Book Review: Tallgrass

Title: Tallgrass

Author: Sandra Dallas

Category: Fiction, World War II, Mystery/Suspense

Length: 305 pages

My Rating: 4

From Goodreads.com: During World War II, a family finds life turned upside down when the government opens a Japanese internment camp in their small Colorado town. After a young girl is murdered, all eyes (and suspicions) turn to the newcomers, the interlopers, the strangers.
This is Tallgrass as Rennie Stroud has never seen it before. She has just turned thirteen and, until this time, life has pretty much been what her father told her it should be: predictable and fair. But now the winds of change are coming and, with them, a shift in her perspective. And Rennie will discover secrets that can destroy even the most sacred things.
Part thriller, part historical novel, Tallgrass is a riveting exploration of the darkest--and best--parts of the human heart.

My Thoughts

My first Sandra Dallas novel was The Diary of Mattie Spenser and I loved it so, so much. It really resonated with me and, years later, I have strong emotions when remembering it. I keep picking up Sandra Dallas books hoping for a strong connection, but have had no such luck with her other books, although I have found some of them very entertaining and quaint. 

I was really excited about this one. I have always felt extreme anger and sorrow about the Internment of the Japanese during WWII, so I was looking forward to reading a book with this as a backdrop. Unfortunately, the whole thing just fell flat. The characters were one dimensional — no one seemed to change or learn anything, and everyone was either good or bad — and I didn't care about any of them at all. I was most curious about Marthalice and she was absent from the family entirely but for a few letters. The writing did not bring me into the story at all. I was not able to picture the town or the Stroud farm. It was like a soap opera with a lot of drama but not a whole lot actually happening between the murder and finding out who did it.

Lastly, you can't help but think of To Kill a Mockingbird while reading it and, well, there can only be one To Kill a Mockingbird and this book doesn't even come close. I really think I'm done with Sandra Dallas. Her books just do not keep my interest anymore.

Library Loot (due back April 22nd)

We made it to the library ahead of schedule. Woot-woot! If you'll remember, we made a family goal to visit the library at least once a month so that the brats have more participation in picking out their own books for nightly free-reading. Here's what we picked up today:

ME

Yep, just one for me today, and I'm already second guessing whether or not I'm really that interested in giving it a try. Seriously, I don't know what I was thinking. I dislike English court, and I dislike Henry VII. On the other hand, I really enjoyed Katherine by Anya Seton and this was recommended as "enjoyed by other readers who liked Katherine by Anya Seton."

MARY JANE (11)

 
MJ is the reason we made an early trip to the library. She finished The Hunger Games and was dying to read the rest of the series. She picked up these two in the "Teens" section and sat down to read while the rest of us looked for books.

KADEN (8)
   
Kaden also knew what he was going to the library for: more Hardy Boys mysteries! He also likes to look through the non-fiction section. He is such a careful, conservative little guy and has a hard time picking more than he thinks he can read, even when we encourage him to get the five allowed on his card. He is such a sweet, considerate little boy.

ELIZA (3)
   
     
Eliza has the biggest loot of all! Of course, she'd leave with twenty at this age since she wants all of them. She got her first library card today and, in the future, will be limited to five as stated on her card.

Book Review: The Bronze Horseman

Title: The Bronze Horseman

Author: Paullina Simons

Category: Historical Romance (WWII, Russia)

Length: 810 pages

My Rating: 1 – Did not finish

From Goodreads.com: The golden skies, the translucent twilight, the white nights, all hold the promise of youth, of love, of eternal renewal. The war has not yet touched this city of fallen grandeur, or the lives of two sisters, Tatiana and Dasha Metanova, who share a single room in a cramped apartment with their brother and parents. Their world is turned upside down when Hitler's armies attack Russia and begin their unstoppable blitz to Leningrad.

