Annette's Book Spot

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Book Review: 11/22/63, by Stephen King

I haven't read a Stephen King book for a long time. I used to read everything he wrote, but lately not so much. 11/22/63 has, as usual for King, a unique premise and, also as usual, a richly detailed plot that won't let you go. I was unsure going into 11/22/63, because of the "true" nature of the subject matter. Isn't King a horror/paranormal writer? How's he going to handle this? But, as I should have known, he did it masterfully.

Jake lives in Lisbon Falls, Maine, in 2011. He teaches English at the local high school. When his diner-owning friend Al asks him to come over, he has no idea what he's getting himself into. In the back room of Al's diner, there is a rip in time, which allows a person to travel back to Lisbon Falls in 1958. Al has made the trip several times, even staying for several years, but he can no longer go because Al is about to die from cancer.

Al convinces Jake that if he could stop Lee Harvey Oswald from killing John F. Kennedy, that the world would be a much better place. The Vietnam War would never have happened, and all those lives would have been saved.

After much convincing, testing, and soul searching, Jake decides to go back to 1958. He plans to stay back in time until November of 1963.

Jake's life back in time is fascinating. King builds an entire life for Jake (who goes by George). He has a job, close friends, a romance, and even saves some other lives while he's also getting close to Dallas and Lee Harvey Oswald. This is a long book. Sometimes in some of King's epic tales, I've felt that he was just writing to fill up the pages. But in 11/22/63, even though there are a lot of details, he sucks you into George's life and makes you want to know every detail.

The ending and consequences of George's actions are unexpected -- at least to George. I had a feeling things weren't going to turn out how George expected -- do they ever? -- but I didn't know what exactly was going to happen. I liked the way King decided to end 11/22/63.

I can't imagine the amount of research that went into writing this book. The details about Oswald's life and the period from 1958 to 1963 are astounding. King admits that some little things aren't true, but most of it is accurate.

I would recommend 11/22/63 to Stephen King fans for sure, or even old Stephen King fans, who aren't sure about his newer stuff. It takes an investment to get through -- I actually took a long time to read this since I kept stopping and reading other books in between -- but it's worth it. I've said it many times and I'll repeat it here. NO ONE tells a story like Stephen King. His talent is beyond my comprehension. Those who have an affinity for stories about the Kennedy assassination will find this entertaining, and dare I say, informative?

If you're not familiar with King, I would probably recommend starting with a different book, just because of the length. I'm going to put 11/22/63 in my high school library. I have a few King fans every year, and they will appreciate this addition.

Published by Scribner, 2011
Copy purchased by me
849 pages

Rating: 4.5/5

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

AudioBook Review: Daughter of Smoke & Bone, by Laini Taylor @lainitaylor

Laini Taylor writes a twisted web of a story in Daughter of Smoke & Bone that left me trying to catch my breath several times.

Karou isn't your ordinary teen. She's living a double life. One in Prague, as a teen in art school, and one with the demons who raised her from a baby. She doesn't really know anything about how she came to be raised by these colorful characters, but she loves them like family. Even though Brimstone (her demon "father") sends her on errands all over the world to collect all kinds of teeth from some dangerous characters. She doesn't know why these teeth are important, other than Brimstone strings them onto necklaces.

Suddenly, dark hand prints appear on all of the magical doors that Karou uses for portals to get to different parts of the world. One day, all of these doors are burning, and Karou is cut off from her demon family.

Akiva is one of the seraphs that is putting the hand prints on the doors, and after he lays eyes on Karou on one of her errands in Morocco, things are never the same. He becomes obsessed with her, and instead of killing her, like he should, he hunts her down to find out more about her. Karou has tattoos on her palms that she knows nothing about, until she holds them towards Akiva, and the power nearly kills him.

Thus begins a very strange relationship between these mortal enemies, who can't seem to resist each other. Karou is determined to find out what happened to her family, and Akiva is trying to find out why he can't stay away from Karou.

The secrets are slowly revealed, and the romantic relationship builds just as slowly.

