship with a couple who believe that Jane Austen based her novel, Pride and Prejudice, on real people. The story is multi-generational, includes a few different love stories, including Maggie's, and is a history lesson on both World Wars. I've read a few reviews that have called it a "leisurely" read and I think that is a perfect word for it. The story behind the people who were allegedly the inspiration for the Darcys, Bingley, and Bennets is slowly laid out as the main story about Maggie and the couple, named Jack and Beth Crowell, and their family, unfolds.

I quite enjoyed this book. I have to admit that it was pretty slow going at first and it was probably about page 100 before I started to really like it. Sometimes there seemed to be too many characters to keep track of and I'd come across someone's name and think, who is that? I enjoyed the journal entries written by Elizabeth Garrison and the letters written by William Lacey who were supposedly the real Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy. However, that part of novel was not extensive and the story mainly dealt with Maggie, her love interests and the Crowells. I thought their story was interesting and I really liked the information about the wars and conditions in England during and after the war. I learned quite a bit from that and I appreciated the obvious research that Simonsen had put into writing the book.

Overall this was a pretty good story with interesting characters. I didn't really like the direction it went with the morality/religion/pre-marital sex issues that were brought up so I wouldn't recommend this book for teenagers. It definitely has adult themes.

Rating: 3.1.3 This book contains many sexual situations but not explicit and graphic. Also contains plenty of barnyard language (I didn't think it was excessive, though).

Wildwood Dancing by Juliet Marillier

Genre: YA fiction, fantasy

Published: 2007

Audiobook

Review: 3.5/5 stars

Wildwood Dancing is a retelling of The Twelve Dancing Princesses. Jena is the second of 5 sisters who live with their father in a castle in Transylvania. Each full moon the sisters pass through a portal to go dancing with creatures of the Other Kingdom.

I enjoyed this book but thought it was a little too predictable and a little too long but this could be because I listened to the audiobook version. The narrator drove me a little crazy because she spoke in a little girl's voice. Maybe because of the voice, Jena seemed a little whiny; and for being such a smart girl, she could be a little clueless. Overall, the story was interesting and enjoyable. I know a lot of people loved this book. I think I would have enjoyed it more had I read it. Maybe I'll try it again in a few years.

Rating: 1.2.1 Includes a little violence.

Follow the River by James Alexander Thom

Genre: Historical, Based on a true story

Published: 1981, 406 pgs.

Bookclub

Review: 3/5 stars

Mary Ingles was kidnapped by Shawnee Indians from her home in a Virginia settlement in 1755. She was nine months pregnant at the time and would soon give birth along the trail as she and the other hostages were taken back to the Shawnees' village. I hope I'm not giving too much away to say that she eventually escapes and attempts to return to her husband.

This is definitely an inspiring story of a very courageous woman but I didn't really enjoy that much. It was interesting but there was too much graphic violence for my taste. That wasn't the main reason for my lack of enthusiasm though. I can't quite put my finger on it except that it was too long and drawn out. I started feeling like I just wanted it to end.

Rating: 2.5.2 Several sexual references, lots of violence including some inflicted on children and animals, mild profanity.

Willoughby's Return by Jane Odiwe

Genre: Romance
Published: Nov. 2009, 352 pgs.
ARC
Review: 3.5/5 stars

Most Jane Austen "sequels" that I've ever seen are about Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy. Willoughby's Return: A Tale of Almost Irresistable Temptation continues the story of Marianne and Colonel Brandon. As the title suggests, Willoughby comes back to the neighborhood and stirs up a little mischief for Marianne. The story is predictable and a little cliched at times but I enjoyed it. I wish that Eleanor had played a bigger part in the book but it was fun to get to know Margaret and Marianne a little more (as seen through the eyes of Jane Odiwe). Marianne has matured and grown a little more sensible but she is still very much the old romantic Marianne. If you like Jane Austen sequels, this one would be a fun choice.

Reading this story about Marianne and wishing that there was more about Eleanor made me wonder about what other people think about these characters. When I read or watch Sense and Sensibility, I'm all about Eleanor and Edward. Marianne is just a side story that I don't care about very much. She kind of bugs me, to be honest, but I love everything about Eleanor. What do you think about Marianne and Eleanor?


Rating: 1.1.1 Very clean read

The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson

Genre: Horror fiction

Published: 1959, 256 pgs

Review: 3/5 stars

It's hardly fair for me to review this book. I read it over several days in such small snippets that I don't think I really got the true effect. The story is about a group of four people who go to the alleged haunted house named Hill House to do research on paranormal phenomena. This is the only book of this genre that I have ever read (according to my recollections) so it's hard to compare to other similar books but I would guess that this is much more subtle than other horror fiction out there. I found myself more creeped out in the very beginning just in anticipation of what might come than I was when strange, ghostly things started happening. I didn't really enjoy this book but I did think it was pretty interesting. I think I may read it again in a few years when I can devote some solid chunks of time to reading so I can get in the mood and really feel the tension build.

