Book Review: The Dovekeepers, by Alice Hoffman

The Dovekeepers is a truly epic story. One that is so lyrical, it's almost reads like a symphony. I highly recommend the audiobook version of this beautiful and tragic story.

The Dovekeepers take place around the year 70 C.E., and the main setting of the story is a mountain called Masada, with a fortress that was built by Herrod. Hundreds of Jews are holed up here, after the Romans have forced them out of Jerusalem and every other place in Israel.

There are four main characters in the book, all women. We learn each woman's story in separate sections of the book, but all the stories end up woven together as they experience life on Masada. There's tragedy and heartbreak and many secrets. Their's plotting, and scheming. They are struggling with hunger, and lost love, and trying to keep their families alive.

I cannot describe the beautiful writing in The Dovekeepers. I haven't read any other of Hoffman's books, but I'm a fan. I'm sure part of my passion for these words has to do with the audio format. The book is read by four different women, and they are all PERFECT. Each one of them distinct, but so rhythmic and well-paced. I must be honest--I might not have finished this if I were reading the print. It is long and very detailed. But I must emphasize that it's worth the read -- in any form.

The Jewish faith and traditions were fascinating. I can't imagine the research that went into this book. I'm sure The Dovekeepers is a work of love. Everything is a symbol for these people. If some blackbirds land in  your path -- that means something. Every drop of rain, change in the weather, everything birds and other animals do, every breeze means something. And the rituals -- every spice and plant is used to bless something. Their are all sorts of charms for blessings and healings.

It's all very devout, though. These people base everything on their belief in God. No aspect of their existence is without him.

If you are a fan of ancient history, you must read The Dovekeepers. It requires some patience, but you will be rewarded, I guarantee. Not many teens I can recommend this for--nothing inappropriate, but just because of the subject and the weight of this book. But I will pass it around my family and friends for sure.

Published by Scribner, 2011
Audiobook obtained from the library
512 pages

Rating: 5/5

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TGIF - Why Blog?

Ginger at GReads! wants to know:

A Book Blogger is Born: What made you decide to start your very own book blog?

I started blogging a few years ago at Annette's Hobby Spot. I started that because a friend had a cooking blog, and it looked like fun. So I blogged about cooking, sewing, camping, and of course reading. (I apologize for those old reviews, if you go back and look at any of them.)

After almost a year, I found some great book blogs, and decided I wanted to do more in-depth reviews and really concentrate on books. Writing about books is fun, and it also helps me analyze and internalize what I read. I really started this blog for ME. To keep track of what I read and get more out of each book. So Annette's Book Spot was born. And, unfortunately, I rarely post to my original blog any more, even though I still cook, sew, and camp. I just don't take the time to record much of it.

I've met my goal. I feel I'm getting a lot more out of books from writing about them and from reading other's thoughts. I had no idea other people would want to read what I have to say. That's been a delightful bonus! The highlight of my day, besides reading a book, is reading my feeds from all your wonderful blogs. I've been doing this almost two years -- and I've not experienced any blogger burn out *knocks on wood.*

Thank you all for making this such a fun thing to do. Thanks for visiting; I hope you'll come back soon. Have a great weekend.

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Book Review: Unbreak My Heart, by Melissa Walker @melissacwalker

Unbreak My Heart was just the book I needed. A sweet contemporary with interesting characters and a special setting.

Clem is spending the summer with her family sailing the rivers of the central United States. She's perfectly fine with this, since she has lost all her friends.

It isn't clear what exactly happened to cause the rift at the beginning of the story, but it has something to do with Clem's best friend, and her best friend's boyfriend. Clem is depressed, guilty, and is really hard on herself. She doesn't believe that she deserves friends.

Clem's sister is a cutie. She's ten years old, and smart. She knows there's something wrong with her sister but doesn't know how to help. She has supportive parents (yea!), but they get frustrated with Clem also. The heart of Unbreak My Heart is watching Clem work through her predicament and come out stronger on the other side.

Along comes James, who is also spending the summer sailing with his father. They taking the same route as Clem's family, so these two meet up repeatedly over the summer and a relationship develops. It isn't quite clear what is going to happen between these two, since James is brining along some baggage too. (Although he's so SWEET!) The focus of this story is watching Clem work through her problems and come out stronger on the other side.

The relationships are interesting; the sailing life is a unique and well-described setting. This is a pretty short book and the pace makes it easy to keep turning pages. The complications are slowly revealed, and the emotions associated with them ring true.

I loved the Illinois setting (for part of Unbreak My Heart) and I'm familiar with the places they mentioned which is an added bonus. And...the scene with the "George Washington" hair...my kids used to do that all the time except they called it "Martha Washington" hair. Blast from the past!

I can give this book to a bazillion teen girls. They will love Unbreak My Heart for so many reasons. If you like a sweet teen contemporary romance, you must read Unbreak My Heart.

Published by Bloomsbury Childrens, May 22, 2012
eARC obtained from NetGalley
240 pages (Qualifies for my Books You Can Read in a Day Challenge!)