Taylor is a master of the flashback. Her flashbacks even have flashbacks, but I was never confused. The background of our characters is revealed like untangling a web and it took me quite a while before I understood what exactly was going on. I did figure it out before Karou, but not much before, and her enlightenment was still enjoyable. And, at the very end, I finally figured out where the Daughter of Smoke & Bone title comes from.

There's so much more to Daughter of Smoke & Bone -- the magic beads, the levels of magic, Karou's sketchbooks, the best friend Zuzana, the different settings (earthly and otherwise), a character named Madrigal -- I could go on, but you just need to read it for yourself.

The audiobook narrator, Khristine Hvam, was good. All of her voices were entertaining but not too over the top. I just don't think Daughter of Smoke & Bone is the kind of book I like in an audiobook. I can't "read" it fast enough. I only listen to about 1/2 hour a day, and for an exciting, fast paced book like Daughter of Smoke & Bone, I would have enjoyed it more if I just sat down and read it in a day or two, rather than dragging it out for weeks. I like my audiobooks to be kind of slow and epic, not thrilling.

This is a complex book about teens, but I can't see why adults who enjoy a paranormal fantasy wouldn't enjoy Daughter of Smoke & Bone. I was very happy with the conclusion -- this first thread is complete without a huge cliffhanger, but we know there's much more to Karou's and Akiva's story. I can't wait to find out in Days of Blood & Starlight, which will be released in November.

Published by Little, Brown & Co., 2011 (Audiobook by Hachette)
Audiobook obtained FREE from Sync YA Literature
432 pages

Rating: 4.5/5

Monday, September 17, 2012

A Book Spot Birthday!

Two years ago today I posted my first entry on Annette's Book Spot. At that time, it was called The More You Read, the More You Will Know!

I have enjoyed every minute of blogging for the past two years. I know some people talk about getting burned out, but that hasn't happened to me. *knocks on wood*

I continue to blog for myself, which I think is a big part of why I still enjoy it. I know there are blogs who have existed for 6 or 8 months and have over 1,000 followers. I'm fairly certain I will never get to 1,000. Frankly, I don't care. I've tried to liven up my posts -- participating in book tours, guest posts, and other group activities, but that takes so much time, and I resented that. It's all about reading and writing about books for me. That's why you'll see a few memes, but mostly you'll just get book reviews from me. There are plenty of other blogs where you can get all that "fun" stuff. And I read it. I really do. But, since I follow over 250 blogs regularly, I skip some of it too.

A big part of blogging for me is following. I clear my reader almost every day. Usually there's about 150 posts per day. I don't read EVERY post, but I read a lot of them. Most days my rule is "clear the reader before you can read your book." You can see why I don't want to spend a lot of extra time on blog activities other than reviews -- I spend that extra blogging time on following. Believe me, I know a lot about YA books because of all the following. I read a lot of reviews. I know what's coming out and when. My students and teachers are impressed with my knowledge of books -- even ones that I haven't read.

I don't comment enough. I'll admit that right now. But, I probably comment on about 20 posts per day (average). And, they aren't the same blogs every day, so I comment on a wide variety of blogs, but maybe not very regularly.

If you enjoy my blog, that's great! If you are a follower, even better! But a big part of my enjoyment about blogging is reading what YOU have to say. Keep up the good work! Thanks for all the wonderful blogging experiences over the past two years.

Saturday, September 15, 2012

Stacking the Shelves - Review Book Week

Hello everyone! Hope you had a great "Book Week." I did! Here's what I got in the mail:

For Review:

Cleanup, by Norah McClintock, from LibraryThing Early Reviewers

Fathomless, by Jackson Pearce, from Library Media Connection Magazine

Magisterium, by Jeff Hirsch from Library Media Connection Magazine

This is actually my second ARC. It releases soon (Oct. 1) Should I have a giveaway? Would anyone want this?

Skylark, by Meagan Spooner from Library Media Connection Magazine

I've already reviewed this as an eARC, but this is a finished copy which I will happily put in my library (after I write another review for the magazine!)

When We Wake, by Karen Healey from Library Media Connection Magazine

That's it for me. Make sure you visit Tynga's Reviews to see all the other participants. I'll be looking forward to visiting you shelves.... Happy Reading!

