YOU MUST STOP WHAT YOU'RE DOING AND GET THIS BOOK NOW!!!
Ok - I went into it a little biased, I'll admit, because I absolutely love New Orleans. However, the story here is MOST excellent: full of family secrets and curses and all the decadent eccentricities of old money in the South. It has a little bit of everything - akin to what Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil was to Savannah. If you're a fan of that setting, then you'll also like this book simply for the inclusion of so many well-known streets and locations. I mean come on! Half the book is set in Lafayette Cemetery No. 1 in the Garden District. UM YES, PLEASE?!!
Anyway, besides the appealing location of the story, there's also the superb story-telling abilities of Paula Morris. From Rebecca Brown, the protagonist, all the way through the entire line-up of characters, we get a interesting characters who all have their own stories to tell. There was never a point during this book that I "skimmed ahead" as I'm wont to do when descriptions start to go a little long. I read every single word of this book. I didn't want to miss a BIT of it.
This book makes me want to read more Paula Morris! I'm planning to read the follow-up book, Unbroken, during the holiday break. We'll see. I'm also reading A Girl with No Name by Diney Costeloe right now and it just keeps getting better!
Now - seriously ... hit the bookstore, download, do whatever it is you do to get books and go get Ruined by Paula Morris. You can thank me later ... but you're welcome in advance.
Sunday, December 18, 2016
Saturday, December 17, 2016
Spoiler-Free Review: Dawn of the Dreadfuls by Steve Hockensmith
I have to admit, I was wary of this one as I got it at the school book fair for only $1. I was worried that I was going to get exactly what I paid for ... and was nicely surprised. Written by Steve Hockensmith, this prequel to Pride and Prejudice and Zombies was pretty well-written in my opinion. I enjoyed the way he was able to preserve the style of writing, while effectively creating a whole back story to go with the Bennett daughters so fans get a more in-depth look at how they became who they are in PPZ.
I was amazed at how long it took me to read this one though. It seems as though the pages have twice as many words on them as a normal book, yet it's a fairly small-sized book. I honestly felt like I read this book slower than the three other books I read before it. It actually took me an entire YEAR to get the whole thing read. I have no idea why. It wasn't boring. It wasn't too wordy. It just ... I don't know. It was like that yummy bite of steak that you just can't seem to chew enough to swallow and be done with it.
I have to say that I recommend it though. The fighting scenes are not as graphic as some books, but there is enough female bad-assery in other ways that it all balances out. The relationship between these girls and their father is great, and I love how even the youngest girls are held to this warrior standard. While some of them are definitely softer than others, the expectations are the same, and they all live up to them. I think that's what I love about the book the most.
I haven't read Pride and Prejudice and Zombies yet, but I have it. I think I'll put it into rotation soon once I have finished the two I'm reading, and gotten well into one I already have in the queue. Once I read that one, I'll be able to give a better comparison for those of you that have read it and are considering Dawn of the Dreadfuls. I see that Mr. Hockensmith has also written a sequel to PPZ called Dreadfully Ever After. I may have to squeeze that into my 2017 reading goals list!
Anyway, I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys classic fiction and wants to spice it up a little with some zombie goodness. It has all the eloquent word-smithing we love about classic literature, but with the modern-day twist of heroism in the face of the zombie apocalypse - a fine combination, if you ask me!
I was amazed at how long it took me to read this one though. It seems as though the pages have twice as many words on them as a normal book, yet it's a fairly small-sized book. I honestly felt like I read this book slower than the three other books I read before it. It actually took me an entire YEAR to get the whole thing read. I have no idea why. It wasn't boring. It wasn't too wordy. It just ... I don't know. It was like that yummy bite of steak that you just can't seem to chew enough to swallow and be done with it.
I have to say that I recommend it though. The fighting scenes are not as graphic as some books, but there is enough female bad-assery in other ways that it all balances out. The relationship between these girls and their father is great, and I love how even the youngest girls are held to this warrior standard. While some of them are definitely softer than others, the expectations are the same, and they all live up to them. I think that's what I love about the book the most.