Yet there is light in the darkness. Tatiana meets Alexander, a brave young officer in the Red Army. Strong and self-confident, yet guarding a mysterious and troubled past, he is drawn to Tatiana--and she to him. Starvation, desperation, and fear soon grip their city during the terrible winter of the merciless German siege. Tatiana and Alexander's impossible love threatens to tear the Metanova family apart and expose the dangerous secret Alexander so carefully protects--a secret as devastating as the war itself--as the lovers are swept up in the brutal tides that will change the world and their lives forever.

My Thoughts

I thought I was going to love this book. It has a 4.5-star average on both Goodreads.com and Amazon.com, and was highly recommended by friends with similar taste in books. I was so confident this book was going to be great that I bought a copy (albeit used and fairly cheap) instead of checking it out at the library. I even almost bought Tatiana and Alexander (book #2 in this series) alongside the first one, just in case. I'm so glad I didn't. 

I noticed how heavily the book relied on conversation right away. I was annoyed by it, but not enough to not give the book a chance. And, since Alexander and Tatiana met almost immediately, I thought this was going to be my favorite kind of romance — the kind where the getting together doesn't happen in the last chapter. It wasn't until the love triangle (there are very few books where love triangles don't annoy the hell out of me) was introduced that I seriously began to doubt my ability to like this book.

The obstacles Alexander and Tatiana had to overcome — mainly Dasha and Dimitri — were not believable, although the latter was more believable than the former. It was long for me to detest Alexander for continuing his relationship with the self-centered, trampy sister. For what purpose, I never could understand. This coupled with all of the rambling details and a plot driven entirely by conversation, made me not care in the least what happened to these two.

I ended up reading 342 plus pages before deciding to lay it down. Then, I picked it back up and spent the next two hours skimming the remaining pages hoping there would be something to catch my attention, or help me understand what was so appealing about this book. Nothing.

Needless to say, I will not be reading anything else about Alexander and Tatiana, and it will be a long,long time (if ever) that I give another Paullina Simons book a try.

P.S. I will be counting this book towards my yearly book goal as 342 plus pages is book length, not to mention the hours of my life I will never get back.

Book Review: Fire

Title: Fire 
Author: Kristin Cashore
Category: Fantasy/High Fantasy; Young Adult (in my opinion, Adult!)
Length: 461 pages
My Rating: 1 – Did not finish

From Goodreads.com: It is not a peaceful time in the Dells. The young King Nash clings to his throne while rebel lords in the north and south build armies to unseat him. The mountains and forests are filled with spies and thieves and lawless men.

This is where Fire lives. With a wild, irresistible appearance and hair the color of flame, Fire is the last remaining human monster. Equally hated and adored, she had the unique ability to control minds, but she guards her power, unwilling to steal the secrets of innocent people. Especially when she has so many of her own.

Then Prince Brigan comes to bring her to King City, The royal family needs her help to uncover the plot against the king. Far away from home, Fire begins to realize there's more to her power than she ever dreamed. Her power could save the kingdom.

If only she weren't afraid of becoming the monster her father was.

My Thoughts

After torturing myself for 116 (very long) pages, I decided not to finish this book. It did not keep or hold my attention, I was completely uninterested in all of the characters (except perhaps Queen Roen—she was the only one who seemed to have any depth whatsoever), and am tired of Cashore's anti-marriage/children theme. After deciding not to finish, I read several of the poor reviews (with spoilers) at Goodreads.com and am confident I made the right choice. The book was going exactly where I predicted (nowhere), and the things I was really hating about the book, thus far, only got worse for readers with the same opinion as I.

This is disappointing, as I really enjoyed Graceling and was hoping the series would be more promising and enjoyable. I am so glad I checked-out the other books from the library rather than buying them. I read the first couple of chapters of Bitterblue last night, but found that I'm just not interested in continuing on with these books at all.