Friday, September 14, 2012

Feature & Follow Friday - Hyped Books

Happy Friday everyone! Hope you have a great weekend. Today, our question from Parajunkee and Alison is:

What hyped up book do you think was not worth all the talk?

This is a hard question for me, because in choosing a book for this question, I rely on my personal opinion. Just because a book wasn't my thing, doesn't mean it isn't a great book for other people.

So, with that said, my choice is The Iron King by Julie Kagawa. Here's my thoughts on DNFing this book There's nothing wrong with the writing or world building or anything. I loved Kagawa's Immortal Rules. I just knew going in that fantasy is one of my least favorite genres, and this book was just to "fantastical" for me. I don't know why. For example, I enjoyed Daughter of Smoke & Bone, despite all it's weird creatures. I think a fantasy book has to have roots in reality -- on Earth, or some Earth-like place -- or I won't enjoy it. I felt like The Iron King was going to stay in a fantasy world for way too long.

It also has to do with mood. I tell myself I just wasn't in the mood for a fantasy and that some day I'll pick The Iron King up again. But realistically, with a TBR that contains 100s of books, am I going to ever read it again? If I'm honest, it's unlikely.

I don't mind the hype that books receive. I read a lot of hyped books. Most of them deserve it, in my opinion. There are also great books that don't get the hype they deserve, so I try to review those and do what I can for them.

I really feel guilty when I don't like a hyped book. Or, I feel like there's something wrong with me. Do you feel that way too?

Thursday, September 13, 2012

Book Review: Touched by Cyn Balog @cynbalog

Touched might not be a totally unique premise, but the way it is told is compelling, and the implications have me still thinking about this book days after finishing it.

Nick can see his future. Mostly the immediate future, but he can see glimpses, and sometimes more, of the distant future. Nick hears a "voice" in his head that tells him what he needs to do next -- he call these commands his "You wills." If he doesn't follow the "You wills" then his future changes--sometimes a little bit, but sometimes drastically. As his mind is "cycling" to catch up with the new future, he experiences headaches, sometimes debilitating.

His mother has the same ability. She has stayed in her room for years. When she is cycling, she moans very loudly, which has kept Nick from having any friends at his house. Thank goodness for Nan, Nick's grandmother, who takes care of Nick and his mother.

At the beginning of the book, Nick goes way off course, and although he saves one girl, another small girl loses her life. This is devastating. Even more so, because before this cycling, Nick could envision a great future with a wife and kids. Now, not only has his future changed, but he can't even see it clearly.

Taryn is the girl that Nick saved, and as they build an unlikely relationship, Nick discovers that Taryn knows about his ability -- she says he's "touched" and it has something to do with Taryn's grandmother. Nick, even though his "You wills" tell him otherwise, cannot stay away from Taryn. The romance is slow, although there is that element of "magnetic attraction to a forbidden love interest." It works well in this situation, though.

Touched reads easily and quickly. I really felt for Nick -- what a horrible life for him. Balog does a great job describing the many implications for his condition, which at first seems like it would be a great ability to possess. But it isn't, and we feel for Nick. As Taryn's story is revealed, we are sympathetic to her also. These two are caught in a "Catch-22" that you don't expect them to escape from.

And, that is really the only minor problem I had with Touched. I didn't expect that ending. I didn't WANT that ending. I can't say too much about it, but there's a huge twist and...well...I don't even want to say why I didn't want it, but I think you'll figure it out when you read this. This really is just a personal opinion. I'm sure teens and many others will be satisfied.

And, I recommend that you do read Touched. It is unique enough and very thought provoking in a "be careful what you wish for" sort of way. The pace moves quickly and there's plenty of tension to keep you reading. The characters are sympathetic and the prose is simple. I think Touched has appeal for reluctant readers, and would be enjoyed by boys or girls. No language or sex either, so also accessible to younger teens.

Published by Delacorte, August 14, 2012
Copy won from RandomBuzzers
320 pages

Rating: 4/5

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Book Review: The Diviners, by Libba Bray @libbabray

The Diviners is an epic tale with complex characters and an intricate plot that will keep you riveted.