I haven't read Pride and Prejudice and Zombies yet, but I have it. I think I'll put it into rotation soon once I have finished the two I'm reading, and gotten well into one I already have in the queue. Once I read that one, I'll be able to give a better comparison for those of you that have read it and are considering Dawn of the Dreadfuls. I see that Mr. Hockensmith has also written a sequel to PPZ called Dreadfully Ever After. I may have to squeeze that into my 2017 reading goals list!
Anyway, I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys classic fiction and wants to spice it up a little with some zombie goodness. It has all the eloquent word-smithing we love about classic literature, but with the modern-day twist of heroism in the face of the zombie apocalypse - a fine combination, if you ask me!
Friday, November 25, 2016
Spoiler-Free Review: In a Dark, Dark Wood by Ruth Ware
Since the new school year started, I got a little swamped in all my lesson planning and paper grading and had trouble carving out time for books. However, some of my students this year share my love of scary fiction and have made some great recommendations. The most recent one was In a Dark, Dark Wood by Ruth Ware. I have to say, this particular student knows me well because this was "on point" as the kids say.
Overall, I really thought it was great story insofar as the story builds, keeps you going page after page, and then ties up nicely. The only aspect of the story that left me sort of confused was the character Melanie and what her purpose was. Other than providing an opportunity to build Flo's character, I'm not sure why she was part of the story.
The language is cool because it's clearly British English. The words and descriptions sometimes vary from what I'm used to hearing/reading as an American (such as calling a cell phone a "mobile"), but I loved it. It had me reading it in my head with a British accent, which is always fun.
It's definitely suspenseful. I really enjoyed the way the book was organized as a series of flashbacks. The way Ware writes it, we float in and out of the narrator's memory of an insane weekend in the woods with a group of people that is a mix of old friends and complete strangers. We make discoveries about characters and the events that take place as the narrator recalls and shares them. Every other chapter or so, we're back in a hospital bed with the narrator, back in "real time", putting together pieces of why she's in a hospital to start with and what happened to put her there. Then after a quick check-in, we go back into her memory and the thriller part of the story carries on.
The end has a great twist as well. Since this is "spoiler-free", I'm not going to go into it. However, I will say that it was a satisfying end in my opinion, and didn't leave a bunch of unanswered questions. There is something left to the imagination, but not in a lazy way where it feels like the author let us down and didn't provide a full resolution.
I read this book faster than I've read a book in a very long time. I couldn't stop. To call it a "page turner" is an understatement! If you like a good thriller, I highly recommend this book. Now I can't wait to get my hands on Ruth Ware's The Woman in Cabin 10 next!
Overall, I really thought it was great story insofar as the story builds, keeps you going page after page, and then ties up nicely. The only aspect of the story that left me sort of confused was the character Melanie and what her purpose was. Other than providing an opportunity to build Flo's character, I'm not sure why she was part of the story.
The language is cool because it's clearly British English. The words and descriptions sometimes vary from what I'm used to hearing/reading as an American (such as calling a cell phone a "mobile"), but I loved it. It had me reading it in my head with a British accent, which is always fun.
It's definitely suspenseful. I really enjoyed the way the book was organized as a series of flashbacks. The way Ware writes it, we float in and out of the narrator's memory of an insane weekend in the woods with a group of people that is a mix of old friends and complete strangers. We make discoveries about characters and the events that take place as the narrator recalls and shares them. Every other chapter or so, we're back in a hospital bed with the narrator, back in "real time", putting together pieces of why she's in a hospital to start with and what happened to put her there. Then after a quick check-in, we go back into her memory and the thriller part of the story carries on.
The end has a great twist as well. Since this is "spoiler-free", I'm not going to go into it. However, I will say that it was a satisfying end in my opinion, and didn't leave a bunch of unanswered questions. There is something left to the imagination, but not in a lazy way where it feels like the author let us down and didn't provide a full resolution.
