Book Notes

I am absolutely in love! I didn’t think that I would like this book, but I took Mrs. B’s recommendation, and I am so glad I did. I will never doubt her again!

Bella moved to Forks, a small town in the Pacific Northwest to live with her dad. There she meets and falls deeply in love with gorgeous Edward, a vampire, who lives with his beautiful vampire family. They are unusual in that they don’t drink human blood. They live off of the blood of other animals. Bella feels perfectly safe with Edward. He would never do anything to harm her. He also can’t live without her, and finds himself protecting her from outside evil. Bella wants to live with him forever, free from all the dangers that she is exposed to, and thinks that it would make more sense if she were a vampire too…

I will say nothing. I’ll write what I think in the comments section. You too!

Set on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, this was an intruiging book, with a fast plot.

Tragedy strikes one of Brady’s neighbors when their kayak sinks one chilly April morning. Brady had participated in the rescue efforts, and feels connected to the family. He discovers that the sunken kayak had a hole drilled in the bottom of it. Was this no accident but murder? And more horrifying, is Brady friends with the sabateur?

It’s a short read. Fun and light for summer.

I have just finished reading this incredible Swedish import. I love reading books that have been translated to see what is popular in other countries.

In this novel, a teenager finds that he has become invisible. Something happened to him two days ago when he was reported as missing. And now he is watching as a detective tries to piece together the events of the past two days. It’s really interesting to watch Himler as a ghost. His frustration at not being able to communicate with people: his slow realization of what happened to him.

It’s an engaging read, and takes no time at all to finish. An interesting perspective. I’d like to see how they managed the movie version of it.

Well, here it is! The title for our first ever Live Together, Read Together program.

It all begins one rainy night with a stranger standing outside Meggie’s house. A stranger that her father knows, but has never mentioned. A stranger who does not call her father Mo, but Silvertongue. A stranger named Dustfinger.

From there, Meggie and Mo are packing up and leaving their house, heading south. Along the way Meggie begins to piece together what is so special about this book named Inkheart, why her father has never read out loud to her, and what might have happened to her mother ten years ago.

I am not a real lover of fantasy as a rule, but this book I could not put down. I love the idea, the writing, the adventure. Mo is one of my favorite characters in a long time. It took me awhile, but Dustfinger is too.

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I loved this book before it was released. From the moment that I heard that my favorite writer was tackling an issue that is so dear to my heart, I was ecstatic. The book is everything that I hoped it would be.

Barbara Kingsolver and her family address local, sustainable food production. For one year they ate only what they could grow or purchase from an area farmer that they knew. The writing is eloquent, and the family’s choices rewarding. We have been sharing this title out loud and it has made for some fantastic discussion. The food choices we make have enormous impact on our towns, our economy, and our world. In the unfortunate era of global warming, the shrinking of middle America, and staggering habitat loss, our food choices make an incredible difference.

Don’t be thrown off by the fact that this is non-fiction. There is a story here. And it is engaging, witty, and well thought out. It also includes mouth-watering recipes supplied by her daughter. The recipes, and a lot more information is available on the website animalvegetablemineral.com. There is a link to it from the blog roll. A must read for everyone.

This book has only been on the shelves for a few weeks, and already it is making the rounds. It is one of our favorites. Sad and beautiful and poetic.

Kit is 16 years old when her younger brother is diagnosed with and dies from Leukemia. The novel is written in free verse (remember Out of the Dust?) and captures all the family’s emotions. The sadness, anger, emptiness, and eventually, the hope of a new but different life.

Because the novel is in free verse you can read through it so quickly. Too quickly, actually. Read it through once, to see what happens. Then read it again. And linger over every word. They are so carefully chosen. The author proves again and again that just a few words are needed to provide so much emotional impact. You definitely need a box of tissues by your side when reading this. I loved it.        

This book came highly recommended and I just finished it. Not bad. Not bad at all. I loved the beginning. When I started it, it was so captivating that little else got done. Dinners were burned, beds went unmade.

Charley, 16, has been in a coma for a year since her brother, Hal, found her lying on the rocks in the ocean. Her family is going back to their vacation house in Cornwall (lovely setting!) and that’s when the story begins. Hal can suddenly hear Charley’s voice inside his head. At first he thinks it’s only his imagination, but it isn’t. Charley can see what he sees and can talk just to him. The novel is made up of small chapters. Some from Hal Now, Hal Then, Charley Now, Charley Then. This is a brilliant set-up. The Charley now keeps saying things like, “Help me, I’m all alone, It’s dark in here and I can’t find the door.” This also allows the reader to get a glimpse into Charley’s last summer.

As things progress, and Charley becomes more insistent that Hal “remember”, Hal begins to suspect that Charley’s being in a coma is no accident.

With the setting, and pace, this is a perfect summer book. Think hot surfers and gorgeous coastline.

I finished this quick read almost a week ago and still haven’t found a moment to write about it.

I picked it up because I liked the cover, and it was recommended in the same clump of books as one of my favorites, The Whistling Season. The setting appealed to me as well: Nebraska farmland.

Sixteen year old Lila finds herself pregnant and comes to stay with her grandmother, Toby, on her farm for the summer. There are a lot of unspoken family secrets that come to the surface over the course of the summer. Some that heal, some that harm, all of them needing to be said.

It’s an easy read, and was an Alex award winner so it is appropriate for and appeals to teens. Perfect for summer time reading.

I am currently re-reading Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince in anticipation of the 7th and final book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, coming out this summer. That raises the question, which Harry Potter book do I like the best?

The first was okay. The second I didn’t care for. The third was pretty good. The fourth was okay, the ending was fantastic. You know, right at the end of the Tri-Wizard Tournament when he is transported to the cemetary. The 5th was also good. I’m still in shock over Sirius. I have trouble believing that’s real. Then the 6th. Also pretty good. Also still in shock at the end. That raises the next question: Who will die in the final book?

This is a toughy. I am old-fashioned. I want the bad guys to get their comeuppance. I want the good guys to sail off into the sunset. I have my fears that J.K. Rowling will not let this happen. She’s let so many die that I really grew to like. I understand that this is an epic battle, not everyone can make it. But Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, McGonagall, Hagrid and Mr. And Mrs. Weasley have to make it through. Otherwise we will be left feeling that there is no hope.

What do you think? Who will die? Who will live? Which book is your favorite?

I just finished this fine piece of young adult historical fiction. Ms. Larson first became interested in the story after finding out that her Great-Grandmother had homesteaded a claim by herself. She began researching and soon developed a fictional story based on her findings.

It’s an interesting take, set in 1918 with the first World War in full swing and the influenza epidemic headed that way. Hattie Brooks and her cat, Mr. Whiskers, head out to Montana to prove up a claim of 320 acres that she inherited. We learn the hardships right along with her, which makes the story all the more accessible.

 What struck me most was how little we’ve changed as people. During the first World War there was such anti-German sentiment that they changed the name “sauerkraut” to “liberty cabbage.” Freedom fries, anyone?

The writing is solid, the characters real. While it doesn’t pack the punch of A Northern Light by Jennifer Donnelly, readers who liked that book will find much to admire here. Reading this book is not a bad way to spend a few evenings.