Human....not human....Human...not human

You think you have it rough? Try going from hunter to hunted every other day.  Try going from bulletproof to fragile every other day.  Try going from superhuman to high school student every other day.

I started this book (Every Other Day by Jennifer Barnes) being very skeptical. I didn't want to like it. I really didn't. But I ended up liking it. I really did. The opening pages made me roll my eyes in a "here we go again" kind of way, but the book took some major turns that I was quite interested by.  Every girl in high school knows a Bethany (and some are as deep as this one but never get a chance to show it).  And Skylar is just one of those characters that I want to scoop up and carry around in my pocket. I bought into the characters, which makes it much easier to buy the ridiculously fantastic storyline.  It fits with the current paranormal craze that is overwhelming the teen fiction sections at every library, but doe have its own story to tell.  I might read it again, which, given the number of unread books I always have sitting on my Kindle at any given moment, is high praise indeed.

Spies can be GIRLS?

OK, now really, "Feminine Power!" and all that jazz, but I think I've heard this story before.
1. Sometime in the past
2. Girl is upset about being thought of as second-rate because of her gender
3. Girl transcends gender barrier to become hero
4. Girl falls back into gender stereotype by going gaga when a cute boy is around
 *Sigh*...will we never learn?

This is the common outline for Alias Dragonfly that was an entertaining, if overly fluffy and predictable, quick read in the hunting cabin.  My favorite part was that the action took place in the Civil War era - quite an interesting time. My least favorite part was that you had to slog through a lot of intro to get to any action. When I read a Civil War story, I expect my action to be there right away.

Also, the next author I read that can follow a "girl power" story without caving to pressure and throwing in a meaningless romantic side story earns a cookie.

Not your average Great Depression saga

Man, was I ever intrigued  by Dust Girl by Sarah Zettel.  Give me a good ole' Dust Bowl/Great Depression story any day. Give me a new twist on faerie lore any day. Wait...I get BOTH?!  Ms. Zettel took a unique approach with her novel that totally caught me off-guard. I am ashamed that I thought she'd "girly out" on the faerie end of things...but the first encounter of the faerie kind wiped that idea out.  There were a lot of tidbits that I wanted more information on, and I know that this book is intended to be the first of a set (trilogy, I believe), but I wish that there had been a few more answers to the many questions this story opened up. To be fair, a lot of information is given very quickly at one point, so I might have missed some of it.

The book held my interest as I read it on my way to go deer hunting, and I would be interested to see what else Ms. Zettel has in store.

Making non-fiction into...boring fiction

Oh my.  Now, I wasn't expected to be blown away by The Hangman in the Mirror by Kate Cayley, yet I was still underwhelmed.  I liked the premis; I really did. The problem, though, was that I saw the ending coming so quickly that it didn't hold my interest. I know it was based on a real event, but Ms. Cayley could have made the reveal a little sneakier, don't you think?  It is hard to be invested in the middle fluff that is draggin the story to its obvious end. My advice? Cut the fluff and keep the story moving. That way, the ending might still be obvious, but it won't be so difficult to slog through to get there.

Cat Haters Unite!

Deviant by Adrian McKinty...not a fan not a fan not a fan.  I mean, I was all "go" for the creepy school, the weirdo principal, and the convicts down the road.  I was NOT on board with the cat sacrifices. Now, I'm allergic to the feline crowd and they aren't my favorites, but REALLY?!?! Gutting cats publicly in a YA novel with no other reason than to be creepy?  Dig a little deeper in the human psyche to find something a little more unsettling instead of blatantly gruesome.  The one place I must give props to the writer is the last couple of pages.  I don't want to ruin it for anyone, but hot chocolate has definitely been ruined for me this winter.  Now THAT was unexpected and unsettling. I only wish the rest of the book had resembled the last couple of pages a bit closer.

Non-fiction Yay!