I read this book faster than I've read a book in a very long time. I couldn't stop. To call it a "page turner" is an understatement! If you like a good thriller, I highly recommend this book. Now I can't wait to get my hands on Ruth Ware's The Woman in Cabin 10 next!
Friday, July 8, 2016
Spoiler-Free Review: Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee
Title: Go Set a Watchman
Author: Harper Lee
Publisher: HarperCollins
Year of Publication: 2015
Genre: Historical Fiction
As I've mentioned before, To Kill a Mockingbird has been my all-time favorite book since junior high school. Needless to say, when I heard a second book by Harper Lee was being released last year, my heart skipped a beat. I was on that pre-order list superquick. I eagerly anticipated its arrival on my doorstep. When I finally had it in my hot little hands, I realized quickly that while this book is still from the perspective of Scout Finch, it's not fair to call it a sequel. Why? Several reasons ...
First of all, Harper Lee actually wrote this book FIRST. Her editor told her it was good, but to try writing it from a different perspective. So she did. And it was good. To Kill a Mockingbird was a huge success, enabled Ms. Lee to obtain a Pulitzer Prize, and became an American classic.
Second of all, this book, with Scout Finch twenty years older, is another book about race and civil rights in the Deep South just like TKAM- but it's not really a sequel. Scout is very similar as far as her character traits, but Atticus is slightly darker and less heroic than he was in TKAM. However, isn't that the case with parents? When we're little, they're like all-knowing gods, but as we grow up and become adults, we realized they're just grown-up kids trying to figure things out like the rest of us. I appreciate the way Atticus is shown in the different light. No he's not the perfect Atticus we remember from Mockingbird, but his flaws as an older man make him seem even more believable character than he already was.
If you haven't read this book yet, and want to, I would recommend reading To Kill a Mockingbird first. Even though they were written in the opposite order, read 6-year old Scout before you read about 26-year old Scout. Yes, it's difficult to see 50-something Atticus followed by 70-something Atticus, but that's how things go. We all have our own perspective on things, and that perspective changes as we experience and observe things. Atticus Finch is no exception. Make sure you keep him in context and remember that he's in the Deep South, where the racial climate was tense and difficult to navigate for those involved criminal justice and politics - like Atticus.
It's a wonderful read. Some parts move faster than others. I'm biased because Harper Lee is my literary idol, but since TKAM is one of those books that "everyone who reads" has read, it can't hurt to have read "that other book starring Scout Finch". You won't regret it.
Have you read it? What did you think? I'd love to hear your opinions!
DISCLAIMER: THE COMMENTS ARE NOT GUARANTEED TO BE SPOILER FREE! IT'S OPEN SEASON DOWN THERE, SO BEWARE IF YOU HAVEN'T READ IT AND DON'T WANT TO KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT IT YET!
Tuesday, July 5, 2016
Spoiler-Free Review: Out of the Easy by Ruta Sepetys
Title: Out of the Easy
Author: Ruta Sepetys
Publisher: The Penguin Group
Year of Publication: 2013
Genre: Young Adult - Historical Fiction
Out of the Easy is a beautifully written New York Times Bestseller and Carnegie Medal nominated novel by Ruta Sepetys that is set in 1950 in New Orleans, Louisiana. I read this book with my daughters as our first "book club" book that we discussed online via Skype every Sunday for several weeks. Our goal was to read ten chapters a week - which sounds like a lot - but Ruta likes short chapters, so ten Sepetys chapters equals two Rowling chapters. LOL! Plus it reads SUPER QUICK. Reading Ruta's writing is like eating a bucket of popcorn. You can't stop until you get to the bottom of the bucket and there's just nothing left. I even read the Acknowledgements at the very end. I NEVER READ THAT. I just really didn't want it to end!
