Carter Finally Gets It by Brent Crawford

American Literature April 7, 2009 Superfast Reader 4 Comments

Synopsis: Carter just can’t believe he’s still a virgin, but hopefully starting high school will change all that! Review: Carter Finally Gets It was really not for me. I am very sensitive now that I’m a mom and it was really hard to read about 13- and 14-year-old girls dressing like prostitutes. I just don’t want to read about children being sexually active as a comedy. If you’re new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. This message will disappear after 3…

The Addict by Michael Stein

American Literature March 31, 2009 Superfast Reader

Synopsis: One year in the treatment of a Vicodin addict, as told by the internist who treated her with medication. Review: Dr. Michael Stein is an internist specializing in prescribing a drug that blocks the effect of painkillers on a patient. In The Addict, subtitled One Patient, One Doctor, One Year, Stein recounts his journey treating Lucy, a promising young woman whose life has been stunted by an addiction to prescription medication. Lucy is meant to be an Everywoman; a college graduate, she’s a far…

The Girl She Used To Be by David Cristofano

American Literature March 26, 2009 Superfast Reader 1 Comment

Synopsis: Hidden in the witness protection program since she was a child, Melody wishes for the chance to be herself, and unwisely starts to fall for one of the gangster’s she’s hiding from. Review: The Girl She Used To Be by David Cristofano is a straightforward, enjoyable, affecting story about a young woman in an awful predicament. I really found myself trusting Jonathan, the young mafioso who recognizes Melody, and believing she’d be safe with him, despite all evidence to the contrary. The female voice…

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

American Literature March 21, 2009 Superfast Reader 9 Comments

Synopsis: Katniss Everdeen takes her sister’s place in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death between teenagers, televised for the whole world. Review: I asked my YA librarian friend if The Hunger Games was any good, and her report was that it wasn’t the best book she’d ever read but she couldn’t keep it on the shelves and the kids in her school were passing it around like crazy. Being a fan of YA literature and of Rollerball-type stories, I had to check…

Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson

American Literature March 19, 2009 Superfast Reader 4 Comments

Synopsis: The death of her best friend sends an anorexic girl into a backsliding tailspin. Review: While all of Laurie Halse Anderson‘s books are fantastic, Wintergirls is the first one to equal Speak in its simple depth, elegant honesty, and dynamic storytelling. Anderson frames Lia’s emotional journey through her grief over the death of her best friend, the girl who taught her to be anorexic in the first place. It’s a heartwrenching story because Lia’s suffering is so palpable, yet Anderson isn’t afraid to let…

The Scandinavian Cookbook

Norwegian Literature March 14, 2009 Superfast Reader 2 Comments

I don’t ordinary review cookbooks on my blog, though I am a pretty darn good cook. I love reading about food and trying new recipes, so when The Scandinavian Cookbook came up on Librarything‘s Early Reviewer program, I was hoping I’d score a copy. So glad that I did! This is a gorgeous cookbook with recipes that I’m dying to get cracking on. The format of the cookbook takes you through a Scandinavian year, placing the emphasis on traditional dishes and seasonal cooking. The recipes…

The Warded Man by Peter V. Brett

American Literature, Australian Literature March 10, 2009 Superfast Reader 12 Comments

Synopsis: At night, the demons rise, terrorizing humanity for centuries until three grown orphans dare to fight back. Review: Warning: freak-out coming… THE WARDED MAN ROCKED ROCKED ROCKED. I mean, seriously. I am losing my mind over how good this book was. Why oh why oh why am I going to have to wait all the way until the end of the year to read the next book? I haven’t been this insane about a book since I read Assassin’s Apprentice. I was so sucked…

Before the Dawn by Carolyne Aarson

American Literature March 9, 2009 Superfast Reader

Synopsis: After the sudden death of her daughter, a farmer’s wife finds herself raising her teenage grandchildren, who are used to urban life. Review: I don’t ordinarily read books like Before the Dawn, but a good friend of mine recommended it, and I always check out recommendations. The setup of the book is quite simple, nothing very innovative, but I did find Charlotte’s dilemma affecting. Perhaps it’s because I’m a mom, and anticipating the kinds of struggles Charlotte is facing, that I was intrigued by…

Jane Austen Ruined My Life by Beth Patillo

American Literature March 9, 2009 Superfast Reader 1 Comment

Synopsis: Jane Austen scholar Emma hunts Austen’s lost love letters in the hopes of restoring her besmirched academic name and to prove to the world that Austen was wrong about happy endings. Review: I came to Jane Austen relatively late in life. We were assigned Pride and Prejudice as summer reading in ninth grade. Honestly? It bored me to tears. For this sole reason I eschewed majoring in English in college in favor of a theater/American Studies combo just so that I could avoid British…

House of Stairs by William Sleator

American Literature March 8, 2009 Superfast Reader 3 Comments

Synopsis: Five orphan teens find themselves trapped in a room filled with nothing but stairs, which quickly turns into an experiment that may have no end. Review: House of Stairs is a book I read about a zillion times when I was a kid. The scenario enthralled me–a seemingly endless room with stairs as far as the eye can see, and a machine dispensing pellets of food as long as the kids performed a bizarrely elaborate dance. Things get darker when the machine changes its…

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