Synopsis: Freed from the clutches of the madman who abducted her, a broken young woman tries desperately to make sense of what happened to her. Review: I find it really strange that the New York Times gave Still Missing such a glowing review, because while I enjoyed the read I didn’t think it rose above genre expectations at all. The prose is pedestrian and the revelations contrived. Oh well.
Synopsis: Allie the Outcast, the Chocolate Ogre, the McGill, and Mary Queen of Snots meet up with Jackin’ Jill and Zach the Ripper and discover that there’s a lot more to Everlost than just limbo after death. Review: In Everwild, Neal Shusterman deepens the mythology he created in Everlost, adding new characters and concepts with tremendous panache. Allie the Outcast has discovered the power to leap into the bodies of the still living, and when she joins forces with a small group of fellow skinjackers,…
Synopsis: Two teens find themselves in a limbo world between life and death. Review: I first read about Everlost on It’s All About Books and was totally intrigued by Suey’s rave review. Nick and Allie were victims of a fatal car accident, but instead of making it to the bright white light they were bumped into Everlost. They learn quickly that they have to keep moving or else they will sink through the ground all the way to the center of the earth. There are…
Synopsis: The wearied mother to the heiress of Chalion attempts to flee her past insanity, only to find herself possessed by a god called The Bastard and sent on a perplexing mission of grave theological danger. Review: Paladin of Souls is the sequel to Lois McMaster Bujold’s Curse of Chalion, which I read a few years ago and greatly enjoyed. Ista is the dowager royina of Chalion, a title placing her in the top echelon of the land. She had a bad experience with one…
Synopsis: A history of thrift in American culture. Review: While the history that comprises most of In Cheap We Trust was well-researched and presented, I really wanted a lot more present-day analysis. I really appreciated the chapter on the greenwashing of consumption, and how buying secondhand is, in many ways, a lot more eco friendly than buying something brand new even if it’s made sustainably. I was also hoping for a lot more practical suggestions for being thriftier, but I was just mistaken about what…
Synopsis: In the wake of tragedy, a middle-aged divorcée, her sister, and her two grown daughters retreat to the family home on remote, rustic Tuckernuck Island off the coast of Nantucket, where buried secrets and repressed longings burst to the surface. Review: The Island is a book about loss, grief, and longing, with 3 of the main characters haunted by the untimely death of a lover. The main character, Birdie, has survived a divorce after decades of marriage, and has just embarked on her first…
Synopsis: A white woman writes the lives of the black women who work for her and her friends in early 1960s Jackson, Mississippi. Review: After having a half a dozen people recommend The Help, and then not being able to find it at the library, I decided to take the plunge and buy myself a shiny new hardcover copy. I went in with low expectations, because more often than not I’m disappointed by these kinds of books. Thank goodness I listened to my very smart…
Synopsis: A group of misfit classics students at a small Northeastern college take things too far. Review: Love The Secret History! Have read it at least 3 maybe 4 times since it came out back when I was in college. And that’s all I have to say because I finished it at 11pm and had my 2nd baby at 3:20am and I’m a bit too tired to blog 🙂
Synopsis: A rogue fairy escapes her magical world and teams up with a regular boy in order to save Faery and the human world from a devastating threat. Review: Wayfarer might be a fairy story, but it’s mostly set in the normal world and works very hard to keep things grounded and as realistic as possible. I have to admit that I was more engaged by the relationship between Linden and Timothy than anything else that was going on. Wayfarer is the sequel to Faery…
Synopsis: As a group of reindeer herdspeople approach their summer grounds, simmering tensions and unspoken accusations bubble up with murderous results. Review: Wolf’s Brother is the completion of the story begun in The Reindeer People, and I was more than satisfied with the resolution. While the book’s setting recalls Clan of the Cave Bear, the story itself focuses around what could be considered a murder mystery, and the genre-blending is what really kept me turning pages. Megan Lindholm brings the action to a thrilling climax…