If I had read these books when I was the right age, they would probably have gotten 4 or 5 stars, but I’m a little too old for them now. These are 4 novels about Alanna of Trebond, a girl who wants to be a knight. Unfortunately, the last female knight in her country lived Continue Reading…
In Odd We Trust by Dean Koontz: Book Review
In the small town of Pico Mundo, an unassuming fry cook by the outlandish name of Odd Thomas has a special ability; he can see the dead. They can’t speak to him but they have their own ways of communicating. After the murder of a small boy, Odd sees his spirit wandering around. It’s obvious Continue Reading…
Madame Tussaud by Michelle Moran: Book Review
Marie Tussaud, or Grosholtz as she is named throughout most of the book, was in an ideal position to narrate a history of the French Revolution. A foreign-born commoner, she was neither part of the nobility nor of the starving peasants. She and her family owned, designed and operated the wax museum that has become Continue Reading…
The Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers: Book Review
John Singer is a deaf-mute living a solitary life in a Southern city. His best friend, Spiros Antonapoulos, has been taken away to the state asylum. But as Singer makes his solitary way through life, he draws a group of four lonely individuals to him: Mick Kelly, a poor young girl with dreams of being Continue Reading…
Déjà Dead by Kathy Reichs: Book Review
It’s impossible (for me, anyway) to read a forensic mystery without comparing it to the Scarpetta novels. This one was awesome! I haven’t read a forensic science mystery this good since the early Scarpettas! These novels are the basis for the TV series, Bones. I’ve never watched that show, so I didn’t come into this Continue Reading…
Forever by Maggie Stiefvater: Book Review
POSSIBLE SPOILERS FOR SHIVER AND LINGER!!! Now that Grace is a wolf, Sam finds himself at loose ends. He and Cole are rattling around Beck’s house and generally irritating each other. Mr. Culpeper is still determined to do something about the local wolf problem. Cole is determined to find a cure. The wolves’ lives are Continue Reading…
Memory & Dream by Charles de Lint: Book Review
Or, a love letter to Charles de Lint’s Newford books Izzy Copley is a college student majoring in art when she first meets world-famous artist Vincent Rushkin. She feels unworthy when he chooses to start teaching her his secrets. There’s a reason that he’s so secretive. He has a nasty temper and he frequently lashes Continue Reading…
The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making by Catherynne M. Valente: Book Review
September is bored at home. Her dad is fighting a far-off war and her mom is working long shifts at the factory. When the Green Wind comes along and offers to take her to fairyland, she jumps at the chance. But all is not well in fairyland. Good Queen Mallow has disappeared and The Marquess Continue Reading…
Naked Came the Leaf Peeper by Brian Lee Knopp: Book Review
4 Stars. Zany, unpredictable, and hilarious are probably the best words to describe this Western North Carolina tale. Written by 12 local authors, each getting a chapter, this seems to be a competition to see which one can throw the biggest curveball out for the next author to catch. They each did an […]
The Wayside School Collection by Louis Sachar: Book Review
Wayside school is just a little different. The builder built the school sideways, so it’s 30 classrooms stacked on top of each other. Mrs. Jewls’s class is on the 30th floor. That makes for a long hike for her students. The students at Wayside are a little different as well. One boy has a literal Continue Reading…
Uglies by Scott Westerfeld: Book Review
Tally lives in the future, in a world where, at the age of sixteen, everyone is made superhumanly pretty. The thinking is that by leveling the playing field, so to speak, racism, bullying, low self-esteem, and all the negative things that can be associated with personal appearance can be eliminated. But not everyone wants to Continue Reading…