Nose in a Book

City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare

Can I just say that I love this series?!  It’s everything I was hoping Twilight would be, but wasn’t.  I know I always bash Twilight, but I have to say that I liked the story.  I just hated the writing and the characters were so one-dimensional and sometimes everything was just a little over the top, ya know?  It definitely had potential and I actually liked the movie a whole lot more than the book!

Anyway, back to the review at hand!  Also, a warning, if you haven’t read the first book yet, there’s no way I can summarize this one without spoilers from the first one.

So, anyway, Clary has rescued her mother, but she’s still in a coma in the hospital.  So Clary is living with Luke and is avoiding Jace because he’s her brother (but he’s not really, I can so see this coming, I was so sure it would be in this book, but so far so proof) and she’s in love with him.  (So not “ew” as it sounds, somehow.)  Anyway, Valentine (the bad guy) is slowly gaining more power and working toward his final evil plan and the governing body of this other world is totally blind to the whole plot because they are more worried about getting Jace to confess that he was in on the whole “your father is really the evil bad guy” thing, even though he wasn’t.  So this crazy “inquisitor” (who BTW is uncannily Umbrage-like) comes to take Jace into custody and ends up wrecking all kinds of havoc on Jace, Clary and everyone else’s efforts to try and stop Valentine.  Of course there are lots of demons to fight and Jace and Clary both discover that they have special abilities to help them as Shadowhunters.

This book was equally as well written as the first and just as action-packed too.  There isn’t a whole lot of boring/cheesy dialogue (like Twilight - another complaint).  Every page in this book counts.  As I mentioned in my review of the first book, City of Bones, I know this genre isn’t for everyone.  But, if you like this genre, this book is definitely a must read.  I can’t wait to get the third one (there are 56 people ahead of me on the hold list) and read it too.  And I just read online that Clare is planning a fourth to go with these three and she’s also planning a prequel series with an entirely new cast of characters.  I would rate this book a 9/10.

City of Bones by Cassandra Clare (Book One of The Mortal Instruments Series)

Read for: What’s in a Name Challenge, Book with a body part in the title

Clary is 15 when she sees a shadowhunter for the first time.  Shortly thereafter, her mother disappears and she finds herself immersed in world of demons, vampires and the shadowhunters.  I can’t say more without giving away too much of the plot.

This novel just jumped right into the action and then never stopped.  There were several plot twists (some of which were fairly predictable and others that were completely unexpected).  I want to compare this book to Twilight, but there really is no comparison.  The books fall into the same young adult genre that deals with otherworldly beings but that is where the similarity ends.  Clary, the teenage protagonist, is so much more likable and believable than Bella who I always found to be insipid and annoying.  In fact all of the characters were more real.  They had depth and dimensions.  And the writing – well it can’t even be compared.  Clare can actually write!  I found this book to be very witty.  The characters quite often had fun, clever comebacks and the prose was clever as well.

Once I got into this story (and it didn’t take long) I couldn’t put it down.  I just had to keep reading to find out what happened next (my husband was getting pretty annoyed with me, when I kept bringing the book to the dinner table!).  It was definitely an easy, fun read which didn’t require a lot of extra thought (I read a bunch last night while watching the Miss Universe pageant and I didn’t miss much of either).  I’m sure this isn’t destined to become a classic but I can definitely agree that it deserves to be a bestseller.  I can’t wait to read the next one.

I don’t want to sound like I’m gushing over this book, because I can see that there is probably a lot of people who wouldn’t enjoy this novel.  If you are into this genre, it’s definitely worth a read, or even if you are looking for some mindless summer reading (even though summer’s almost over).  I don’t generally read this type of book so I’m having a hard time coming up with a rating.  I think I’d give it a 9/10, keeping in mind that this type of novel isn’t for everyone…

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Read for: What’s in a Name Challenge – book with a medical condition in the title (this might be stretching it a little, but someone else has already used this for this category so SUE ME!)