My daughter is just finishing up Graceling and I told her this morning that I found the other books to be dull and too inappropriate for her age (if it had just been the former, I would have let her make the decision for herself). I think there is way too much sex in the other two books for this to be considered Young Adult. And, really, it's not that there is too much sex, but more because all of the sex that is happening is pointless and does not further the plot whatsoever. If I wanted my t(w)een to be exposed to random sex and teen pregnancy, I would simply turn on the Maury Show. Does the fact that it's not explicit make it more marketable as Young Adult?

And, lastly, I don't care how Cashore chose to end Graceling. Forever more, in my world, Katsa and Po are together (unmarried is fine, but they are committed), and making it work so that they are both fulfilled in what they are doing. So there! :P

Book Review: Deadlocked

Title: Deadlocked
Author: Charlaine Harris
Category: Adult; Fantasy/Paranormal; Vampires; Romance
Length: 327 pages
My Rating: 6 – Good, recommend with reservations

From Goodreads.com: Sookie has a murder investigation on her hands.

A young girl has died at a vampire party - and it looks as though her lover, Eric, might be responsible. Eric swears he didn't do it, the police don't believe him, and even Sookie isn't so sure. Nor is she inclined to take his word for it, not having caught him enjoying the victim's blood minutes before she was killed.

But something strange is going on. Why had Sookie been asked to come to the fateful party a few minutes early - just to catch Eric in the act? And why had the victim spiked her own blood before approaching Eric? Was it simply because she wanted to be irresistible, or was it something more sinister?

Sookie will have to find out ... but it's the worst moment to investigate, as her Fae family are having troubles of their own and Sookie is, inevitably, drawn in. And there is one last complication. The cluviel dor her grandmother left her. It will grant her one wish, which could fulfil Sookie's heart's desire. The only problem is, she still doesn't know what - or who - her heart truly desires ...

My Thoughts

This was another series I listened to during my time as a commuter but didn't get a chance to finish. The narrator of the audiobooks (Johanna Parker) is wonderful, and I just know I would have enjoyed Deadlocked more had I listened to it.

This is the twelfth book in the series and I agree with other Goodreads.com reviews that they are going downhill. The romance and wit of the previous books is almost obsolete in this one. But, again, I feel like it's hard for me to say for sure since I experienced this book in a completely different manner than the others.

Still, I couldn't bear to give this book less than a rating of six. Truthfully, if it had been any other book, I would have probably given it a 5 – Meh, take it or leave it, but I have such fond memories of these books and the characters that I just couldn't bring myself to do it. I will miss this series, although I don't know if I will ever re-read them

The next book in the series is the finale. I'm sure we all have our preferences on things we'd like to see happen. I know a lot of reviewers have said that they are hoping for Sookie to choose Sam in the end. But, while I think that is what is likely to happen, I would love to see her and Bill get back together. Sam is awesome—there really is nothing not to like about him—but I have always liked Bill, always. I've enjoyed much of the romance between Sookie and Eric, too, but have always rooted for Bill in the back of my mind. He is so loyal and consistent, and seems like he genuinely wants to be a "good" vampire, and he really, really loves her. I've never felt that Eric truly loves Sookie, and have grown even more certain of this since she broke the blood bond.

Dead Ever After (I think the title is adorable!) comes out in May. I've considered pre-ordering it, but always stop myself. I doubt I'll read it again, and don't have any other books in the series, so it seems like a waste of money. On the other hand, I don't know if I'll have the patience to wait until it becomes free at the library. So, I guess we'll see. Maybe I'll even decide to listen to the last one, for old times sake.

Book Review: The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest

Title: The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest
Author: Stieg Larsson
Category: Mystery/Suspense; Adult; Fiction
Length: 563 pages
My Rating: 7 – Very good

From Goodreads.com: Lisbeth Salander—the heart of Larsson’s two previous novels—lies in critical condition, a bullet wound to her head, in the intensive care unit of a Swedish city hospital. She’s fighting for her life in more ways than one: if and when she recovers, she’ll be taken back to Stockholm to stand trial for three murders. With the help of her friend, journalist Mikael Blomkvist, she will not only have to prove her innocence, but also identify and denounce those in authority who have allowed the vulnerable, like herself, to suffer abuse and violence. And, on her own, she will plot revenge—against the man who tried to kill her, and the corrupt government institutions that very nearly destroyed her life.