Without spoiling the book, I'll say that the plot is excellent. The main character, Josie, is a teenager who's grown up in the French Quarter among prostitutes and tough guys due to her mother being a prostitute. The intriguing part is that Josie is NOTHING like her wayward mother and spends a lot of time wondering who her father is. The book holds some great characters such as the brothel madame, Willie Woodley, who is loosely based on an actual New Orleans madame during that time period. Ruta really did her homework on this one, and as someone who LOVES New Orleans, I loved reading about Josie walking down streets I've walked down and seeing things I've seen. To top it off, Josie lives on her own in a little room over a bookstore in the the French Quarter. Think about that, Book People. She lived in a room over a BOOKSTORE in the FRENCH QUARTER! Does it get any more romantic and hip than that? I don't think so ...
The only thing I didn't like about the book is that there's no resolution to a big question set forth early on in the book. I can't go into detail without spoiling something, but for those who have read the book, I think you know what I'm talking about. There's some insinuation in the book about the answer, but no real concrete evidence to provide any closure, in my opinion. I'd be interested to find out what those who have read it think.
Kids - I would say this is definitely something I wouldn't recommend to anyone younger than 13 just because of some of the language in the book. As it's a young adult book, the "adult situations" that one would assume would be in a book full of whores is actually handled with grace and discretion. All my girls read it, but the 10-year old was a little young for some of it. She was feeling left out and we were already too far in to stop - plus she's the third kid, so there's a degree of laissez-faire parenting going on there. Sue me. However, for OTHER people, I would say 13 and up - and again - it's because of language - not carnal activities.
If you've read this book, I'd love to hear from you in the comments!
DISCLAIMER: THE COMMENTS ARE NOT GUARANTEED TO BE SPOILER FREE! IT'S OPEN SEASON DOWN THERE, SO BEWARE IF YOU HAVEN'T READ IT AND DON'T WANT TO KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT IT YET!
Author: Ruta Sepetys
Publisher: The Penguin Group
Year of Publication: 2013
Genre: Young Adult - Historical Fiction
Out of the Easy is a beautifully written New York Times Bestseller and Carnegie Medal nominated novel by Ruta Sepetys that is set in 1950 in New Orleans, Louisiana. I read this book with my daughters as our first "book club" book that we discussed online via Skype every Sunday for several weeks. Our goal was to read ten chapters a week - which sounds like a lot - but Ruta likes short chapters, so ten Sepetys chapters equals two Rowling chapters. LOL! Plus it reads SUPER QUICK. Reading Ruta's writing is like eating a bucket of popcorn. You can't stop until you get to the bottom of the bucket and there's just nothing left. I even read the Acknowledgements at the very end. I NEVER READ THAT. I just really didn't want it to end!
Without spoiling the book, I'll say that the plot is excellent. The main character, Josie, is a teenager who's grown up in the French Quarter among prostitutes and tough guys due to her mother being a prostitute. The intriguing part is that Josie is NOTHING like her wayward mother and spends a lot of time wondering who her father is. The book holds some great characters such as the brothel madame, Willie Woodley, who is loosely based on an actual New Orleans madame during that time period. Ruta really did her homework on this one, and as someone who LOVES New Orleans, I loved reading about Josie walking down streets I've walked down and seeing things I've seen. To top it off, Josie lives on her own in a little room over a bookstore in the the French Quarter. Think about that, Book People. She lived in a room over a BOOKSTORE in the FRENCH QUARTER! Does it get any more romantic and hip than that? I don't think so ...
The only thing I didn't like about the book is that there's no resolution to a big question set forth early on in the book. I can't go into detail without spoiling something, but for those who have read the book, I think you know what I'm talking about. There's some insinuation in the book about the answer, but no real concrete evidence to provide any closure, in my opinion. I'd be interested to find out what those who have read it think.
Kids - I would say this is definitely something I wouldn't recommend to anyone younger than 13 just because of some of the language in the book. As it's a young adult book, the "adult situations" that one would assume would be in a book full of whores is actually handled with grace and discretion. All my girls read it, but the 10-year old was a little young for some of it. She was feeling left out and we were already too far in to stop - plus she's the third kid, so there's a degree of laissez-faire parenting going on there. Sue me. However, for OTHER people, I would say 13 and up - and again - it's because of language - not carnal activities.
