Book: The Secret Year by Jennifer R. Hubbard
Age-range: 16 and up
In the words of Thumper: If you can't say something nice, don't say nothing at all.
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
June Book Review #6
Book: Impossible by Nancy Werlin
Age-range: 15 and up
This book is based on the song "Scarborough Fair" by Simon and Garfunkel. Apparently Ms. Werlin really listened to the lyrics one day and realized how psychotic they were. A dozen years later voila! she had written this book.
Lucy Scarborough is a junior in high school with fantastic foster parents, an insane mother who's a bag-lady, a best friend named Zach, and a date to prom whose name is, bizarrely enough, Gray. When I first read this book I really didn't know much about it except that the cover looked awesome, but I finished in a couple of days because I got hooked.
My writing partner and I have been discussing prologues. If you didn't know there's a lot of negative feelings about prologues in the publishing community because 9 times out of 10 they're unnecessary. One of my only complaints about this book is the fact that the prologue is a complete waste of time. It doesn't set the tone for the rest of the book and it doesn't give you any information that you couldn't learn just as well later. Yet another proof that prologues are a waste of time and I need to stop writing them for my books.
I really appreciated the way the author dealt with the story. There were times when she could have gotten really graphic, but she didn't. Everything was written with respect to the reader. Sort of like how Hitchcock didn't feel the need to spell everything out, Ms. Werlin realizes that you know what's going on without her showing you the dirty details. I enjoyed this book a lot.
Happy reading!
Age-range: 15 and up
This book is based on the song "Scarborough Fair" by Simon and Garfunkel. Apparently Ms. Werlin really listened to the lyrics one day and realized how psychotic they were. A dozen years later voila! she had written this book.
Lucy Scarborough is a junior in high school with fantastic foster parents, an insane mother who's a bag-lady, a best friend named Zach, and a date to prom whose name is, bizarrely enough, Gray. When I first read this book I really didn't know much about it except that the cover looked awesome, but I finished in a couple of days because I got hooked.
My writing partner and I have been discussing prologues. If you didn't know there's a lot of negative feelings about prologues in the publishing community because 9 times out of 10 they're unnecessary. One of my only complaints about this book is the fact that the prologue is a complete waste of time. It doesn't set the tone for the rest of the book and it doesn't give you any information that you couldn't learn just as well later. Yet another proof that prologues are a waste of time and I need to stop writing them for my books.
I really appreciated the way the author dealt with the story. There were times when she could have gotten really graphic, but she didn't. Everything was written with respect to the reader. Sort of like how Hitchcock didn't feel the need to spell everything out, Ms. Werlin realizes that you know what's going on without her showing you the dirty details. I enjoyed this book a lot.
Happy reading!
Monday, June 20, 2011
June Book Review #5
Book: A Tale of Two Castles by Gail Carson Levine
Age-range: 8 and up
I always make a point of reading Ms. Levine's books when they come out. She has yet to disappoint me! I feel this most recent book is accessible for a younger audience than Ella Enchanted or Ever, but not necessarily as young as her Pixie Hollow books.
The protagonist is a girl named Elodie (similar to my middle name, Eloie) who leaves home to become an apprentice to the stage. Things don't turn out as she planned and she ends up an assistant to a dragon. Then she and the dragon are caught up in a mystery involving the king, the princess, and the ogre.
This is quite different from Ms. Levine's previous books, and while it won't replace Ella Enchanted as my favorite, it was really quite cute.
Happy reading!
Age-range: 8 and up
I always make a point of reading Ms. Levine's books when they come out. She has yet to disappoint me! I feel this most recent book is accessible for a younger audience than Ella Enchanted or Ever, but not necessarily as young as her Pixie Hollow books.
The protagonist is a girl named Elodie (similar to my middle name, Eloie) who leaves home to become an apprentice to the stage. Things don't turn out as she planned and she ends up an assistant to a dragon. Then she and the dragon are caught up in a mystery involving the king, the princess, and the ogre.
This is quite different from Ms. Levine's previous books, and while it won't replace Ella Enchanted as my favorite, it was really quite cute.
Happy reading!
Saturday, June 18, 2011
June Book Review #4
Book: Lady of Devices by Shelley Adina
Age-range: 10 and up
Shelley Adina is another awesome chick I was able to take classes from at Seton Hill University. This novel marked my first foray into steampunk fiction. And what a way to start! This book is set in the early 1900s and concerns the fortunes both monetary and educational of a girl named Claire.
There are several things Ms. Adina does really well in this book: descriptions of the clothing are amazing; the voices of each of the characters just jump off the page, and the way she makes Victorian life feel so accessible.
There are only two bad things: the second book won't come out until next year (boo!) and it's only available (for now) for download on Kindle. It is very reasonably priced at $2.99 and I was so into the story that I spent most of my vacation reading it instead of trying to take the edge off of my paleness. So worth it!
Happy reading!
Age-range: 10 and up
Shelley Adina is another awesome chick I was able to take classes from at Seton Hill University. This novel marked my first foray into steampunk fiction. And what a way to start! This book is set in the early 1900s and concerns the fortunes both monetary and educational of a girl named Claire.
There are several things Ms. Adina does really well in this book: descriptions of the clothing are amazing; the voices of each of the characters just jump off the page, and the way she makes Victorian life feel so accessible.
