Annette's Book Spot

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Book Review: Open Minds, by Susan Kaye Quinn

Open Minds explores a world where everyone, well almost everyone, is an open book. People can read each other's minds if they are close enough to each other. There's no conversation necessary.

Kira, however, is a zero. No one can hear her thoughts when she walks into a room, and she can't hear anyone else's. This pretty much ruins her opportunity at any kind of normal education, or job, or family. Zeros are outcasts. Since she's only sixteen, there's still hope that she might change.

Raf, who is Kira's best friend (and she wishes for more), is very supportive even though he can read minds like everyone else. He wants to continue a normal relationship with Kira, even though everyone else has shunned her.

Simon takes an interest in Kira, and she doesn't understand why. It turns out that Simon knows more about Kira than she does herself. Kira can "mindjack." She can get into people's minds and control them -- push them to do things and believe things. Simon is also a mindjacker -- and no one knows. Because of this ability, Kira can make it appear that she is reading minds. She can push her thoughts to others, so they think they are reading her mind. Kira is no longer a zero.

OK. I need to take a break here, and talk about my minor difficulties with Open Minds. I don't really want to think about a society like this. Can you imagine being in a room and knowing what everyone is thinking? And they know what you are thinking? Lots of potential for conflict, me thinks....but that isn't an issue in this book.

Also, I was a bit confused about "mindjacking." It took me a while to figure out why it wasn't the same as reading minds. I don't think it was explained well at first, at least to my satisfaction. Once I got it straight (and I tried to explain it above,) things made more sense. I didn't get the sense of secrecy, and even some panic, about being discovered, since I thought mindjacking just solved all Kira's problems. Unfortunately, this ability added many more serious problems than Kira could ever imagine.

There's an underground society of mindjackers that Simon wants Kira to join. Kira is resistant, and as she's exposed to these people all hell breaks lose, and we discover that Kira might be even more powerful than usual mindjackers. There are people who want her -- for experimentation or extermination -- she isn't sure -- but her life isn't her own any more.

There's a perfect build up of tension throughout the book. We learn about Kira, we learn more about the world of mindjacking, and then things get dangerous. Then, even more dangerous. The pacing is really excellent and you won't be able to put Open Minds down. I also loved that Quinn isn't afraid to kill people.

The romance, which at times seems like a triangle, is apparent but not the focus of this story of sheer survival. The ending of Open Minds had a nice wrap up, but I'm definitely anticipating more of the Mindjack series. Fans of dystopians with strong female characters will enjoy Kira's adventure. I've read several books involving manipulating the mind and memories, and Open Minds is a worthy addition.

Published by CreateSpace, 2011
eBook obtained from the author for review
338 pages

Rating: 4/5

Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Book Review: Lia's Guide to Winning the Lottery, by Keren David @Kerensd

Lia's Guide to Winning the Lottery is a funny, absurd book that is perfect for a summer read.

Sixteen-year-old Lia, who lives in London, wins 8 million pounds in the lottery. Yes, you can win when you are 16 in the UK. If you are interested that's $11,600,000 in the United States. She, understandably goes off the deep end, and has difficulty with her new fame and fortune.

I really hated Lia throughout most of the book. Even before she won. She's only 16, but she's really nasty to her family, and her mother in particular. I know many 16-year-olds have a volatile relationship with their parents, but even though I didn't really like my parents much at that age, I didn't act like Lia.

When she wins the lottery, to me she only gets worse. Yes, there are a lot of funny parts, and you just cringe for some of the stupid stuff Lia pulls, and I did "get over" my thoughts about Lia. There are other characters that a worth mentioning. Lia's sister, Natasha who is cute (and younger, so not such a smart-ass.) Jack is the perfect best friend. Raf, who becomes the love interest adds a bit of mystery and some additional excitement.

Lia does begin to figure it out. She grows and matures, but it's a struggle. And her relationship with Raf is always interesting too. Let's just say he's from a very colorful family.

