I gotta say, I'm the same age as Jennifer Cooper, but have nothing similar to her other than the weirdness about velveeta cheese. So it was a very interesting thing to be privy to the thoughts of a bitter, yet fantastically sarcastic divorcee. Well done, Dr. Scott! Not only was it a great book, but I have to say it's been a while since I had to look up so many big words and cultural references.
Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfus (4.5/5)
Kvothe (sounds like coat) has a secret. He has an intense story to tell, and he does so to the Chronicler, as he sits in the inn/tavern he owns. This book is fantasy, but it's not because it is really about the people in it. It's long, hence an investment of your time, and then of course you are left hanging. And I HAVE to know what happens. I can't say I like Kvothe and care for his well being, but I can say I want to know how things turn out for the sake of the story. It's a good story, and like I said, little snippets of fantasy here and there, but more it's just a good old fashioned tale of a boy genius in a land similar to that of the 1400's. It's a good read during a snowmageddon, which probably won't happen if you are reading this in the summer and not living in Australia.
Queen of New Beginnings by Erica James (3.5/5)
Just to be clear, I rarely give 5/5 stars, and 4/5 stars means the book is really good. It just hasn't changed my life. So, 3.5/5 isn't that bad, really. So, a young, quirky young woman who does voice overs occasionally cleans houses for a neighbor's business. She ends up cleaning the house which used to be hers growing up. The gentleman staying there is a tv writer who is suffering from bad publicity and writer's block. So, that's pretty much the romance part of it.
The drama comes when she is tells him the story of the house (which is a pretty good story in itself), which then turns the tide for the young couple. And of course, there is George. I love George. She is a tiny old neighbor who is eccentrically wise. She overlooks the drama and then doles out the advice no one is looking for. She's great.
I was entertained, but not moved to tears, or laughing out loud. Maybe a chuckle or two, such as the huge glow heads in someone's yard (you'll have to read it to understand). Great beach read (or one for spring break, depending on where you are going).
Unseemly Education of Anne Merchant by Joanna Wiebe (3/5)
I'm not sure what I think about this. A 17 year old girl is traumatized by finding her mother who committed suicide in the kitchen. Two years later, after an understandable depression, her father sends her to a boarding school with the richest possible people in the world.
That's where the normalcy ends. The students are perfect, mean, and very, very secretive. And she is determined to find out the answers, which only Pilot and Ben are willing to help. And it gets creepy. I thought there would be a huge plot twist, but it is pretty easy to follow and understand, despite the twist. I can't say I didn't see it coming. Read it if you are bored. Or not.
Conversion by Katherine Howe (3/5 stars)
I pretty much love the whole mystery of what happened in Salem, Massachusetts. I mean, at what point do people start to follow ideas that are first based in moral behavior and quickly convert to the hysteria that results in death? I know, it's all repeated time and again in our history books, and Conversion shows that this hysteria driven behavior can even be present today.
Based on real events, the book follows young girls in a private New England school who suddenly come down with various illnesses that all seem to be related. Our fellow protagonist, Colleen, is witness to it all, trying to maintain a normal life of stress-filled-GPA-driven-Harvard-bound days. She and her 3 besties all have different views and reactions (although not a multiple POV book) as to what is happening. Every few chapters has an interlude where we sail back to a narrative of a young Anne who in the early 1700's has come to confess her role to her pastor during the witch trials. Hence, a parallel.
All in all, it is a fairly good book, with a very interesting correlation to real events. For that, I give it kudos (if anyone says that anymore). However, while I appreciate the author trying to fulfill today's young adults' drama in the pages, I wonder if it was a bit too much. Colleen all of the sudden gets a boyfriend, deals with the media sprawling across her campus, has intense interviews at Harvard, and tries to deal with a revelation about her best friend, all the while coming to terms with the Mystery Illness. I get it. Stress. But she kind of seemed all over the page. Plus some other stuff, but that would mean I'd include spoilers. And, according to my husband, that is a very, very bad thing to do. So I'll stop here.
All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven (5/5 stars)
Yeah, this is a book to read. You figure out pretty quickly that Theodore Finch (or just "Finch") is a bright, creative, but extremely energetic. He meets Violet on top of the bell tower at his school. Both contemplate jumping off, but as he is really just a "contemplater", he talks her down. Finch, also known as Freak at school, gets tagged as the one Violet talks down, and she is made a hero. But that's not the whole story. Actually, she is depressed from a car accident that killed her best friend who was her sister, Eleanor. Finch and Violet fall in love. She brings him happiness and the perfect day; he brings her happiness and the perfect day. But, alas, something is off...
So many things about the book that I want to discuss. Just read it. Then we'll talk.
The Job by Janet Evanovich and Lee Goldberg (3/5 stars)
Cute- definitely not a Stephanie Plum, so not as many laugh out louds, but I enjoyed it. I think I actually heard Mission Impossible music in my head as I was reading it. This was the first the I read of the series, but this is actually #3 of the Fox and O'Hare series. I had no problems keeping up, though. Get it, Fox and Hare? Very witty.
Chasing Secrets by Gennifer Choldenko (4/5 stars)
Lizzy is a 13 year old who has the unfortunate fate of living in the early 1900's, when women were trained to be wives, and hospitals and doctors were not to be trusted. And then, the plague hit San Francisco (who knew?) and It is up to Lizzie and her new friends to try and get her friend out of the quarantined Chinatown. The historical aspect is fascinating as the reader learns something new. However, Lizzie, at 13, probably equates more to a 21 year old today, but in my mind, though, she seemed awfully self-aware at such a young age to be the heroine she was. But this viewpoint can easily be overlooked by many middle graders and young high school students.