Annette's Book Spot

Thursday, June 7, 2012

Book Review: Gone Girl, by Gillian Flynn

Gone Girl was a surprise for me. I read the first part and thought, OK, pretty good who-done-it. Was it the husband? Doesn't seem like it... Dragging a little, then WHAM! The second part. I was hooked.

Amy disappears on her and her husband, Nick's, fifth wedding anniversary. Life has been difficult for both of them They had to relocate to Nick's hometown in Missouri after losing their writing jobs in New York and after Nick's parents both were ill. Amy had always been from New York so the adjustment was difficult but she's doing her best.

Nick, from the start, appears to be more unhappy than Amy. Mostly with his marriage. We get a lot of inner dialog that makes it appear that things are not what they seem. And, after Nick returns home to find Amy missing and the living room turned upside down, we find out just how messed up things can be.

There are many nuances to Gone Girl that make it rich. Amy's parents are famous authors who wrote books based on Amy as a young girl. Nick and his sister buy a bar in Missouri, using Amy's money. I could go on, but just know that everything we learn adds to the story.

The worst part of Gone Girl is Part 1. It just went on way too long. The initial investigation of the disappearance just dragged....at about half way through, things change dramatically at the beginning of Part 2, and then it all means something. So, just be patient.

The characters are colorful, to say the least. I particularly liked the relationship and dialog between Nick and his sister. Everyone, Amy's parents, the police, the best-friend, seemed like authentic, realistic characters. Since I live close to St. Louis, the Missouri setting was especially interesting to me.

The twists and turns are delicious. I can't say I particularly enjoyed the ending, but it was appropriate. I haven't read any other books by Flynn, but I'm putting her on my list. I'm ready for some more. Gone Girl is totally appropriate for older teens who like this type of crime story. There is some violence and a bit of sex, but nothing too explicit.

Published by Crown, June 5, 2012
eBook obtained from NetGalley
432 pages

Rating: 4/5

Armchair BEA - Writing Beyond the Blog

Armchair BEA, Day 4.

Another topic that I really don't have much to say about. I'm looking forward to what others have to say.

I do review books for Library Media Connection Magazine and I love doing it. It's a different kind of reviewing, for my peers. I simply applied according to their information in the magazine. I had to send in a sample of my writing and I was accepted.

I don't make money from my blog, and don't really have much interest in doing so. I've signed up to "monetize" but I've not made anything, and that's OK.

Your suggestions?

Wednesday, June 6, 2012

Book Review: Will Grayson, Will Grayson, by John Green & David Levithan @realjohngreen @loversdiction

Will Grayson, Will Grayson is a cute contemporary written by two of today's most popular authors. And they've proved themselves again.

Will Grayson, Will Grayson is dual narrated by each Will Grayson. That's right, there's two of them. They eventually meet, accidentally. One of the Wills is gay and suffers from depression. The other one is straight, and has a best friend, Tiny, who is gay. Tiny is writing and directing a school musical about being gay. Well, it ends up being about a lot more than that...

The banter between Will and Tiny is priceless. Will Grayson, Will Grayson is ultimately a book about friendship, and the "gayness" really doesn't matter. The book isn't about being gay, although that is an undeniable theme. It's about figuring out what's important in a friend, what's "love," and also about how to forgive.

Yes, there's some reference to sex, including gay sex. And there's profanity. However, it didn't stick out. It seemed like how teen boys would talk to each other. Heck, I hear much the same just walking down our school hallways during break.

I loved the use of "andbutso" and its variations. I tend to start a lot of sentences with "and" or "so." I think I might start using "andbutso."

I did think it dragged a bit in the middle. A lot of repetitive angst involving the relationships with both the Wills and Tiny and some other secondary characters. Just went on a bit long for me.

Will Grayson, Will Grayson is a pretty quick, entertaining read. I think teens who like contemporary "issues" books and who can tolerate the language will love this one. Levithan and Green are pretty much on my "I'll read anything they write" list.

Published by Dutton, 2010
Copy obtained from the library
310 pages

Rating: 4/5

Armchair BEA - Networking

Welcome to Day 3 of Armchair BEA. Today's topic is about networking outside of your blog.

I don't really have much to say. I'd love to go to more book signings, but the few I hear about it seems I always have a conflict.

I network with my fellow school librarians all the time. We have a great listserve in Illinois and I'm on the board of our state-wide organization (Illinois School Library Media Association.) We put on a great conference every fall that I always attend. For the past several years I have given book talks to local school librarians on our book award nominated titles. The Abraham Lincoln High School Book Award and Illinois Read for a Lifetime.

I network a lot with my high school students. I love to get them talking about books. I run a book club at my high school.

How about you? Give me some ideas.....

Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Book Review: All These Lives, by Sarah Wylie @sarah_why

In a book market that seems to be inundated with books about cancer, All These Lives holds it own.

Dani and Jena are twins. Jena is battling cancer, and is very sick. Deni has always been told by her mother that she has nine lives. As a way of coping with Jena's desperate situation, Dani tries to give some of her lives to Jena. She believes that if she gives up some lives, someone in the universe (hopefully Jena) will grab on to one of them. So Dani puts herself in some dangerous situations.

It's really heartbreaking. Dani feels guilty because she's healthy. There's nothing she can do; she doesn't know how to handle this situation and her parents aren't helping very much.

Don't get me wrong, the parents in All These Lives are THERE. They are doing everything they can for Jena and trying not to neglect Dani, but it's not easy. I felt the desperation. The chaos. The not knowing which way to turn. The heartbreak when Jena turns worse, the joy when she has a good day. All the while not understanding why Dani is behaving the way she is. Wylie writes these emotions with expertise.

Jack is the main secondary character, and adds a little romantic tension. This isn't the main focus of All These Lives, but Jack helps Dani realize that she isn't the only one with problems. All These Lives is a pretty short book, but I still felt it lagged a bit in the middle. There was some down time where not much happened. But, it quickly picks up and it was never so bad that I wanted to give up.

Dani does grow and learn. The ending isn't all tied up neatly, but there's some adjustments by everyone and things are more hopeful.

This is an interesting contemporary about a topic pretty much everyone can relate to. Many teens will be interested in All These Lives and I won't hesitate to recommend it.

Published by Farrar, Straus & Giroux, June 5, 2012
eBook obtained from NetGalley
256 pages (qualifies for my Books You Can Read in a Day Challenge!)

Rating: 3.5/5

Armchair BEA - Best of 2012!

Welcome to Armchair BEA, Day 2. Here's some of my favorites of 2012, so far.

Breaking Beautiful
The Dovekeepers
Drowning Instinct
The Girl of Fire and Thorns
The Immortal Rules
Legend
Partials
Pandemonium
The Probability of Miracles
Under the Never Sky
The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight
Shadow & Bone

That seems like a lot of favorites, but I've read 80 books so far this year.

What am I looking forward to?

Timepiece, by Myra McEntire

Crown of Embers, by Rae Carson

Prodigy, by Marie Lu

Girl of Nightmares, by Kendare Blake

Rebel Heart, by Moira Young

A Want so Wicked, by Suzanne Young

I guess I need to stop. There are so many great books coming out. These are all "the next in the series," but there are so many other new books I'm waiting for. I think at least one of these doesn't come out until January of '13, but still. Stellar year....

Leave a link to your list so I can check it out! Thanks for stopping by, and Happy Reading!

Monday, June 4, 2012

Book Review: Shadow and Bone, by Leigh Bardugo @LBardugo

Shadow and Bone is an exciting fantasy with memorable characters.

Alina and Mal grew up together as orphans. The both end up serving in the army for Ravka. There is a dark, dangerous enemy who has created "the Fold" which divides the country. Whenever they try to cross the Fold, lives are lost. Alina is going to make her first trip across, and when she does, she not only survives, but she saves others' lives with a strange ability that she didn't know she possessed.

Alina is a Grisha. Once this is discovered, she is swept away for training and to live a life of luxury. She misses Mal, and wonders what has happened to him, but she's also entranced by the Darkling, the leader for the Grisha. Alina's power has given everyone hope that they can conquer the Fold and end the war.

The action in Shadow and Bone just doesn't stop. It is difficult to be comfortable setting the book down, because the characters are ones that we care about. There are always many questions -- will Alina be able to harness and strengthen her power? What are the Darkling's motives? What happened to Mal? Then there is a big plot twist, and everything changes once again for Alina.

The world is set up very well. There's the Fold, with these horrible deadly creatures inhabiting it. The royal court and the Little Castle are vivid. The various types of Grisha are interesting. There's much detail in Shadow and Bone, but it never bogs down. Bardugo describes well, but keeps the pace going.

Things get all messed up at the end of Shadow and Bone. There's a bit of closure to this episode, but we must get the next installment soon!

For someone who would list fantasy at the bottom of her list of favorite genres, Shadow and Bone was a pleasant surprise. It reminded me a bit of The Girl of Fire and Thorns, which I also loved. They both have female main character ripped from everything they know, and they become strong and resourceful, grow and change for the better, and end up on a huge quest. For fantasy fans, this is a "must read."

Published by Henry Holt, June 5, 2012
eBook obtained from NetGalley
368 pages

Rating: 5/5

Armchair BEA - Day 1 - Interview Questions

Welcome to Armchair BEA. Go sign up if you haven't. I wish I could be at BEA, but this is the next best thing!