Rating: 1.2.1 Quite a clean read, but dark.

And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie

Genre: Mystery

Published: 1939, 173 pgs.

Review: 4.5/5

This was our book club's choice for October. In the past we've chosen books like Frankenstein and Rebecca for their spookiness value. And Then There Were None is pretty creepy too. The story unfolds as 10 very different individuals are brought together on an island. It's a little like the movie Clue but without the comedy aspect. We did something really fun for this meeting. We told everyone to read up through the epilogue but not to read the very last section, a letter to Scotland Yard. By doing this we could read the whole story but not find out "who dun it". Then at book club we read the last ten pages that tell what really happened. The idea was really fun but in actuality almost everyone, for some reason or other, had found out who the murderer was. Even though it didn't work out perfectly, I think it was a great idea.

The book club discussion was definitely not as uplifting as our meetings usually are. We talked about crazy people and murder and how a person can get to the point of committing pre-meditated murder.

If you like mysteries I really recommend Agatha Christie--unpredictable, sometimes humorous, and always clean.

Rating 1.2.1 Includes violence but not graphic.

Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe

Category: Classic, Adventure
Published: 1719
Review: 4/5

I missed book club when they chose the next 6 books. When I heard that they had chosen Robinson Crusoe, I thought, "Okay?" Then I started reading it and by the time I was 20 pages in, I thought, "Who the heck suggested this boring book?" I was actually glad we were reading it because it forced me to read a classic that I may never have read otherwise. By the time I got to page 50 and came across a great quote I realized that this book was definitely worth reading even if it was boring and repetitive. Here's the quote:

"Upon the whole, here was an undoubted testimony that there was scarce any condition in the world so miserable but there was something negative or something positive to be thankful for in it; and let this stand as a direction from the experience of the most miserable of all conditions in this world that we may always find in it something to comfort ourselves from, and to set, in the description of good and evil, on the credit side of the account."

About half way through it starts getting interesting and by the time I was finished, I thought it was pretty good. Robinson Crusoe is considered one of the very first English novels so I feel inclined to forgive Daniel Defoe for the problems that exist like repetition and a implausibility. I really liked the lessons of repentance, endurance, faith, hope, and man's relationship with God. I did read a version that had been modernized a bit so that spellings, punctuation, and capitalization are presented in a way consistent with modern English grammar. Others in my book club who read a more historically accurate version were a bit distracted by the old grammar. If you choose to read it, you might try to decide which version would be better for your enjoyment.

Rating: 1.3.1 Contains violence.

The Tudor Rose: A Novel of Elizabeth of York by Margaret Campbell Barnes

Category: Historical Fiction
Published: Originally 1971, Re-published 1 Oct. 2009, 336 pages

Review: 4/5

The Tudor Rose had a bit of a slow start for me. I don't know if that was the books fault or my own because I just wasn't in the mood for it. In the end, however, I really enjoyed this historical fiction novel about Elizabeth of York. I visited London when I was a senior in high school and I vaguely remember the tour guide in the Tower of London pointing out a room where two young princes had been imprisoned to allow someone else to take the throne. That story is in this book. It also gives a lot of history that leads up to the other two Margaret Campbell Barnes books that I've read, Brief Gaudy Hour and My Lady of Cleves. This is fascinating history. I wonder how accurate it all is but it sure lends credence to the adage, "Truth is stranger than fiction." I don't think the story and writing always flows really well and at times I got confused about people and places but I still really enjoyed this book in the end. All of Margaret Campbell Barnes' books have been that way for me--a little hard to get into but in the end, worth the read.

Rating: 2.2.1 Contains some talk about sex in general and has a little bit of the violence associated with battles and war.

The Actor and the Housewife by Shannon Hale

Category: Fiction

Published: 2009, 352 pages

Review: 4.5/5

I liked this book way more than I expected to. I had read a few reviews that made me think that I wouldn't like it. It might have been for that very reason that I was so pleasantly surprised. I laughed out loud so many times that my husband said, "I'm going to have to read that book!" He wasn't around though when it made me cry like a baby. The story is completely implausible but it still highly entertained me. It also made me think about marriage, motherhood, friendship, service, and love. This may sound stupid, but this book made me want to be a better mother and wife. It's a little cheesy and cliched at times but I didn't mind because most of the time I loved it.

Rating: 2.1.2 There are some innuendos and "barnyard" language.

A Crooked Kind of Perfect by Linda Urban

Category: Juvenile Fiction

Published: 2007, 224 pgs.

Review: 5/5

What a charming, sweet book! I picked it up this morning just to read a little something before I started on other pressing matters and before I knew it I was completely drawn in by this funny, sweet 10 year old girl. I couldn't put this book down. I loved getting to know Zoe Elias and her family and friends. Linda Urban has perfectly captured the voice of a young girl with dreams and frustrations. I love the way Zoe deals with life and I'm so excited to give this to my 10 year old daughter to read.