Wow.  I don’t even know where to start with this one…  This book is horrifyingly good, let me see if I can explain.

Sometime in the future, North American has now become Panem, a country divided into the Capitol – the haves, and 12 Districts – the have-nots.  Every year the Capitol puts on the Hunger Games, where 2 children, aged 12-18, from each District are chosen to fight to the death in the arena.  The last man (or woman) standing brings fame and fortune to their district for the coming year.

Katniss, from District 12 (one of the poorer districts) volunteers herself for the Hunger Games when her 12 year old sister’s name is drawn.  Katniss actually has a lot of practical skills that may be useful to her in the games.  Peeta, the boy that is chosen from District 12, a baker’s son, once helped Katniss when she was starving to death, so there is of course a little history between them.

I don’t really want to say much else about the plot because it would require giving away too much about the story.  The book is divided into three parts and the entire first part of the book is about the reaping (chosing the names of the children that will participate), and preparing the children for the games.  The second and third part are about the actual games and what happenes afterward.  The ending is satisfying, but also leaves a lot of loose ends that left me dying to read the next book (which comes out September 1, 2009 – can’t wait!).

I almost forgoet!  To add to the drama of the Games, the entire thing is televised,including each gory death, so everyone at home is watching, like some sick reality TV show.  Of course, Katniss and the other contestants have some acting to do to try and garner sympathy so their sponsors might send them food or medicine or weapons or whatever they might be in need of.

So, when I first started reading this I almost put it down again, because I normally don’t enjoy novels about a dystopian future.  Somehow they are just depressing.  But, then the story drew me in.  Katniss was a very compelling character, but the reaping was what really got me.  It was kind of like watching a train wreck, I just couldn’t pull myself away it was so awful!  And by then, I was totally involved in the story and was able to forget about the dystopian future thing and just enjoy the story.

There is a love story in the book that actually becomes a major part of the plot and Katniss spends almost the entire book being entirely oblivious to the fact.  Some have compared her to Bella Swan in her obliviousness but I actually found Katniss to be a much more believable and likeable character than Bella.

The Hunger Games was extremely entertaining and I really could not put it down.  I will be buying the next book the day it goes on sale, which is called Catching Fire and will be released on Sept. 1.

The Hunger Games gets a 10/10 from me!

Other Reviews:

• A Comfy Chair and a Good Book
• Bart’s Bookshelf
• Becky’s Book Reviews
• Book Nut
• books i done read
• Dreadlock Girl
• Farm Lane Book Blogs
• It’s All About Books
• Hey Lady! Whatcha Readin’?
• Random Wonder
• Stephanie’s Written Word
• The Book Nest
• The Well Read Child

Did I miss yours?  Please link in the comments.

Coraline by Neil Gaiman

Short and sweet…except not really sweet in the traditional sense!  This one was great, although I liked The Graveyard Book better.

Coraline, for those of you that don’t know, is an average little girl, a little bored with the summer holidays and looking for some excitement.  She goes through a mysterious door in her apartment and finds an alternate world that almost identical to the real world but a lot more exciting (and creepy as Coraline soon finds out.)  Her “other mother” who seems great at first, is actually an evil being trying to trap her forever in her “other house” and sew buttons onto her eyes!

The book was creepy, but deliciously so.  I loved it!  And it was a quick easy read (as children’s books usually are – duh!).  I think my son (6) would love it.  It might be our next read.  Keeping in mind that this is a children’s book, I would give it an 8/10.

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne

I just finished this book.  The book jacket is a little unusual so I’m going to quote it here for all of you that haven’t read it:

The story of The Boy in the Striped Pajamas is very difficult to describe.  Usually we give some clues about the book on the jacket, but in this case we think that would spoil the reading of the book.  We think it is important that you start to read without knowing what it is about.