Evie has been sent to New York to live with her eccentric Uncle Will who owns The Museum of American Folklore, Superstition and the Occult, otherwise know as The Museum of the Creepy Crawlies. Evie has been in trouble in Ohio, and to avoid scandal, her parents have made these arrangements. Evie is delighted. New York and it's speak-easys, flappers, and nightlife are just what she needs.

Evie has a special gift. She can hold an object and tell things about it's owner. This can get Evie into trouble, and she keeps it a secret. We meet many other characters that may or may not cross Evie's path, but eventually they all come together.

Sam, who can make himself "unseen" starts out as Evie's enemy, but eventually wins her over -- sort of.

Jerome, who works for Will, is just strange. He obviously has secrets, but he also becomes someone very important to Evie.

Theta and Henry are Evie's friends who allow her a taste of the New York nightlife, but may have some strange abilities of their own.

Memphis doesn't have anything to do with Evie, but he used to be able to heal people. And his brother seems to have powers too.

There's a serial killer, which has been named the Pentacle Killer, because the murders seems to involve the occult. Will has been consulted by the police to help solve these murders, and of course Evie can't stay away.

So, it is an intricate plot, and the point of view changes often. But The Diviners is easy to follow. I never got confused about the characters because they are each distinct. The killer's POV is indeed spine-tingling. This is a scary monster that for most of the book seemed impossible to contain. Love that.

I also loved the 1920s setting. It seemed the perfect backdrop for The Diviners because Bray is a master storyteller. I'm sure she could have set it in any time period and made it believable, but the 20s happens to be one of my favorites.

This is a story of the occult, so if you can't suspend your disbelief, if you can't believe in ghosts, you might not like this one. That's really the only reason I can imagine anyone not liking The Diviners.

The tension builds very slowly, as the killer strikes again and again, and Will and Evie and the others get closer and closer to figuring it out. The resolution is exciting and satisfying. The Diviners is a long book, but it never felt long. It reads easily, and the pages turn so quickly once your are invested. And you will be invested....

Published by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, September 18, 2012
ARC won from Bewitched Bookworms!
608 pages (qualifies for my Serial Killers Reading Challenge!)

Rating: 4.5/5

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

Book Review: Burn for Burn, by Jenny Han & Siobhan Vivian @jennyhan @siobhanvivian

Burn for Burn is full of teenage angst, friends and enemies, and ultimately, revenge.

The first half of Burn for Burn introduces a group of students attending a high school on Jar Island. This island is only accessible by ferry. This is a book about three girls getting revenge on some other teens who they perceive as having wronged them, but we don't really get to the revenge plotting until the second half of the book. That's OK in this case, because the slow exposition of these characters really allows us to know them very well, and therefore we can sympathize with these three teens, as well as their victims.

For me, there was too much wining, complaining, fighting, scheming, and drama. It's just one thing after the other. But I'm far from a teen, and while this group may be a bit over the top, I'm sure at times it is much like this for the teens at the school where I teach.

It took me a while to get the rhythm of the story. The three different POVs were confusing at first. I hope in the finished copy of the book there is some indication at the beginning of the chapters as to who the narrator is. A lot of characters are introduced very quickly. Some of the names were confusing to me. There are a few that are not gender specific, so I had trouble remembering, "boy or girl?" Then they called some characters by their last names at times. I couldn't figure out who "Lindy" was. Sounds like a girl, right? But then I realized Alex's (a boy) last name is "Lind" so that was his nick name. Once I got to know the characters' personalities better, I was OK, but at first I was scrambling a bit to make sense.

There's just a bit of a paranormal ability introduced in one of the characters. It seemed like the only purpose was to assist in the climactic ending. They had to have some way to make things happen, so they decided, "we'll just use this paranormal thing." It didn't bother me that much, but just felt kind of "added," and not very purposeful.

Despite the previous paragraphs, I enjoyed Burn for Burn. I thought the acts of revenge were realistic and I really had mixed feelings about who to care for. Teens make mistakes, and I didn't really want to see them hurt, but on the other hand, some of the things they did were really despicable. But, not ALL of the things. So Burn for Burn really gets you thinking about justice and just when is revenge going to far? It makes you think about the assumptions we make about people, and how sometimes with more information those assumptions are revealed to be incorrect.