With a lot of humor, cute characters, and a dreamy plot (who wouldn't want to win the lottery?) Lia's Guide to Winning the Lottery will appeal to many teens, even if somewhat predictable. There are some Brittish slang words that I was unfamiliar with, but they weren't essential to the story. I do wish that when a book is published in the US there would be an explanation of these terms. I like to enhance my knowledge of different cultures. And, since I was reading an ARC, maybe that will be included in the final copy of Lia's Guide to Winning the Lottery. Give this book to Georgia Nicolson fans.

Published by Frances Lincoln, March 27, 2012
ARC obtained from LibraryThing Early Reviewers, and another ARC from Library Media Connection Magazine for review
352 pages

Rating: 3/5

Monday, June 18, 2012

Book Review: Something Like Normal, by Trish Doller @TrishDoller

Something Like Normal is a romantic contemporary, written for today's teens. Many of our teens are dealing with friends' and family members' deployments to the Middle East, and that element makes this book especially appealing.

Travis returns home after a year in Afghanistan, and it seems like nothing is the same. His parents are on the verge of a divorce and his girlfriend sent him a "Dear John" letter, explaining that she is now dating Travis' brother. No one seems to understand what Travis has been through, and Travis doesn't really want to help them understand.

Travis meets another girl, Harper, who has her own problems, and this is where the romance part of the book begins. There's a very rocky start to this one, since Travis is responsible for Harper's less-than-stellar reputation.

There's not much surprising in Something Like Normal, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing. The plot is fairly predictable but very realistic. Travis' PTSD symptoms and reactions to life back in civilization seemed very real to me (given that I'm no expert.) The banter and slow development of his relationship with Harper was sweet and believable. I really enjoyed Travis' relationship with his mother. This is where you can see a lot of his maturation during his year away.

When some of Travis' Marine buddies come to visit not only were they humorous, their relationship also seemed genuine. My absolute biggest praise of Something Like Normal is for the ending. There's no quick fix here. Travis has some disturbing emotional issues and they aren't going to go away any time soon. Maybe never. There's hope, but Doller makes it clear that we really can't be sure what Travis' future will be (hence, the title of the book!)

Published by Bloomsbury USA, June 19, 2012
Copy obtained from NetGalley
224 pages (qualifies for my Books You Can Read in a Day Challenge!)

Rating: 4/5

Sunday, June 17, 2012

Do I Have Anything to Discuss? iPads and Blogging

I went on vacation last week and didn't take my computer -- I only took my iPad. This was great for flying on an airplane -- light and easy. But, this was a "relaxing" vacation for me, which meant I wanted to read and blog a lot -- since that's what I do for relaxation (while laying on the beach or by the pool, of course...)

I love my iPad and wouldn't trade it for anything. I don't even have a keyboard, and I don't mind typing on the screen. It works fine for me and I'm used to it. What I have a problem with is not being able to comment easily on your blogs.

Here's the problem. First of all, I used Reeder for my blog reader on my iPad. First question: should I be using something else? Any of you have a better suggestion? Because Reeder sometimes locks up when I try to comment. This happens whether I comment directly in Reeder or open the page in Safari. It doesn't happen all the time but enough to really be annoying. It lets me type in a comment, but then I can't change it. So, if I see a typo, I either have to back out and start all over, or I have to post the comment with a typo. *cringes*

Insert apology: This was happening during Armchair BEA, when I was on the commenting committee. So, some of you who are new to my blog, you must think I'm really careless, because I left a lot of those typos. Sometimes I even replied to my own comment and apologized for the typo!

I'm pretty particular about my spelling and grammar. I know I make some mistakes, but I hope they are few and far between. Bear with me while I figure this out. Sometimes I have just decided not to comment because of these difficulties, and I hate to do that -- because I know how much I love comments, and want to leave comments for you too.

Any suggestions? Have you had these problems? Is there a better reader I should try? Or is it just an iPad glitch (since it happens in Safari too?)

