Annette's Book Spot

Thursday, July 10, 2014

Book Review: Into the Wild Nerd Yonder, by Julie Halpern

The summary of Into the Wild Nerd Yonder makes one think that this will be a touching, meaningful contemporary novel. And it should be. But the pacing is slow, and I didn't get the feels that I should have.

It's the summer before Jessie's sophomore year, and her best friends, Bizza and Char, have reinvented themselves into punk rockers. Jessie's brother is in a punk band, and although he doesn't want them to, the girls start hanging around with the band. Jessie has always had a crush on the drummer, Van.

So when Bizza goes after Van, and ends up in an intimate situation with him, Jessie is hurt, and angry, and gives up on their friendship. And, finally realizes that Van is a real jerk.

So, the second half of the book is about Jessie finding a new set of friends. She has been talking to a nerdy girl who is into Dungeons & Dragons. Since Jessie sews, she's been asked to create costumes for the D&D group. So Jessie very reluctantly goes to these D&D sessions with these nerds and finds a new set of friends and maybe even a romantic interest.

It really takes a long time for things to happen. I found the plot to be very plodding, and after reading about 50% of the book, I started skimming. It was one of those books that you could read a couple paragraphs of each chapter and know what's going on. I did read the last 10% of the book too. I think the second half was better, so I probably should have skimmed the first half.

I really didn't feel very sorry for Jessie. I don't know why. The characterizations are good, the writing is fine, but I didn't see her problems as being that dramatic.

I loved that Jessie has supportive parents and gets along with her brother. I loved that Jessie listens to audiobooks and the references to the books she was listening to. I loved that Jessie sews, since that is one of my hobbies. So, why didn't I love this book?

The age group for which Into the Wild Nerd Yonder is intended may enjoy this one more than I did. I try to put myself inside my "teenager mind" when I'm reading, but sometimes it's difficult.

Published by Feiwel & Friends, 2009
Purchased eBook
256 pages

Rating: 3/5

Wednesday, July 9, 2014

Book Review: DJ Rising, by Love Maia

While I felt DJ Rising might be a bit unrealistic, it was an interesting, heartwarming story.

Marley has a hard life. His mother is a heroin addict, so Marley must earn enough to support both himself and his mother. Totally on his own. He' attending a prestigious high school on scholarship, and all the rich kids at the school know he's not one of them. But he has a strong desire to go to college, and he works hard and gets straight As.

But, the most important thing to Marley is music. His dad, who was killed in a car accident, got him started DJing, and Marley's band instructor has helped him hone his skills. It's all Marley dreams of -- being a DJ at a popular club.

Marley gets some opportunities to DJ, and meets some people who help him. He also makes some progress in the romance department. Things might be looking up at home too. For a while, Marley sees all his dreams coming true.

Marley really has it together. Almost too much together. He has some great friends, but really not much of a support system, and at the beginning of DJ Rising he's working and studying, and cleaning and cooking and it all seems a bit too easy.

There are a lot of descriptions of being a DJ. The songs he plays and how he mixes them together. Also, how he tries to create his own music. All the parts about his passion for music and DJing got really repetitive.

My favorite part of DJ Rising is the last 25%. The tension builds. Marley meets some real obstacles and he overcomes them successfully. Parts of this resolution are a bit lucky, but it still made me feel good.

Teens who love music would definitely be drawn to DJ Rising. It's a story about how working hard and sticking with your dreams can all pay off--a message that's important to today's teens.

Published by Little, Brown BFYR, 2012
Purchased eBook
304 pages (qualifies for my Books You Can Read in a Day Challenge!)

Rating: 3.5/5

Tuesday, July 8, 2014

Book Review: The Queen of the Tearling, by Erika Johansen @HarperCollins

The Queen of the Tearling spans several genres and does it well. There's some fantasy and magic, lots of adventure, and a bit of a dystopian society.

Kelsea is 19 at the beginning of the book, and she's leaving the only home she has ever known in the woods, isolated, with her foster parents. She will be taken to the Tear to become the new queen.

She will face much adversity. Her uncle is trying to have her killed, because he has been in charge of the Tearling for years and wants to keep it that way. The Tear society consists of the nobility, who are selfish rich people, and a great deal of very poor people who serve them. She also has to worry about the Red Queen of Mortmesne, who invaded the Tear years ago when Kelsea's mother was queen, and will not hesitate to do so again.