If you do start to read this book, you will go on a journey with a nine-year-old boy called Bruno.  (Though this isn’t a book for nine-year-olds.)  And sooner or later you will arrive with Bruno at a fence.

Fences like this exist all over the world.  We hope you never have to encounter such a fence.

While I do think this is a good book, I don’t think it as significant as whoever wrote that summary does.  Anyway, the book is about a nine-year old boy, Bruno, who is extremely naive (if he had been younger, the whole story would have been a lot more believable).  Bruno’s father is a commandant in Nazi Germany and is sent with him family to run Auschwitz.  Bruno goes exploring along the fence that surrounds the camp and meets a little boy on the other side of the fence.

As I mentioned before, Bruno should have been younger – the story would have worked better.  Although the evidence is right in front of his face, he never really figures out what is really going on.  I think most nine-year-olds would have picked up on the clues and put it all together.

The other thing that bothered me (and this is a tiny nit-picky detail but it really bugged me) is that Bruno called Hitler, “the Fury” and Auschwitz “Out-With”.  I understand the symbolism, it’s not all that subtle, but the book was written in English, but they would have been speaking German and as far as I know (which isn’t very far at all…) these words do not sound the same in German.  Anyone who speaks more German than me care to correct me?  (Sprechen Sie Deutsch?)

Overall, if was a good read, easy to get through and has a definite message.  It told a true story about WWII without being overly depressing, mostly because Bruno was so naive – in fact that was the most depressing thing about the book.  But just a warning – and I saw this coming from a mile away – the ending is horrifying, but it’s also kind of fitting.  Make sense?  I would give this one a 7/10.

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

Winner of 2009 Newbery Medal

I just picked this up at the library yesterday and the cover drew me in right away.  Even the title is mysterious and alluring.  Anyway, I liked the reading of this story more than I actually like the plot, not that that’s a bad thing, but I found myself wishing for a little more information towards the end of the book.  I think it’s partly because it’s meant for younger audiences than myself!

Before I get ahead of myself though…a summary.  The book begins as three members of a family are murdered (not graphically, but maybe a little too disturbing to read to my six year old).  The murderer heads to the last family members bedroom, a toddler and finds that the baby has disappeared.  The murderer follows the baby’s scent to a nearby graveyard where ghosts help protect him and eventually become his family. They name him Nobody, Bod for short, and teach give him the Freedom of the Graveyard which allows him to see and visit with all of the ghosts and learn some graveyard tricks.

The rest of the story is kind of meandering as it tells the tale of Bod’s childhood, but Gaiman is such a good storyteller that the road is actually much more interesting than the destination.  Of course, throughout the story, the murderer still looks for Bod and periodically appears, but it’s not until the climax that Bod must face him.  Along the way he has many adventures and learns many lessons that aren’t necessarily related to the ending but they are so captivating that as the reader, I didn’t really care.  This was a quick, enjoyable read with a little bit of magic and a little bit of intrigue and I loved it!

On a side note, I’ve decided I really need to come up with some kind of a rating system for the books I read because “I liked it” or “I didn’t like it” just aren’t cutting it for me anymore.  I think for now I’ll just give each book a rating out of 10 until I can come up with something  a little more creative.  So for this one, I give it an 8/10, maybe even an 8.5…

Other Reviews:

• 1 more chapter
• Stainless Steel Droppings
• Things Mean A lot
• Bart’s Bookshelf
• The Novel World
• Worducopia
• Becky’s Book Reviews

Fablehaven: Secrets of the Dragon Sanctuary by Brandon Mull

Read for: Once Upon a Time Challenge

This is the 4th book in the Fablehaven series and is just as good as the first three.  This time Kendra and Seth and others are trying to find the key to the vault housing one of the five artifacts.  The search takes them to a dragon sanctuary in Montana, where they meet giants and lots of dragons.

Of course there are many twists and turns and people who have unexpected talents and identities.  I don’t want to say too much about the book because to do so would give away too much of the story.  This 4th book in the series is just as exciting and readable as the first three.  Definitely a must read!