If you've read this book, I'd love to hear from you in the comments!
DISCLAIMER: THE COMMENTS ARE NOT GUARANTEED TO BE SPOILER FREE! IT'S OPEN SEASON DOWN THERE, SO BEWARE IF YOU HAVEN'T READ IT AND DON'T WANT TO KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT IT YET!
Allow Me to Introduce Myself ... :) READ THIS FIRST!
Hello out there!
My name is Ms. H and I am an eighth grade writing teacher in Texas. I decided to start this blog as a way for me to communicate and share with my bookish students who love to read, but that I don't get to spend enough time with talking about BOOKS! I have three daughters of my own - ages 10, 13 and 16 - and they all love to read as well. Consequently, I have recently fallen in LOVE with young adult / teen fiction - especially historical fiction as that's my favorite genre. In fact, my all-time favorite book is To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. Recently, we read a wonderful book together (that I'll discuss more in another post) despite having one daughter that lives over seas. I bought it for her at the Houston TeenBookCon a couple months ago and had the author sign it for her. It was so good, we decided to all read it together. We just met on Skype every Sunday and talked about the week's chapters. It was awesome. We called it the "Sister Tribe Book Club", and it was the inspiration for this "online book club blog".
So my vision for this blog is for it to eventually become like an online book club. Once I get myself organized, and there are enough followers on here, I'm going to choose a book (perhaps something recommended by one of you), then we'll set weekly reading goals and I'll put up some discussion questions each week that will help get the conversation going. I figure we can just use the comments feature on here to communicate as a group. We might even consider setting up a Google Hangout at some point if there's enough interest. Possibilities!
That being said, please be mindful of other people's feelings when posting comments on my blog, or I'll have to deal with you. Just like my classroom, I want this to be a safe place where people can have open discussions and express their opinions and thoughts without fear of judgement. I do not tolerate rudeness, bullying or belittling. Please keep your comments on topic and respectful.
Now I'd love it if you guys would post in the comments and tell ME a little about YOU!
What's your favorite genre of book?
What's your favorite all-time book and who write it?
Do you have any autographed books? If so, who signed it?
Have you ever been part of a book club - either in person or online?
Anything else you want me to know about you ...?
My name is Ms. H and I am an eighth grade writing teacher in Texas. I decided to start this blog as a way for me to communicate and share with my bookish students who love to read, but that I don't get to spend enough time with talking about BOOKS! I have three daughters of my own - ages 10, 13 and 16 - and they all love to read as well. Consequently, I have recently fallen in LOVE with young adult / teen fiction - especially historical fiction as that's my favorite genre. In fact, my all-time favorite book is To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. Recently, we read a wonderful book together (that I'll discuss more in another post) despite having one daughter that lives over seas. I bought it for her at the Houston TeenBookCon a couple months ago and had the author sign it for her. It was so good, we decided to all read it together. We just met on Skype every Sunday and talked about the week's chapters. It was awesome. We called it the "Sister Tribe Book Club", and it was the inspiration for this "online book club blog".
So my vision for this blog is for it to eventually become like an online book club. Once I get myself organized, and there are enough followers on here, I'm going to choose a book (perhaps something recommended by one of you), then we'll set weekly reading goals and I'll put up some discussion questions each week that will help get the conversation going. I figure we can just use the comments feature on here to communicate as a group. We might even consider setting up a Google Hangout at some point if there's enough interest. Possibilities!
That being said, please be mindful of other people's feelings when posting comments on my blog, or I'll have to deal with you. Just like my classroom, I want this to be a safe place where people can have open discussions and express their opinions and thoughts without fear of judgement. I do not tolerate rudeness, bullying or belittling. Please keep your comments on topic and respectful.
Now I'd love it if you guys would post in the comments and tell ME a little about YOU!
What's your favorite genre of book?
What's your favorite all-time book and who write it?
Do you have any autographed books? If so, who signed it?
Have you ever been part of a book club - either in person or online?
Anything else you want me to know about you ...?
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