Kelsea is totally unprepared for what she must face because her foster parents kept most of the unpleasant details from her. She manages to surround herself with some loyal guards and servants and begins to make changes. In doing so, she puts her life, and her entire country in much more danger.

No one could possibly not admire Kelsea. She must mature very fast, and she does. She's strong and resourceful and mostly very brave. She also has a necklace that she can't take off. It glows at certain times, and compels Kelsea to action. As the story progresses, Kelsea figures out more and more about the power of this valuable jewel.

The other characters are just as riveting. I really enjoyed getting to know Mace, although I think there's much more to him than we discovered in this first book.

The Queen of the Tearling is long. It does take a while to get going. There is a lot of waiting around and getting to know our characters. A little too much for my taste. But once it gets going, the pacing is excellent, and I had a hard time putting it down.

America is referred to a few times. Apparently centuries have passed since "the crossing" where ships left America to find a better life. The ship that carried all the medical equipment and expertise and most of the scientific knowledge sank. So basically the Tearlings had to begin again and therefore their life is fairly primitive. This seemed like extraneous information, but I'm assuming it will be more paramount in future installments.

The Queen of the Tearling has a definite resolution, but there are still mysteries to be solved, and there's still some danger lurking in the future. I can't wait for the next book in the series. Another YA book that I'm looking forward to recommending to my teens!

Published by Harper, July 8 2014
eARC obtained from Edelweiss
448 pages

Rating: 4/5

Monday, July 7, 2014

Book Review: Escape from Camp 14 by Blaine Harden

Escape from Camp 14 is a riveting, unbelievable story of survival that everyone should read.

The story of Shin Donghyuk may be familiar, but reading the details of his life in a North Korean camp for political prisoners, his escape, and his life after makes one realize that this is different.

One thing that is very hard to understand is that Shin was totally unaware, his entire life, of any world outside the camp. They didn't even bother to indoctrinate him into the North Korean political system. Shin was born in the camp. His parents were prisoners, so Shin basically had no chance to ever be released. His heredity meant everything.

Also, Shin really had no ability to empathize. He was taught to look out for himself and turn in anyone who was doing anything against the rules. This included his mother and brother, who he witnessed being executed with very little emotion. Everything was about food. Shin spent his entire life hungry. Really, the only reason he wanted to escape was to not be hungry. He had no ideas about anything else he wanted to accomplish.

These facts make his escape all the more unbelievable and his indoctrination in to society all the more difficult.

Escape from Camp 14 is the story of Shin's life, but Harden inserts sections into the narrative about the history, economy, and political ideology of North Korea. These sections are necessary and interesting, but may pull some teens out of the story.

Escape from Camp 14 is a quick, compelling read. I would recommend it to everyone -- both teens and adults. It will open your eyes to a part of the world that we are uncomfortable thinking about. It's a story like no other.

Published by Viking Adult, 2012
Purchased eBook
224 pages (qualifies for my Books You Can Read in a Day Challenge!)

Rating: 4/5

Saturday, July 5, 2014

Stacking the Shelves -- I Went Nuts!

Why is it that one week, you get nothing, and then the next you find so many great books that you have the opportunity to get? This week was amazing -- I can't wait to read these!

For Review:

Run, by Andrew Grant from Edelweiss

This one said "for fans of Harlan Coben" so I couldn't pass it up!

Illusions of Fate, by Kiersten White from Edelweiss

Bones Never Lie, by Kathy Reichs from Edelweiss and NetGalley

One of my favorite authors!

The Fall, by Bethany Griffin from Edelweiss

Retelling of The Fall of the House of Usher. Love this cover!

Snow Like Ashes, by Sara Raasch from Edelweiss

Another beautiful cover attracted me!

Burning Kingdoms, by Lauren DeStefano from Edelweiss

Sequel to Perfect Ruin

In a Split Second, by Sophie McKenzie from Edelweiss

The Bishop's Wife, by Mette Ivie Harrison from Edelweiss

Purchased:

Brilliance, by Marcus Sakey eBook from Amazon

My son in law has been encouraging me to read this one.