There are only two bad things: the second book won't come out until next year (boo!) and it's only available (for now) for download on Kindle. It is very reasonably priced at $2.99 and I was so into the story that I spent most of my vacation reading it instead of trying to take the edge off of my paleness. So worth it!
Happy reading!
Friday, June 17, 2011
June Book Review #3
Book: Worlds of Wonder by David Gerrold
Age-range: 12 and up
This was a great book! It was written by the guy who wrote "The Trouble With Tribbles" episode of Star Trek (the original one). The chapters are short and easy to read. He gives a great look at writing science fiction or fantasy. There was a lot of great information and good tips.
Of course in any book you're going to have to simplify things using generalizations. I didn't agree with some of his blanket statements about sci-fi, but then I'm not really a sci-fi author, so what do I know?
I would recommend it to anyone who has any sort of interest in writing sci-fi or fantasy. Even if it's your first foray into the genre this will be a helpful book to guide your way!
Happy reading!
Age-range: 12 and up
This was a great book! It was written by the guy who wrote "The Trouble With Tribbles" episode of Star Trek (the original one). The chapters are short and easy to read. He gives a great look at writing science fiction or fantasy. There was a lot of great information and good tips.
Of course in any book you're going to have to simplify things using generalizations. I didn't agree with some of his blanket statements about sci-fi, but then I'm not really a sci-fi author, so what do I know?
I would recommend it to anyone who has any sort of interest in writing sci-fi or fantasy. Even if it's your first foray into the genre this will be a helpful book to guide your way!
Happy reading!
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
June Book Review #2
Book: Inside Out by Maria V. Snyder
Age-range: 12 and up
In the name of full disclosure I should tell you that I know Maria; I've taken classes from Maria; she is a super-nice person. Did that sway my feelings about her book? I don't think so.
When I first read the premise of this book it sounded amazing! Trella is a scrub who works in the pipes. Her world is divided into "uppers" and "lowers" and she is definitely a lower. Through a series of events she finds herself embroiled in a plot that will change everything in their little world. There are a ton of totally unexpected twists and turns and I can't wait to read the sequel that just came out this year.
This was entertaining, easy-to-read, and completely lacking in profanity and sex-scenes. It was a refreshing change from some of the other YA books I've tried to read lately. Try it; you'll like it!
Happy reading!
Age-range: 12 and up
In the name of full disclosure I should tell you that I know Maria; I've taken classes from Maria; she is a super-nice person. Did that sway my feelings about her book? I don't think so.
When I first read the premise of this book it sounded amazing! Trella is a scrub who works in the pipes. Her world is divided into "uppers" and "lowers" and she is definitely a lower. Through a series of events she finds herself embroiled in a plot that will change everything in their little world. There are a ton of totally unexpected twists and turns and I can't wait to read the sequel that just came out this year.
This was entertaining, easy-to-read, and completely lacking in profanity and sex-scenes. It was a refreshing change from some of the other YA books I've tried to read lately. Try it; you'll like it!
Happy reading!
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
June Book Review #1
Book: A Vintage Affair by Isabel Wolff
Age-range: 15 and up
I found this book at Costco and bought it on a whim. The cover was so luscious and the premise sounded interesting, not to mention I love vintage clothing! And the clothing definitely takes center stage in this book. If you don't know a lot about vintage and antique clothes then some of the descriptions and designers might not mean much to you, but if you even have a cursory knowledge of vintage then you'll love them!
There are two different story-lines in this book. One is the "real" story that's touted on the back of the book and the other is a relationship story-line. The relationship story didn't do much for me, but the other part was fascinating. Through a series of events two women are brought together, one who just lost a friend and one who is about to die. The older woman tells Phoebe (the main character) about life for her in France during World War II. It was so good it made me cry! (Of course I'd just had a baby, so that might have had something to do with it too.
All in all this was a nice read, but I not one that I would necessarily recommend with giggles and excitement. Her writing was amazing, however, so I'll definitely check out some of her other titles.
Happy reading!
Age-range: 15 and up
I found this book at Costco and bought it on a whim. The cover was so luscious and the premise sounded interesting, not to mention I love vintage clothing! And the clothing definitely takes center stage in this book. If you don't know a lot about vintage and antique clothes then some of the descriptions and designers might not mean much to you, but if you even have a cursory knowledge of vintage then you'll love them!
There are two different story-lines in this book. One is the "real" story that's touted on the back of the book and the other is a relationship story-line. The relationship story didn't do much for me, but the other part was fascinating. Through a series of events two women are brought together, one who just lost a friend and one who is about to die. The older woman tells Phoebe (the main character) about life for her in France during World War II. It was so good it made me cry! (Of course I'd just had a baby, so that might have had something to do with it too.
All in all this was a nice read, but I not one that I would necessarily recommend with giggles and excitement. Her writing was amazing, however, so I'll definitely check out some of her other titles.
Happy reading!
Monday, June 13, 2011
Don't Get Overwhelmed
Okay, so I've figured out how I'm going to do my book reviews. That means this week I'm going to catch up on the books I've read the last month and a half. There will be at least half a dozen blog posts this week, possibly more. Don't get overwhelmed. Just take it one entry at a time and I'm sure you'll get through it!
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