Rating: 4.5/5

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Book Review: Ingenue, by Jillian Larkin

Ingenue continues the exciting story of four teen-age girls trying to find their places during the tumultuous 1920s. I enjoyed this one thoroughly, just as I did the first book in The Flappers series, Vixen.


At the conclusion of Vixen, Gloria and Jerome have escaped to New York. Little do they know that Lorraine and Clara are also in the same city. Lorraine is scheming to find Gloria and Jerome and turn them into the mob. Clara has followed Marcus Eastman to New York to make all her dreams come true. As long as she can stay away from her "old habits." The last time she was in New York she got into a bit of trouble living the flapper life.

We also get an additional perspective in Ingenue. Vera, Jerome's sister, is afraid for his safety and has come to New York with the trumpet player, Evan, to find Jerome and save him from the terrible people who are trying to kill him.

It sounds like a lot of suspense, and I guess it is, but really it's a lot of fun. These girls pass each other without realizing it. They all fall in love, and out of love. They find new careers, and continue with the old ones. They all end up involved in the speakeasies and live the glamorous flapper life once again. It's more of the rip-roaring fun of Vixen. Yes, there's an exciting climactic scene where our damsels are in distress, but there's another book, right? So are we really ever that worried? Not really. But that doesn't take away from the enjoyment and twists and turns were are taken through to get to the end.

The third book, Diva, releases on July 10, and I can't wait to find out what's the next adventure for these teens. Any teen girl who has an interest in this period in history, or just wants a book about some wild teenagers should be directed to this series. I find the history fascinating, and think Ingenue is just pure enjoyment.

Published by Delacorte, 2011
Copy obtained from the library
351 pages

Rating: 4/5

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Book Review: The Girl in the Park, by Mariah Fredericks @MariahFrederick

The Girl in the Park tugged at my heartstrings, as I struggled with Rain, the main character, to come to terms with the death of a friend and struggle to understand who committed this awful crime.

Wendy and Rain used to be best friends, but Wendy started to hang out with a wilder set, and became obsessed with boys. Rain is at a party with Wendy, and talks to her a little bit, but Wendy has decided to set her sites on a boy -- one who of course has a girlfriend -- and Rain has no idea that this will be the last conversation she and Wendy will ever have.

The news media is painting a picture of Wendy as a slutty, wild girl. Rain knows that there is more to her one-time friend than this picture. Rain recalls some of the times that Wendy was a true friend, especially when she helped her feel more comfortable speaking. Rain was born with a cleft palette, and since she still speaks with a lisp, she rarely speaks at all. Rain has been the victim of bullying, and Wendy used to help her through that.

The only way the Rain can come to terms with Wendy's death is to find out who did this and why. Rain becomes an amateur detective, confiding her suspicions to a teacher and then to the police.

The Girl in the Park has a lot of twists and turns, and even though I suspected who the perpetrator was, I really wasn't certain until the end. The Girl in the Park did contain some convenient plotting, one thing in particular that was missed by the police, but Rain was such a sympathetic character that all I really cared about was her well-being and her success in finding the killer.

Fredericks' secondary characters filled out the story nicely, but really Rain was the focus. I got some of the other names mixed up a few times. The pacing was excellent, and I found it easy to keep reading The Girl in the Park to the end. I think teens will enjoy this well-crafted mystery, and will enjoy the twists, turns, and surprise ending.

Published by Schwartz & Wade, April 24, 2012
eBook obtained from NetGalley
224pages

Rating: 4/5

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Book Review: The Inquisitor's Key, by Jefferson Bass

The Inquisitor's Key provides an interesting plot and a climactic ending, but may contain a few too many details for some readers.

The Inquisitor's Key is a Body Farm novel, meaning it's part of a series about the Body Farm, the human-decomposition research facility at the University of Tennessee. However, after the initial scene, which really had nothing at all to do with this book, we don't return to the Body Farm.


Dr. Bill Brockton, a renowned forensic anthropologist, is summoned to Avignon, France, by his protégé, Miranda, who is supposedly having an emergency appendectomy. It turns out this is false, and Miranda and her associate have found a stone box with very old bones. The box is labeled that it contains Jesus of Nazareth.

Brockton begins the detailed process of determining just how old the bones are and whether they are indeed the bones of Christ. This includes investigating the Shroud of Turin and its origins. The book flashes back to the 1300s, which was a period of time when the Popes lived in Avignon, not Rome. So as we are following Brockton's investigation, we are getting the real story of how these bones came to be where they are. It's a fascinating look at the corruption and greed of the Catholic church.


It's all very interesting, but I found it a bit detailed. The book really drags in the middle, during the investigation. There's danger, there's murder and kidnapping, and lots of mystery. But it just wasn't enough action to balance the historical details. The ending left my heart pounding, as I did really care about Miranda and Dr. Bill, and it was quite exciting.


I'm still recommending The Inquisitor's Key to historical fiction/mystery fans (which I am) so, I honestly loved this book. I just wanted to warn those that are in it for the mystery more than the history, that The Inquisitor's Key might be more history than you want.


"Jefferson Bass" is really two people, Dr. Bill Bass who founded the the Body Farm, and Jon Jefferson. They include notes at the end explaining which parts of the novel are based in truth.