April 2nd was International Children’s Book Day. And April is National Poetry Month. In celebration, I have two lovely options for you this week:

Option A: Be a kid!

You could read a picture book (or two or three) and share what you read.
Write up a post sharing your favorite books from childhood
Write up a post about reading together with your child(ren)

Option B: Be a poet!

Write your own poem and share with us!
Write bookish ABC poems–ABC’s of favorite authors, favorite books, favorite characters, favorite book blogs, or any combination of the above. Maybe even an ABC’s of a bibliophile or book addict. (A is for…B is for…etc.)(For example, ABC’s of Dr. Seuss)
Review a book you’ve read recently in haiku. (It doesn’t need to be a poetry book you’re reviewing, any book will do.) See Emilyreads for an idea of what I mean.
Read a poetry book and review it
Participate in Poetry Friday (This week’s host will be Carol’s Corner.)

I’m not much for poetry so I’ve chosen option A.  I have quite a huge list, so here it goes:

• Below the Root, And All Between and Until the Celebration by Zilpha Keatley Snyder – I remember loving this trilogy when I was about 12 (?).  It was so magical and I could just see this fantasy world in my mind.  I haven’t read them in forever, but I am definitely going to try and pick them up again.
• The Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O’Dell – I remember reading this one for school in grade 5 and then rereading it over and over.  I loved Karana and I thought she was so smart and brave to create a home and existence for herself all on her own.
• Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O’Brien – The was another one we had to read for school.  I think this one was grade 3.  I loved it because I loved the thought of the rats creating this whole little world for themselves underground.  I recently read it to my 5 year-old and I think he liked it a lot too.
• The Indian in the Cupboard by Lynne Reid Banks – I’m starting to see a pattern here!  I seemed to really like books with a little bit of magic in them.  I loved the thought of a little toy coming to life.  I used to wish that some of my toys would come to life too! I hope my son will enjoy this one as much as I did.
• A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle – This is another fantasical classic.  I remember liking this one because it was kind of science-y (not a real word, I know) and that was right up my alley.  I also read the sequels to this one and I liked them just as much.  I plan on reading all of these to my son as well.

I could go on and on, but I think I’ll revisit this topic another time!

This book was originally intended for adults but was marketed in the US for young adults.

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

The Book Thief takes place during WWII and one of the most interesting things about it, is that it is told from the point of view of death.  I know that makes it sound like kind of a morbid story, but it’s really not.  Death is not the stereotypical grim reaper type character.  In fact, death isn’t really even a character in the story.  The story is really about a young girl named Liesel, who due to circumstances caused by the war is going to be left with a foster family in a town near Munich.  Her father has been imprisoned for his communist sympathies, her brother has died from an illness and her mother can no longer care for her.  It is as her brother is being buried that Liesel becomes the book thief, grabbing a book she spots at the graveyard.  It is this act that causes Death to take an interest in Liesel.

As Liesel goes to live with the couple that have agreed to take her in Death continues to keep an eye on her.  She quickly adjusts to her new life and develops strong relationships with her new family and some of the people who live on her street.  Liesel continues to steal books with the help of her foster father, she begins to learn to read.  She uses her stolen books for other purposes as well, including comforting neighbours during an air raid.

This story contains all the regular types of occurrences you expect to find in a WWII story – loved ones dying and disappearing , Jews being persecuted and forced into hiding, and fear and hardship, but they take such a unique twist that the story isn’t boring or predictable.  I especially love the use of colour in the narrative.  Zusak uses colour as a noun rather than an adjective and colour is a very important part of this novel.  One of the reasons I’ve chosen this as on of my favourites is that the story is touching and real, but never overly depressing.  It’s an easy read with lovable characters and an uplifting message.

I have read another book by Zusak (I am the Messanger) but it wasn’t nearly as good as The Book Thief so I won’t recommend it.