The Maze Runner by James Dashner
Imagine it’s your first waking moment, total blackness, strange sounds, almost no memory, hoping you’re in a nightmare, but unable to wake up. The Maze Runner is the story of Thomas who wakes up in a metal box being lowered into a strange community of teenage boys. This community is called “The Glade.” What is it? Well the boys don’t really know, all they know is they’ve been there for a long time, they don’t remember anything about their previous lives except their first names and snatches that they can’t make sense of, and they are in the middle of a maze that seems unsolvable. Each boy has his own job in The Glade, supplies are sent weekly through the metal box. The maze is full of gruesome beasts called reavers that are half animal, half machine and more terrifying than any nightmare any of the boys could conjure.
The Maze Runner is a gruesome book, filled with fighting, and trying to survive. It’s a great boy book and is the first in a planned trilogy. It took me a little while to get into it but it did finally grab my attention. I think my problem was that I couldn’t imagine anyone being so cruel and doing this on purpose to the boys. This one has lots of death, blood and gore, and a cliffhanger end. It will leave fans chomping at the bit for the next in the series. I give this one a 3.5.
Monday, June 7, 2010
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Kind words
It's great when people say thank you for the little things you do. It's even better when people realize how important your job is and publicize it. One of my favorite authors did this recently in her blog. Her name is Libba Bray and she's an award winning young adult author. You can read her article here: Libraries are the Torch of the World I think I like her even more now. So thank you for the praise to libraries and librarians Libba.
Saturday, June 5, 2010
Restoring Harmony by Joëlle Anthony
I loved Restoring Harmony! Restoring Harmony had great characters, all strong and with their own quirks. Even the bad guys had good qualities that made you like some of them, though you didn't want to admit it. The story was very believable, and a good study of what could be. Molly, the main character goes from Canada to the United States in an attempt to bring her Grandfather home.
The year is 2041, and there is almost no oil. Molly is strong but naive, which is to be expected from a farm girl going to a big city alone. Some of the plot was predictable but there were several twists I didn't see coming, especially at the end. All the characters grew a substantial amount in the story and it was a lot of fun reading about that growth. Molly's music was especially unique to the story. I don't remember another dystopian type book with music, or at least not any with the main character so musically inclined. It really enhanced the story, and made it more real. Ms. Anthony created a historical feel for a futuristic novel, including the music and the market for whiskey, the farming, cobbling, and open markets. This one is a 4 star book!
The year is 2041, and there is almost no oil. Molly is strong but naive, which is to be expected from a farm girl going to a big city alone. Some of the plot was predictable but there were several twists I didn't see coming, especially at the end. All the characters grew a substantial amount in the story and it was a lot of fun reading about that growth. Molly's music was especially unique to the story. I don't remember another dystopian type book with music, or at least not any with the main character so musically inclined. It really enhanced the story, and made it more real. Ms. Anthony created a historical feel for a futuristic novel, including the music and the market for whiskey, the farming, cobbling, and open markets. This one is a 4 star book!
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Life As We Knew It, book review
Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer
Life As We Knew It is a cold hard look at what could happen in our future. It’s the story of one family’s struggle for survival after a meteorite hits the moon and knocks it out of it’s orbit and much closer to the Earth. Life as we Knew It is a study in cause and effect: because of the moon’s effect on the Earth, our world is turned upside down in a matter of days. The gravitational pull has changed since the moon is closer and causes massive tidal waves, earthquakes, and volcanoes which in turn causes millions to die immediately, and more to die later from famine, sickness, and starvation.
At first the main character, Miranda, seemed whiney to me, but I could also understand her feelings. The author used journal entries written by Miranda to tell the story through Miranda's eyes. The journal entries did a good job at showing the emotion of what it would feel like if something so apocalyptic happened. Ms. Pfeffer did a good job of showing the growth and strength of Miranda as the story progresses. It shows the types of sacrifices someone might make in that situation, but also the hardships of making those sacrifices. This was a very grim book, but it ended with hope. This one is a 3.5 star book because it made me cry so much, but the story is a good one to read and contemplate.
Life As We Knew It is a cold hard look at what could happen in our future. It’s the story of one family’s struggle for survival after a meteorite hits the moon and knocks it out of it’s orbit and much closer to the Earth. Life as we Knew It is a study in cause and effect: because of the moon’s effect on the Earth, our world is turned upside down in a matter of days. The gravitational pull has changed since the moon is closer and causes massive tidal waves, earthquakes, and volcanoes which in turn causes millions to die immediately, and more to die later from famine, sickness, and starvation.
At first the main character, Miranda, seemed whiney to me, but I could also understand her feelings. The author used journal entries written by Miranda to tell the story through Miranda's eyes. The journal entries did a good job at showing the emotion of what it would feel like if something so apocalyptic happened. Ms. Pfeffer did a good job of showing the growth and strength of Miranda as the story progresses. It shows the types of sacrifices someone might make in that situation, but also the hardships of making those sacrifices. This was a very grim book, but it ended with hope. This one is a 3.5 star book because it made me cry so much, but the story is a good one to read and contemplate.
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Summer Reading Begins!
This past Saturday we kicked off our summer reading programs. This year I'm doing an Adult and teen summer reading program, so if I look a little more frazzled than usual, that's why. It's a lot of work but it's fun and rewarding so it's worth it. We had a great turnout for this past Saturday's party, with over 100 people attending. We've got lots of things planned this summer including Dungeons and Dragons Game days, travel programs, gardening programs, book clubs, murder mystery parties, scavenger hunts, and even a "literary" speed dating program for the adults. It should be lots of fun!