Today, the first day, we are to get to know each other a little better, so here's some of my answers to the interview questions:

Please tell us a little bit about yourself: Who are you? Howlong have you been blogging? Why did you get into blogging?

I've been blogging almost two years about books. I have another blog I started a year before that where I blogged about books and other things, so maybe you could say almost three years. I'm a high school librarian and love to read YA. I also read some adult books, but mostly ones that I think teens might be interested in. I just wanted a way to talk about books, to become more critical of what I read, and to hear about the latest and greatest books coming out. Blogging has done all that and more for me. I just LOVE IT! Can't stand a day without my blog....

Whatare you currently reading, or what is your favorite book you have read so farin 2012?

Well, you can check my side bar to see what I'm currently reading. I think it will probably be Lies Beneath by the time this posts....

My favorite book has probably been The Immortal Rules. I'm so happy about that because I really didn't like The Iron Fey series very much.

Tell us one non-book-related thing that everyone readingyour blog may not know about you.

I love to cook and sew. We go camping a lot over the summer in our Fifth Wheel RV. Oh, and while BEA is going on, I'm on vacation! But I plan to have lots of time to visit all of you and comment!

What is your favorite feature on your blog (i.e. author interviews,memes, something specific to your blog)?

I feel I'm in the minority here, but I love book reviews. I love to write them and read them. I usually skim over other kinds of posts and just concentrate on the book reviews. I also like In My Mailbox, or Stacking the Shelves, or those kinds of memes because I love finding out about new books!

I'm also hosting a fun challenge: Books You Can Read In a Day! There's a link in the sidebar, if you are interested.

Where do you see your blog in five years?

Honestly? I hope it's much the same. I concentrate on book reviews. Lots of new books, but I have a huge TBR of older releases too. I review every book I read. Sure, I'd take some more followers, but that's not what it's about for me.

I know I need some design help. I just haven't found the time to concentrate on finding someone to help me with this. Maybe over the summer, since I'm off work I can concentrate on that. But summer seems to go so fast and I have so many other projects, I'm not making any guarantees.

I haven't had any problems with the Blogger platform *knocks on wood* but I suppose a jump to Wordpress is always a possibility. And getting my own domain....

So many possibilities, but who knows?

Thanks for stopping by. Leave me your link, so I can visit. I'm looking forward to spending the week with you!

Saturday, June 2, 2012

Stacking the Shelves -- What a Week!

I had a great week. Without further ado -- the books:

For Review:

I received four books to review for Library Media Connection Magazine.

Lia's Guide to Winning the Lottery, by Keren David

This is the second copy of the book that I've received for review -- giveaway coming!

Monument 14, by Emmy Laybourne

Shadowfell, by Juliet Marillier

Storm, by Brigid Kemmerer

Gone Girl, by Gillian Flynn, from NetGalley

Won:

Under the Never Sky, by Veronica Rossi

I've already read this and loved it, but I read the eBook, now I have the hardback, SIGNED and PERSONALIZED. Yep. Feeling pretty special. Won from Paranormal Indulgence. Thanks!

The Enchantress: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel, by Michael Scott from Random Buzzers

Zero, by Tom Leveen from Random Buzzers

Purchased:

Always the Baker, Never the Bride, by Sandra D. Bricker

Library:

I'm giving book talks in August for our state book award nominees, and I still have some to read, so I brought home a stack of those books as well as some that have just been on my TBR for a while:

Award Nominees:

Will Grayson, Will Grayson, by John Green & David Lavithan

Clockwork Angel, by Cassandra Clare

The Chosen One, by Carol Lynch Williams

Bruiser, by Neal Shusterman
Paranormalcy, by Kiersten White (not pictured because I forgot it.)

From my TBR:

The Name of the Star, by Maureen Johnson

Lola and the Boy Next Door, by Stephanie Perkins

Daughter of Smoke & Bone, by LaineiTaylor

Thanks for visiting! Leave me your links and be sure to visit Tynga's Reviews for other Stacking the Shelves posts.

Friday, June 1, 2012

TGIF! "Problem" Novels

Happy Friday, once again! Here's Ginger's question of the week:

Issue Books: Which books have you found to be very rewarding when it comes to tackling tougher issues?

I call these "Problem Novels." One of the best recent books in this category is Want to Go Private? by Sarah Darer Littman.

All of these fall in my "everyone must read" category:

Speak, by Laurie Halse Anderson
Wonder, by R. J. Palacio
Cut, by Patricia McCormick
Drowning Instinct, by Ilsa J. Bick
After, by Amy Efaw

I love when books can describe realistic awful situations and teach us something about those issues without being preachy. I'm always on the look out for these books, so leave me a link to your lists!