Once upon a time, she was a victim. Now Salander is fighting back.

My Thoughts
 

I host a little online book club with some of my Facebook friends and Facebook friends of friends (this is getting confusing!). We have a weekly check-in that serves to hold us accountable to a year-long reading goal. It's quite fun. Anyway, one of the participants was reading this book, and I was reminded that I hadn't read it yet.

Normally, I do not leave a series unread. If I start a series and enjoy it enough to continue on to the second book, I usually keep reading until I've completed the series (unless, of course, I have to wait for a book to be published). This trilogy was a little different because I listened to the first two books while I was commuting, but didn't get a chance to finish all three as my going back to work was only temporary. I really wanted to listen to the third book, so I kept putting it off. 

In the end, I can't believe I put off an ending for this long! It's been over two years since I listened to The Girl Who Played with Fire and, for anyone who has read this series, you know that book leaves you hanging. I liked this book better than the second, but think the first one was the best of all three. And I really wish I had gotten the chance to listen to it. The first two were great audiobooks—I loved the narrator—and think this one would have been awesome read aloud. Oh well.

My biggest complaint about this book is the ending. I was all on board until she found and disposed of N. I would have been more satisfied if he had just disappeared. For me, the ending was just a little too tidy. 

I doubt I will ever re-read this series, but I very much enjoyed this story.

Library Loot

The newest goal in our house is to visit the library at least once a month. I want the brats to be more involved in picking out their free-reading books. As it stood, I picked out the books, bought them, and gave them to the kids to read. Sure, I could still buy the books with them picking them out, but I want them to be able to pick up all the books that they think look interesting, then discover which ones deliver. I do not have the budget to do that at a bookstore.  So now, for free-reading, they can start and stop books based on interest. I will still be assigning books for school reading.

The brats weren't the only reason I was leaning towards visiting the library more often. I have an interest as well. I have noticed that since acquiring my first Kindle four years ago, my interest in reading has slowly decreased. I've finally decided it is because I do not enjoy reading on my Kindle as much as I enjoy reading paper books. I also miss going to a bookstore/library and browsing for books. Looking for books via Amazon.com is just not the same. Since moving back to paper books, my interest in reading has significantly increased.

Here are our library finds this time around:

Me
     

Mary Jane (11)
             

Kaden (8)
           

Eliza (3)
         

I know it looks like I didn't get much, but I am interested in reading two of the books MJ picked out—Fire and Bitterblue. Plus, I have a pile of used books (hopefully a post on this soon) I just purchased that should keep me plenty busy.

MJ started reading The Hunger Games first, and is really liking it so far. I don't know if she'll get to the other two because she stopped reading Graceling to try The Hunger Games. I'm pretty sure we will be doing some renewing with her.

Kaden finished Captain Raptor in the car while we ran errands after our trip to the library. He loved it and wants to check out others in the series. He is currently reading Diary of a Wimpy Kid and liking it. Both MJ and Kaden, along with many of their friends, really find these books entertaining. I'm interested to see if he will like the Hardy Boys book he picked out as my brothers really enjoyed them.

Naturally, we have read all of Eliza's books over and over again. She likes Bad Kitty the best, and has already picked out the book in the series that she wants to read next—she found it on the inside flap. I like Me... Jane the best. The illustrations are gorgeous. I dislike Bad Kitty, but can understand why it appeals to Eliza. When Louis Armstrong Taught Me Scat could have been really great, but it just didn't do it for me. The scatting is pretty awesome, but the story is choppy and all over the place.