Saturday, April 24, 2010
blue plate special
blue plate special by Michelle D. Kwasney
I'm still trying to decide exactly how I feel about this book. If I took anything away from this novel, it would be an appreciation of family. The girls in this book all have horrific experiences that no one should have to go through. blue plate special was a difficult book to read because of all the pain the girls endure. The title and the book’s cover don’t really give you any idea of what the book is about, but at the end, you find that they do tie in to the plot, and they both end up being an important part of the story. My emotions ran the gamut while reading this one. I went from shock to pure outrage with lots of other emotions thrown in as well. I couldn't help but think of my daughter and mother while I was reading blue plate special.
The main characters of blue plate special are three girls, Madeline, Desiree, and Ariel, who live in different decades. blue plate special is the story of their years as teenagers, and the issues each girl faces. Ms. Kwasney does a good job of creating the imagery associated with each girl, where each girl lives and what it's like to be each girl living in a specific time. The writing styles that Ms. Kwasney used made it very easy to keep track of who was who; each girl had a very distinct voice that was not easily confused with the others. Some may say that Ms. Kwasney tried to include too much in her book but I don't think so. She did a very good job of tying everything together. I was really surprised when I found out that the girls were all connected. I won’t tell you how but I will tell you that when I figured out who was who in each story I was baffled and just plain mad about one character in particular. However, by the end I came to understand the reasons behind what happened, and like one of the main characters, began to forgive one of the other characters. I'm going to give this book 3 stars, because in the beginning it was so depressing, I'm not sure I would have finished it if it wasn't a book club book, however as far as writing and imagery goes I give it a 5. blue plate special's intended audience will eat this one up, and it has a lot of good discussion topics as well.
I'm still trying to decide exactly how I feel about this book. If I took anything away from this novel, it would be an appreciation of family. The girls in this book all have horrific experiences that no one should have to go through. blue plate special was a difficult book to read because of all the pain the girls endure. The title and the book’s cover don’t really give you any idea of what the book is about, but at the end, you find that they do tie in to the plot, and they both end up being an important part of the story. My emotions ran the gamut while reading this one. I went from shock to pure outrage with lots of other emotions thrown in as well. I couldn't help but think of my daughter and mother while I was reading blue plate special.
The main characters of blue plate special are three girls, Madeline, Desiree, and Ariel, who live in different decades. blue plate special is the story of their years as teenagers, and the issues each girl faces. Ms. Kwasney does a good job of creating the imagery associated with each girl, where each girl lives and what it's like to be each girl living in a specific time. The writing styles that Ms. Kwasney used made it very easy to keep track of who was who; each girl had a very distinct voice that was not easily confused with the others. Some may say that Ms. Kwasney tried to include too much in her book but I don't think so. She did a very good job of tying everything together. I was really surprised when I found out that the girls were all connected. I won’t tell you how but I will tell you that when I figured out who was who in each story I was baffled and just plain mad about one character in particular. However, by the end I came to understand the reasons behind what happened, and like one of the main characters, began to forgive one of the other characters. I'm going to give this book 3 stars, because in the beginning it was so depressing, I'm not sure I would have finished it if it wasn't a book club book, however as far as writing and imagery goes I give it a 5. blue plate special's intended audience will eat this one up, and it has a lot of good discussion topics as well.
Friday, April 23, 2010
The Squire's Quest by Gerald Morris
**Contains one small spoiler**
The Squire’s Quest is the ninth in a series of books by Gerald Morris called The Squire's Tales. Even though I haven't read the rest of the series I was still able to enjoy the book. This one made me want to go back and read the other books in the series, and there was enough background information that it was easy to catch up. The Squire’s Quest had enough magic to make it interesting to someone who likes to read fantasy, but not so much that a historical fiction fan would turn away from it. Some parts were predictable, but there were other parts that really surprised me, and the end was especially jaw dropping. Although the lovers lived, it reminded me of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, but even more tragic. The writing was easy to follow but there was some language that may not be appropriate for younger ages. The women characters in the book were very strong while the men were both charming and devious, a good combination in any book.
I laughed out loud in parts of the book and cried in others. When I first began reading this book I wasn’t sure I would enjoy it. I’m not usually a fan of King Arthur type books but this one grabbed my attention relatively quickly and held on. This is a great “boy book” with lots of fighting and intrigue, but it also has just enough romance that girls will enjoy it as well. The only part that didn’t seem to flow well was when a couple of the main characters disappeared for over a month and no one seemed too worried when they finally reappeared. Mr. Morris did mention some of the changes that took place while they were missing, but I would think the characters would have been missed a little more than they were. I’ll give this one 4 stars. Well-done Mr. Morris.
The Squire’s Quest is the ninth in a series of books by Gerald Morris called The Squire's Tales. Even though I haven't read the rest of the series I was still able to enjoy the book. This one made me want to go back and read the other books in the series, and there was enough background information that it was easy to catch up. The Squire’s Quest had enough magic to make it interesting to someone who likes to read fantasy, but not so much that a historical fiction fan would turn away from it. Some parts were predictable, but there were other parts that really surprised me, and the end was especially jaw dropping. Although the lovers lived, it reminded me of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, but even more tragic. The writing was easy to follow but there was some language that may not be appropriate for younger ages. The women characters in the book were very strong while the men were both charming and devious, a good combination in any book.
I laughed out loud in parts of the book and cried in others. When I first began reading this book I wasn’t sure I would enjoy it. I’m not usually a fan of King Arthur type books but this one grabbed my attention relatively quickly and held on. This is a great “boy book” with lots of fighting and intrigue, but it also has just enough romance that girls will enjoy it as well. The only part that didn’t seem to flow well was when a couple of the main characters disappeared for over a month and no one seemed too worried when they finally reappeared. Mr. Morris did mention some of the changes that took place while they were missing, but I would think the characters would have been missed a little more than they were. I’ll give this one 4 stars. Well-done Mr. Morris.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)