Flesh and Blood so Cheap by Albert Marrin was one of those books that I didn't anticipate sucking down like cola on a hot day, but it was a stunningly compelling story.  I love historical fiction, and I really want to enjoy historical non-fiction, but few authors make me actually care enough. Mr Marrin, you did it!  I felt while reading this book that it was my duty to the victims of the tragedy it describes to understand the circumstances surrounding it. I found both the background on the time (early 20th century NYC) and the descriptions of the various cultural backgrounds of the individuals interesting and meaningful.  The pictures provided proof of authenticity and I was a personal fan of the use of Yiddish.  I highly recommend this book, even if you are not a big fan of historical non-fiction, because of its moving retelling of the worst work-place tragedy before September 11, 2001.

Re: feed

Let's think of words to describe Feed by M.T. Anderson.
1) Unsettling
2) Creepy
3) Intriguing
4) Annoying
5) Spastic

Now, before I rant, I have to say that there were parts of this story that I really enjoyed.  The joy was all in the tidbits.  My favorite quote "You're as handsome as a duck in butter!" made me smile and it will be a long time before I forget Anderson's wonderfully unsettling description of beef country. *shudders appreciatively*  I also love the use of trademarking. Genius!

Ok, then there's the not so joyful bits. Such as, the entire writing style. I get that it's a stream-of-consciousness deal with someone who has a brain that pretty much functions in ten second increments between commercial interruptions, but I CAN'T HANDLE IT!  There are other ways to get the point across than having an entire novel written in the disconnected, aggravating banter of "tweenie girls go stoner"  made me put this book down in frustration multiple times.  I enjoyed the interlude with important adults speaking this way...but having the entire novel in this voice was overwhelming and I got lost a few times because of it.

Rant item number two up to bat! Well, this is completely up to the author, but I was hoping that the main character would be a bit more of a stand-up guy.  Oy vey...I knew he was going to have to be a moron, but I held out this hope the entire time that he would come around or do something meaningful as things started going downhill.  I finished the book with a "Well, crap" kind of resignation instead of wondering what might be about to happen next. 

And finally, I hate the gratuitous use of profanities.  If we don't want young people using profanities, because, well, we say they are PROFANE, then why do we keep giving them literary characters that can't last an entire conversation without dropping a foul word or two?  The author made up some of his own "catchy" words for items that were cool or not, why couldn't all profanities have been replaced similarly with made-up words? Or, for that matter, why not have the built-in feeds have a filter that doesn't allow minors to use such language?  

Alright, alright, I'm done.  Interesting book, but not one I will read a second time.

Say it with me...FORMULAIC!

Not always a bad thing as Michael Ford demonstrates in The Poisoned House.  Nice little gothic mystery all wrapped up in a neat little package with a happily ever after.  The plot was very easy to follow, but adding the supernatural elements was...interesting. Definitely mixed thigns up a bit.  I thoroughly enjoyed the main character Abi.  If I hadn't realized early on what a smoke-screen her treatment was, Mr. Ford may have been able to fool me.  I want good things to happen to Abi.  She's a fun character.

Rating this book is tricky.  Does it lose points for being too formulaic?  Does the addition of completely unbeleivable elements nullify the enjoyment of an easy-to-follow story? I think this is a nice, quick read - especially for lovers of historical fiction books. However, I do not think that every new YA book has to reek of the supernatural just because that is what is in vogue right now. I would have preferred it if that element had been eliminated.

Misfit: and not the annoying little elf song from that Rudolph movie

Misfit by Jon Skovran...ahhh...nothing like getting lost in the throes of a good old-fashioned demon story.  But wait, this demon story isn't just the same tired old story. It contains a lot of traditional events from other supernatural stories in this vein, but it holds its own, too.  The main character, Jael, really bugged me at first, but how can you hate a girl who manifests awesome control of natural elements, even if she is a demon?  The landscape of Hell was...meh.  I've read similar.  Overall, I did find this story compelling, even if it does not make my all-time favorites list.

V for ...Variant? Did I spell that right?