Book Review: The Fellowship of the Ring

Title: The Fellowship of the Ring
Author: J.R.R. Tolkien
Category: Fantasy
Length: 398 pages
My Rating: 9 – One of the best books I've ever read

From Goodreads.com: Frodo Baggins knew the Ringwraiths were searching for him - and the Ring of Power he bore that would enable Sauron to destroy all that was good in Middle-earth. Now it was up to Frodo and his faithful servant Sam to carry the Ring to where it could be detroyed - in the very center of Sauron's dark kingdom.

My Thoughts

My book club, The Cackling Hens, elected to read the trilogy this year. Two of our four members had never read it and, with the release of the movie The Hobbit in December, expressed an interest in reading them all together. I wasn't terribly excited about the re-read but, with the completion of the first one, am now into it.

I first read the trilogy when I was pregnant with my eldest who is now eleven and a half. The making of the movies was underway and my husband, who had started but never finished them, wanted to have them all read before the release of the movies. At the time, we were living about two hours away from his parents and driving to visit them every weekend. It was during these drives that I read the entire series out loud to my husband, who was driving, and myself. I fell in love.

The Lord of the Rings trilogy were only the second set of fantasy books I had ever read in my entire life—I was twenty-two. The first set, The Sword of Shannara, I had also read loud to my husband who had read them as a teenager and loved them. I have not enjoyed much fantasy beyond these two series—it's just not my thing—but I will forever love and remember them both. Although, LOTR is probably the only one that I will re-read, and even read aloud to my children when they get older.

So, this was my second time around, and I still love it! We had just finished watching the movies again over Christmas break, so I got to spend a lot of my reading thinking, "I can't believe they changed that!" and "Oh, Tom Bombadil! I was so upset when he wasn't in the first movie!" Another difference that stood out is how subtle the love story between Arwen and Aragorn is. It's just bare bones glimpses that leave you wondering, "Do they love each other? Is that what that means?"

I read a review recently from someone who gave this book 2 stars because he claimed the writing was too cliche. Yeah, that would be fair if you weren't talking about the author who started the genre. It was not cliche at all when these books were written. He also felt that Tolkien was too verbose and explained too much. This was a fair criticism as not everyone enjoys long descriptions. Personally, I disagree. I think Tolkien is very good at using words to slowly build the story, something we have to accustom ourselves to nowadays as we are being thrown new information constantly.

I'm really looking forward to discussing it with my girlfriends, and reading the remainder of the trilogy with them. We have The Hobbit planned for a homeschool read-aloud in the Fall. Yay!

Book Review: Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry

Title: Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry
Author: Mildred D. Taylor
Category: Young Adult; Historical Fiction
Length: 288 pages
My Rating: 10 – Damn near perfection

From Goodreads.com: "The vivid story of a black family whose warm ties to each other and their land give them strength to defy rural Southern racism during the Depression. . . . Entirely through its own internal development, the novel shows the rich inner rewards of black pride, love, and independence despite the certainty of outer defeat." —Booklist (starred review) * Newbery Medal Award

My Thoughts

The one thing I kept thinking about while reading this book was, "Why hadn't I discovered this when I was in the 5th or 6th grade?!!" But reading it as an adult only didn't lessen how much I loved this book.

This book was a homeschool read-aloud. MJ is studying the 20th Century this year, and this book was scheduled on our curriculum as an excellent narrative for the Jim Crow Era. And, even though this book was intended only for MJ's read-aloud, Kaden also fell in love with the Logan family and sat in on all the readings (in addition to his own) to see what was going to happen. We read the last four chapters in one sitting because the brats absolutely could not leave the story for one more day.

We have spoken to our children about racism and slavery in America, but this is the book that really drove it home for them. It was hard for them to understand what we meant until they read a story about a family, like their own, that lived it. It's amazing how a story can speak to you in such a way that your empathy and understanding is forever increased. I know my children will remember this book for many, many years.