Saturday, June 16, 2012

Stacking the Shelves -- Two Weeks, Not Much

I haven't posted for two weeks, since I was on vacation, and I guess the vacation kept me from procuring many new books too. But that's OK, my stack is big enough already!

For Review:

Pushing the Limits, by Katie McGarry, from NetGalley

Artemis Fowl and the Atlantis Complex, by Eoin Colfer, from NetGalley

Borrowed:

Insurgent, by Veronica Roth, borrowed from my son-in-law

That's it for me. Looking forward to adding some more to my list after reading your selections! Thanks to Tynga's Reviews for hosting! Be sure to go visit some other participants. Happy Reading!

Friday, June 15, 2012

TGIF - Special Books

Ginger at GReads! has a great TGIF question this week:

Most Valuable Book: From your personal collection of books, which ones hold the most value to you - is it signed by the author? or maybe it's your favorite story of all time? Share it with us.

I have lots of signed books, books that are my favorites, things like the Harry Potter books, my first edition Gone With the Wind (don't get too excited, it's absolutely falling apart...not worth much), but I think the books that mean the most to me are the books I read to my children when they were young. Most of them OVER and OVER again. I've posted about some of these in my Monday Memories posts.

The first one that always comes to mind is Officer Buckle and Gloria because my son would absolutely crack up EVERY TIME we read this one. There's a reason it won the Caldecott!

My daughter was a more voracious reader, so there's not just one book that stands out, because we read all of them...a lot... I remember reading The Cat in the Hat and the other books in that series. She also enjoyed Steven Kellogg's Best Friends. We read that one quite a bit, and she really liked it. And there's Strega Nona...I could go on, but I'll stop. I guess I just want to thank Ginger for the trip down memory lane.

And, enjoy those little ones while you have them. They grow up so fast....now my children and I read and discuss Hunger Games, and Divergent and things like that (which isn't a bad thing either!) Have a great weekend everyone. Thanks for stopping by, and come back soon!

Thursday, June 14, 2012

Book Review: The Chosen One, by Carol Lynch Williams @carolbooks

The Chosen One nearly ripped me apart. I hated this book. Well, I guess I should say I hated what this book was about.

Kyra is a member of "The Chosen Ones" a group of fanatic Christians who practice polygamy, but it's much worse than that. Kyra, who is 14, finds out she has been chosen to marry her 60-year-old UNCLE. She is understandably very unhappy about this. Her three mothers and about 20 siblings are unhappy about it too.

She wants to escape, she has a young boy she is interested in, and she has some other secrets. You can see where the story is going, and it is somewhat predictable given the circumstances. But there are interesting details, such as the fact that Kyra sneaks away once a week and gets books from the bookmobile. (No books are allowed in the compound except for the Bible.) This helps to make The Chosen One stand out and keeps the reader's interest.

It is also interesting that it hasn't always been this way. Kyra's moms grew up with much more lenient rules. It all depends on "the prophet" (the current leader of the group) and how fanatical he is.

Let me just say that my blood was boiling when I read this, as I'm sure many of you can relate to. Tears were shed. (And I'm usually not a cryer.) People who use God's name and the Bible to make people live in such brutal, life-threatening conditions just cannot be tolerated. I know this happens all over the world, but we can't get used to it. It isn't right. And, I know this is fiction, but we've read the news stories about similar circumstances. It's not even the polygamy. That's not the issue AT ALL. It's the beatings and the murders and the rapes. It's the withholding of medical treatment. OK. I'll stop now....

The Chosen One is riveting. If you can handle the emotional aspect, you should pick this one up. It's a great issue book for teens, and I'll be pointing them towards The Chosen One.

Published by St. Martin's Griffin, 2010
Copy obtained from the library
240 pages (qualifies for my "Books You Can Read in a Day Challenge!")

Rating: 4/5

Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Books You Can Read in a Day Challenge - May Update

Sorry this post is so late -- I've been on vacation!

You can see my entire year's progress here.