Published by William Morrow, May 8, 2012
eBook obtained from Edelweiss
368 pages

Rating: 4/5

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Stacking the Shelves -- Only One!

It was a great week! I only got one book, but that's OK.

Won:

The Crown, by Nancy Bilyeau from Kelly at The Broke & the Bookish

Make sure you hop over to Tynga's Reviews and check out some other bloggers' new books.

Wedding Countdown:

Bernie Elking Photography

I'm fairly preoccupied this week, and not with books. ONE WEEK until my daughter's wedding -- and it's going to be a busy one. Wish me luck!

I'll let you know how it all goes. Thanks for visiting, and I hope you come back soon.

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TGIF: Supporting Characters

Happy Friday! It's TGIF time at GReads! Here's the question:

Supporting Characters: We tend to gush over those main characters the most, but what about those supporting roles? Who are some of your favorites?

This is hard to me to think of specifics, but I came up with a couple. First of all, a character like Roar, from Under the Never Sky adds a lot to the story. He's someone to "bounce off" the main character's ideas, and keep them from getting in a rut.

Also, Kanin, from The Immortal Rules. This is one of those characters we didn't see enough. We want more. And, I suspect we're going to get it in future installments of the series. (I hope!)

Then, there's the wise, old grandma. The one that gives advice to the troubled teen, and also provides some comic relief. You know the type. I just can't think of a specific example right now. Give me one in the comments, or if I think of one, I'll update this post....

I'll be interested (as always) in your responses. Leave me a link in the comments. Thanks for visiting and enjoy your weekend!

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Musings: I'm Hearing Wedding Bells

Bernie Elking Photography

I'm not sure how things are going to be here on the blog for a while. You see, my daughter is getting married in nine days! I'm still reading and blogging, but I'm getting preoccupied, and there may be some gaps in the blog posts.

We've been planning for about 15 months, and it's hard to believe that it will soon be over. We are doing well with the planning, and I'm not too stressed -- just excited. I'm very happy for them, and looking forward to a big celebration. I'll let you know how it all turns out.

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Book Review: The Forgetting Curve, by Angie Smibert @amsmibert

The Forgetting Curve, the sequel to Memento Nora, continues the story of teens in a world where if something bad happens, all your memories can be erased with a pill. But, things have gone even farther....

The Forgetting Curve is narrated by three teens, just as Memento, but two of them are new. Winter is back. Aiden, Winter's cousin, is also a narrator. And Velvet, another friend, is the third.

It took me a while to get back into this world. There is virtually no explanation of the TFC (Therapeutic Forgetting Clinic), or really anything else that happened in Memento. It's been a while since I read that one, so I spent much of my time trying to remember the characters and things that happened in Memento and how they related to what was happening in this book.


Once I got comfortable with these characters, the story flowed well. Everyone will soon be required to have a chip implanted behind their ear for identification purposes, but Aiden begins to suspect there's more to these devices. His father is the president of the company that is making the chips. Weird things happen -- Velvet realizes she has a chip, but she has no recollection of getting it. There are other sinister things at work here, but I don't really want to talk about more of the plot, so as not to give too much away.

I didn't feel the tension in The Forgetting Curve as I did in Memento. I never got very attached to these new characters -- I kept waiting to find out what Nora was up to. She does make a brief appearance, but she's not really a part of The Forgetting Curve.


I guess maybe this is what I've heard referred to as "second book syndrome." There was a little plot development; some questions got answered and many more were proposed. I wanted to be frightened for these kids. They were taking risks and trying to make their world a better place. I just didn't feel very much. I'm going to stick with the series. I want to know what happens, and I'm hoping the next installment will get my heart pounding again. I want to feel outrage at what these citizens are being forced to put up with. It's "big brother!" I just didn't get enough of that in The Forgetting Curve.


It is absolutely necessary that your read Memento Nora first. If you liked that one, then I definitely recommend The Forgetting Curve, despite the negative comments above. It's a very quick read, adds something to the development of this world, and gets you thinking about whether our society is becoming too much like the one in The Forgetting Curve.

Published by Marshall Cavendish, May 15, 2012
ARC obtained from The Teen Book Scene
202 pages

Note: This book should definitely qualify for my Books You Can Read in a Day Challenge, but it took me three days to read this because "life" got in the way!

Rating: 3/5

Please visit all the bloggers on the tour:

Monday, April 30: Bonnie at A Backwards Story (Author Interview)
Tuesday, May 1: Ivy at Ivy’s Reads (Character This or That: Aiden)
Wednesday, May 2: Jessica T at Hopelessly Devoted Bibliophile  (Review)
Thursday, May 3: Annette at Annette's Book Spot (Author Word Associations)
Friday, May 4: Missy at Missy's Reads & Reviews (Review)
 
Monday, May 7: Jessica T at Hopelessly Devoted Bibliophile (Author Interview)
Tuesday, May 8: Missy at Missy's Reads & Reviews (Character This or That: Velvet)
Wednesday, May 9: Annette at Annette's Book Spot (Review)
Thursday, May 10: Alyssa at Teens Read and Write (Author This or That)
Friday, May 11: Bonnie at A Backwards Story (Review)

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