I have a confession to make. The next three books I purchased because I have to give book talks on them NEXT WEEK. I'm giving book talks on the Abraham Lincoln High School Book Award nominated titles, and I just realized there were three books I haven't read!! I immediately downloaded the ebooks and started reading.

Escape from Camp 14, by Blaine Harden

I've already read this one and it's riveting,

Into the Wild Nerd Yonder, by Julie Halpern

I'm halfway though. It's cute, but not really groundbreaking.

DJ Rising, by Love Maia

Whew! I think that's it. I'm afraid to go look at all your STS lists -- I'll probably have to add even more to my TBR! Thanks for visiting and make sure you hop over to Team Tynga's Reviews, our hosts. Have a great weekend!

Thursday, July 3, 2014

2014 Middle of the Year Update

Wow! Hard to believe 2014 is halfway over. I just wanted to take stock of how I'm doing on my reading and challenges so far.

First of all, a June update for my Books You Can Read in a Day Challenge!

I added a couple books to my list in June:

10. The One, by Kiera Cass

11. Complicit, by Stephanie Kuehn

How about you? Have you read any books in ONE DAY? Give me some suggestions.

If you are participating, please leave a link to your post, or just list your books in the comments. Hope you are having fun with these "little gems."

If you'd like to see my progress on all my challenges, look here.

Here's a list of the books I've read so far in 2014. A quick summary of the numbers:

I've read 27, 963 pages and 75 books through the end of June. Last year, I read 55,794 pages and 167 books, so I'm on pace for pages, but I need to read some shorter books to catch up on the number of books!

How's your year going? Are you getting to read as much as you wanted? I hope the second half of 2014 treats you well! Thanks for stopping by.

Wednesday, July 2, 2014

Book Review: The Disenchantments, by Nina LaCour

As far as contemporary stories go, The Disenchantments is a worthy addition to the genre.

The Disenchantments is also a road trip book, which adds a lot with the changing scenery and new characters being introduced. Bev, Alexa, and Meg are in a band. Not a very good band, but that doesn't matter. They are going on a summer tour, and Colby is driving them in his uncle's VW van.

Colby and Bev have been best friends since they were very young, and they, unlike all their other classmates, have decided not to go to college. They are going to spend a year touring Europe. They've been planning this for at least 4 years, and after the band's tour, they are leaving.

Things don't always turn out the way you planned, and this is certainly true for Colby and Bev. Another strength of The Disenchantments are the characters. They each have their own thing going on -- they are not cookie-cutter teens. Their relationships are complex. There's some romance, and quite a bit of tension.

The book is well-written and the pages turn easily and quickly. There's nothing earth shattering here. Just teens trying to figure out their lives and the best direction to take, but it's well done and I think many teens will enjoy The Disenchantments.

Published by Dutton, 2012
Copy obtained from the library
307pages

Rating: 3/5

Tuesday, July 1, 2014

Book Review: Raging Star, by Moira Young @Moira_Young

Raging Star is a stunning conclusion to the Dust Lands Series. I've had nothing but praise for this entire series, and I loved the finale.

Saba and her ragtag crew are desperate to save the people of New Eden and put DeMalo out of business. DeMalo has given Saba an ultimatum -- join him as his wife and he'll spare the rest of her crew. Because there will be death if they keep at it.

The details really aren't important. You can read the summary here. Suffice it to say, there's adventure and danger. Things don't always go the way you expect them to. There's a stunning betrayal. And beloved characters die. The conclusion is satisfying (even if the very end is a little far-fetched.)

Saba continues to be the narrator, and the entire book is written in her dialect with no quotation marks. I've heard some complaints, but after the first few pages, I find I get into the rhythm, and I think the way the book is written adds much to my enjoyment.

If you haven't read Blood Read Road and Rebel Heart yet, you definitely should -- and you should start there. I highly recommend the Dust Lands Series to fans of dystopians and survival stories such as Divergent and The 5th Wave. I also get a Rot & Ruin vibe from the world building, although there are no zombies in the Dust Lands series (DeMalo is pretty awful, though).

Published by Margaret K. McElderry Books, May 13, 2014
Purchased copy
432 pages

Rating: 5/5