For May here's what I added:

14. Unbreak My Heart, by Melissa Walker
15. Miracle, by Elizabeth Scott

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

If you would like to join us, it's not too late! There's a link to the challenge page on the sidebar.

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."

Book Review: Split, by Swati Avasthi @SwatiAvasthi

Split is a story of recovery that many teens will enjoy.

Jace is beaten and kicked out of his house by his father, the judge. His father has abused Jace and his mother for years. His mother secretly gives Jace an address, which he believes belongs to his brother, Christian.

Christian left the family several years ago and has been hiding and actually changed his name to keep his father from finding him. Fortunately, Christian has had help from friends, has completed college, and is now in medical school.

When Jace appears on Christian's doorstep, he is surprised. Both of these boys are "messed up," as you can imagine, from the life they have left. Jace is particularly worried about his mother, who Christian has been sending money to so she can leave their father. Christian has a girlfriend who doesn't know anything about his violent past, and Jace's arrival causes a strain on their relationship.

Split is about these young men coming to terms with their past, realizing they need to talk. Neither one of them wants to talk, and there are many secrets. Each time a secret is revealed there is turmoil - either between the two brothers or with the girlfriend.

Jace has left a girlfriend behind -- he had broken up with her after he beat her. Jace is afraid to have any other romantic relationships because he feels he is destined to be just like his father. Of course, this resolve is tested when Jace meets someone else.

The characters are mostly believable, although I had some issues that teens probably won't. I found it hard to believe that Christian had been so successful on his own. He was just very lucky, I guess. He goes to school and doesn't have a job, but has his own apartment? Sends money home to his mother?

Some of the reactions Christian had to Jace's revelations were a bit harsh. I though he would be more sympathetic. At times I didn't really understand his character. I did, however, really like his girlfriend. She was the voice of reason for both Jace and Christian. Jace's internal dialog and his struggle with his past were authentic.

Split is an interesting story, although I found it a bit predictable. I think teens who enjoy "issue" novels with be interested in Split.

Joshua Swanson read the audiobook and did a great job. His voice didn't get in the way of the story -- I though he was excellent.

Published by Knopf, 2010
Audiobook obtained from the Library
288 pages

Rating: 3/5

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Book Review: Timepiece, by Myra McEntire @MyraMcEntire

Timepiece is every bit as exciting as Hourglass.

Timepiece is told from Kaleb's perspective. I was kind of "meh" about Kaleb in Hourglass. I was surprised at all the reviews I read spouting love for Kaleb. And I was like, "really?" I didn't see it. But, he redeemed himself in Timepiece.

It was confusing for me for a while. I kept thinking that "I" was Emerson -- not Kaleb. Once I got used to that, I was OK. Timepiece starts out with a bang! First, Jack appears at a party and disappears before anyone can get him. Then, a mysterious man appears and threatens to take everyone back to the past, where people were dead, and bad things were happening if Kaleb, Emerson, and Michael don't find and bring Jack to him.

Once again they are off on an adventure, and it really never stops. McEntire does a good job of reminding us of the details of Hourglass without just rehashing the whole story. I appreciated that, especially where the minor characters were concerned, because I had forgotten some of those details.

I don't want to give too much of the plot away. There is also some wonderful romantic tension -- and it's not Emerson and Michael this time.

The ending is very satisfying. Happy, but there's still more to be done. All is not perfect with the time continuum, and I'm sure there's more adventures to be had.

It was also weird reading Timepiece, since my daughter's name is Emily. Her husband is Michael, so we are always talking about "Em and Mike" just like in this book!

I can't imagine why you wouldn't read Timepiece if you enjoyed Hourglass. It's a worthwhile addition to the story -- not just filler -- there's a real plot here. If you haven't read Hourglass, then you need to take care of that first. Timepiece will be an exciting addition to my library shelves -- many students will be happy to see this one in the fall.

Published by EgmontUSA, June 12, 2012
eBook obtained from NetGalley
336 pages (qualifies for my Books You Can Read in a Day Challenge!)

Rating: 4.5/5