I liked that three very different girls banded together and stayed together to help each other. These girls were not friends, they were either enemies or didn't know each other at all. I thought that made their partnership even more interesting.

The writing was easy to follow (other than the problems I mentioned above) and like I said, I felt like I really got to know these characters -- even some of the minor ones.

OK. Now for my last gripe. You're really gonna end it like THAT!!! I felt like I was watching a soap opera --"Tune in tomorrow" -- except it's not going to be tomorrow. It's going to be next year! I feel like Han & Vivian must have reached their publisher's deadline and decided, "OK, we'll just end it here." You don't have to write huge cliff hangers to get people to read the next book. If your first book is good, they will want to read more about the characters. As a matter of fact, I can name several series that I have not gone past the first book because the cliffhanger ending made me so angry. This might be one of those series.

I have no problem recommending Burn for Burn to my teens. It's a quick read -- I was reading the eARC and am really surprised that the book is over 350 pages. It read a lot more quickly than that. I think teens will enjoy Burn for Burn, as they have enjoyed other works by Han & Vivian. I'll warn them about the ending, though...

Published by Simon & Schuster, September 18, 2012
eARC obtained from NetGalley
368 pages (qualifies for my Books You Can Read in a Day Challenge!)

Rating: 3/5

Monday, September 10, 2012

Book Review: Daughter of the Goddess, by Rita J. Webb @RitaJWebb

Daughter of the Goddess is a fantasy novella that easily will hold your interest.

Peaches has had a rough life her first 5 years. But all that changes within a few minutes of beginning Daughter of the Goddess. She gets taken in by a new "mom" and given to the Goddess to be educated and grow into a woman.

When she is 18, she begins an epic journey to a foreign land to find the man that she is to marry. Her journey is hampered by Naga, the snake-man that has plagued her dreams since she came to the Goddess. Anything that the Goddess favors, Naga wants to destroy.

I became attached to Peaches, and cared what happened to her. She is fully developed and interesting. Daughter of the Goddess moves quickly, and at 85 pages, my complaints have to do with the fact that it is so short.

I don't read many short stories or novellas, simply because I like the full details of the setting, plot, and characters. While Peaches had me rooting for her, none of the secondary characters really mattered to me at all. I would have liked to know more about the world and specifically this religion. When Peaches goes on her journey, people know she belongs to the Goddess. What does that mean to them? There's some mythology here that I think is missing.

Some things happened very quickly. I found myself thinking, "Wait, now what just happened?" And going back to re-read. One example of this is the beginning when Peaches is passed from her evil birth mother, to the woman that pledges to be her new mother, to the Goddess in a matter of a few minutes. I understand this is a characteristic of a novella, and I did understand what happened, but once again, the reason that I don't read very many novellas.

Webb has done a good job with Daughter of the Goddess, and it's worth the short time it takes to read. The ending is tense and also happy. It is easy to read, and I didn't find any grammar or proofreading errors. If Peaches ever returns in future books, I'd like to find out what happens to her.

Published by Robot Playground, July 22, 2012
eBook obtained from the author
85 pages

Rating: 3/5

Sunday, September 9, 2012

Something Different - Wedding Crafts

I have decided to quit posting on my other blog, The Housework Isn't Getting Done. I haven't posted there much at all, and I've decide that I'd like to post about those "other" things that I do besides reading right here on my book blog.

I'll only be doing this once in a while, for now I think it will be on some Sundays when I usually don't post anything. Feel free to skip these if you aren't interested.

Some of you may remember that my daughter got married in May, and I'd like to show you a few of those decorations we made for the wedding. Her colors were green and navy blue.

We made these favor boxes. My sister has one of those fancy cutting machines, so she cut all the boxes and flowers, then we glued the boxes, and added the flowers and the "thank you" tag. We had a candy buffet, so everyone could fill their box and take them home. We were very happy with the way they turned out.

We had two different centerpieces, with sliced limes floating in water. We took pictures of the happy couple for the table numbers.

My son made the boxes, and I grew grass to put golf tees with paper golf balls. These were used for table numbers.

We thought it was all beautiful, and it was just what she wanted. It was a lot of work, and a lot of fun.