Variant by Robison Wells
OK, so I'll be adding to this post because I'm not done with the story yet...I'm 54% done according to Karl Kindle. Yes, my Kindle is named Karl.  Anyway, I just need to say that I am loving this book!  Most of the time, I get a superiority complex when reading the mystery/thriller/dystopic YA books because I can figure out where the book is going. BUT I HAVE NO IDEA! I'm sure that you are waaaaaay smarter than me and are currently thumbing your nose at me, blowing raspberries and taunting "I knew what was happening when Chelsea Kindle said I was at 34%! Ha-ha."  Well, bully for you...and seriously? You named your Kindle Chelsea?

Finished this book and I must say....I STILL HAVE NO IDEA WHAT IS GOING ON!!!  I had no idea going in that this book was meant to be part of a series, but the wonderfully confusing cliffhanger didn't make me upset; it made me really want to read the next book.  It was a wonderfully conveluded plot, containing just the right amount of twists to make me throw in the towel on guessing the outcome and follow along with where the author wanted to take me.  I give this book a high rating and recommend it to anyone looking for a fresh YA suspense story.  When is the next one coming out?

I have nothing against you personally...but I prefer pie

Mr and Mrs Bunny - Detectives Extraordinaire! by Polly Horvath...oh where do I begin?!  I started this book with the idea that it would be a quick read...quick review...moving on. Man, was I wrong.  I was laughing at the absurdity of meeting the Bunnies for the first time and found myself devouring the book to see what was coming next.  It was one of those stories that should have been predictable, but I constantly second-guessed myself because there was a constant feeling that anything could happen next.

Mr and Mrs Bunny would be a great middle-school book used for entertainment.  I recommend it for reading aloud, because Mr Bunny is ridiculously funny when read alound.  Parents would also enjoy reading this book with their child. If they don't, there's something wrong with them.  I want to go buy a fedora.

This title is expected to be released early 2012.  When it comes out, I recommend you read it. Quickly. And often. Laugh while you do, and then thank me (and the lovely Ms. Horvath, too!)

Faber Files

Had my teachers only known! Being one that could never keep all of the US wars straight, not to mention any foreign affairs, love of history seemed far beyond my reach. But apparently, all it took was a spunky little trouble maker named Jacky Faber to send me running back to history books.  If you haven't heard of the Bloody Jack series by L. A. Meyer, consider this your wake-up call. Get up off your duff and get these books from your library. How a 50+ dude can write convincingly as a teenage girl, I don't know. Might I suggest listening to these stories? The reader is amazing and these stories were written to be read aloud (in my opinion).

I am currently finishing up book 8, The Wake of the Lorelei Lee and constantly have to stop myself from referring to people as "Ma'am Sahib." Great books!!!

Lots of BOOKS!

OK, so I have read a LOT of books in the last month...thanks to my new Kindle. I'm sure I'll forget to post all of the reviews here because...well, that's what I do.  So check out goodreads.com to get my feelings on any of the following books; all of which I enjoyed reading.

Eve by Anna Carey
Dark Eden by Patrick Carman
The Deserter by Peadar Guilin
This Girl is Different by JJ Johnson
Tankborn by Karen Sandler
The Way We Fall by Megan Crewe
Haint Misbehavin by Maureen Hardegree
Surviving the Angel of Death by Eva Mozes Kor

And these books makes the list because I did NOT read it on my Kindle, therefore seems to be in the minority recently:
The Power of Six by Pitticus Lore
Girl in the Arena by Lise Haines

Cinder...Fairy Tale Meets Terminator

Finished reading Cinder (Lunar Chronicles Book 1) by Marissa Meyer.

Cinderella as a cyborg? What's not to love? I think it got bogged down in the middle; I put it aside for two weeks before finishing it today. The story feels fresh and interesting with enough going on that it truly merits a sequal (Let's face it, not all series do). I enjoyed the traditional story being revamped BIG TIME. Left me wanting more! (I must say, though, that I saw the major twist coming very early on. Didn't stop my enjoyment of the journey!)

All right, now let's get the little mermaid as a Steampunk monster!

This title is expected to be released in 2012.