Rating 1.1.1 A "perfect"ly clean read!

Rapunzel's Revenge by Shannon Hale and Nathan Hale

Category: Middle grade, Graphic Novel, fantasy

Published: 2008, 144 pgs.

Review: 3/5 stars

This is not your mother's Rapunzel story, it's Rapunzel with a wild west flavor. I thought this was a cute book but I didn't love it. I'm not sure the graphic novel is for me. I found myself annoyed when I had to infer the intended meaning by looking at the pictures. I know. That's the whole point of a graphic novel--the pictures are supposed to tell the story and the words are just there to assist in the telling. I personally prefer words that paint the picture in my head.

I don't know if I'll read very many more graphic novels. But before I completely write off this genre, are there some out there that I shouldn't miss out on?

Rating: 1.1.1 I can't remember anything offensive

The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown

Category: Thriller, Mystery, Fiction
Published: 2009
Audiobook

Review: 3/5 stars

Dan Brown is finally back with a new book and I'm curious to see how many people will be disappointed. I listened to this on cds and I'm glad I did because I think I would have had a hard time getting through it otherwise. It wasn't bad, it just didn't captivate me like The Da Vinci Code did. I was into the 5th of 14 cds when I realized I was pretty bored so far. That is not what I expected. Also unexpectedly, Robert Langdon kind of got on my nerves. His scepticism was just too much for me.

Rating: 1.4.3 Includes the kind of violence you would expect in this genre. Scattered profanity but no f-bombs.

Precious Bane by Mary Webb

Category: Historical romance, classic
Published: 1924
Review: 5/5 stars

I believe that Precious Bane by Mary Webb may be the best kept secret in the world of literature. It could be the most beautiful book I have ever read. I think it is a love story that should be remembered and loved by generations but instead is not very widely known. This may be because it is not an easy book to read. The book is written in the voice of Prue Sarn, a country girl living in Shropshire, England around 1820. She tells the story in dialect and it is not easy to understand. I think I was pretty lost for the first couple of chapters until I started getting used to the language. I had to look up several words and I found that looking them up online was easier because often times the words were spelled differently than they are now or they were obsolete words that aren't used anymore. A regular dictionary wasn't much help in those cases. It didn't take too long though to get caught up in this wonderful story.

Most books I've read that are set during this time period are mainly about the upper-class people or the very poor. Precious Bane is about the working class people, the farmers mostly and other townsfolk and I learned more about their traditions and superstitions. These things play a big role in the story.

I've purposely not said much about the storyline because I think it's best to just let it unfold to the reader. It is not easy reading but I believe anyone who puts in the effort to read this wonderful book will be richly rewarded.

Rating: 2.2.1 There are not any descriptions of sex but there is a little sexual content. There is also some violence including cruelty to animals.

The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley

Category: Historical, Cozy Mystery
Published: 2009, 374 pgs.
Review: 4.5/5 stars

I picked this book up by chance at the library because I thought I had seen that one of my friends on Goodreads had read it and it had also won some kind of award. What a delightful surprise it was. It's 1950 and Flavia de Luce is an 11 year old who lives with her two older sisters and her father on a large but run-down estate in England. Flavia is such a fun character. She has an unusual obsession with chemistry and in particular, poisons. Even though this is not a highly suspenseful mystery and it took a little while to get going, I still loved it. Flavia is a quirky and hilarious amateur sleuth. I was so excited to discover at the end of the book that the author is writing a series of Flavia mysteries. I highly recommend this book to cozy mystery lovers.

Here are a couple of quotes that show Flavia's personality:

"As I stood outside in Cow Lane, it occurred to me that Heaven must be a place where the library is open twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. No ... eight days a week."

"Anyone who knew the word slattern was worth cultivating as a friend."

"It is not unknown for fathers with a brace of daughters to reel off their names in order of birth when summoning the youngest, and I had long ago become accustomed to being called 'Ophelia Daphne Flavia, d*** it."

Rating: 1.2.2 Content includes a little violence since this is a murder mystery and some barnyard swear words. (A friend of mine used that term "barnyard language" recently. I think it's a great description and will be using it in the future. Thanks Julie C.)

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

Category: YA or middle reader, Newbery Medal, Fantasy

Published: 2008, 307 pgs.

Review: 4/5 stars

The 2008 Newbery Medal winner, The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman is not quite what I expected. I'm not sure what I did expect but it wasn't what I got. I was surprised by the first chapter and the descriptions of the murders that take place. It seemed a little too much violence for a middle grader reader but once we got past that first chapter I felt much more comfortable with it. The book tells the story of Nobody Owens and how he is raised in the cemetery by ghosts and other frightful creatures. It's a fun story but is creepy at times. It's original and I can definitely see it in the form of a Tim Burton film some day.

Rating: 1.3.1 Like I said, I thought some of the violence was a little much for a kids' book. I would preview it before I let just any child read it.