Summer Reading Marathon

Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins.

Poorly edited, full of typos and inconsistencies but somehow I couldn't put it down. Huh. Another take on witches, weres, etc. at a most un-Hogwart's like school.









After Ever After by Jordan Sonnenblick.

Wonderful. Told from the perspective of a middle school aged cancer survivor. Funny and interesting with the right amount of cancer info and pitch perfect teen voice. Watch out for the ending, though foreshadowed it still comes like a punch in the stomach.





Half Brother by Kenneth Oppel.

I couldn't resist the premise of this one. A middle schooler whose dad is a professor of behavioral psychology gets hired by a university and encouraged to conduct a radical experiment - teaching a chimp  language. The family brings home a baby chimp and raises it as the protagonist's little brother, Zan, teaching him American Sign Language. When bad press and uneven test data doom the grant that is expected to fund the whole thing, dad decides to jettison the experiment and the chimp. By this time our protagonist is completely attached to his little brother, and the end is well done and realistic.





Keeping the Moon by Sarah Dessen.

In the category of books I should have read ages ago, this was worth taking the time to read. A great coming of age, full of quirky characters, mean girls, and everything else you'd expect in chick lit. A nice read.






The Help by Kathryn Stockett.

Finally read what everyone else read this past year. A must read. The life of black maids in the south in the 1960's.

HBO strikes again

Game of Thrones by George Martin.

Not sure about HBO's taste in literature, but once again I find myself battling to get books due to a surge in reading caused by HBO's choice. My kids have both read this entire series, waiting the latest installment, so I finally tried it. Eh. Reminds me of Philippa Gregory's The Other Bolyen Girl. Absorbing after a time.








Will Grayson, Will Grayson by David Levithan and John Green.

Fabulous. Corpulent, uber football player and gay in high school writes musical. Best friend/boy love, finding yourself, figuring it all out, the parents, etc. Intelligent and witty.

Ach, crivens!

                                                   


The Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchet.

Witchcraft old school - forget the wands and flashy schools with wizards. Thinks herbs and Boffo.

The coming of age of the witch Tiffany Aching in a remote village in the british countryside known as the chalk with healthy help from an unholy band of Feegles. Tiffany embraces witchcraft knowing her countrymen often toss those suspected of being witches into ponds or leave them to die in the snow.

I ran through all three of the Aching adventures - a small neighborhood of Pratchett's Discworld series. Witty, intelligent, and rollicking.

On the Serious Side, Kind of ...

The Last Summer of the Death Warriors by Francisco X. Stork.

I read Marcelo in the Real World last year and was floored at how he nailed the Aspergers character. Spot on, empathetic, pitch perfect. And the writing was fabulous. So, when I saw this one, I had to have it. It took me a year to get to it, and it was a little more work to get into, but it paid off. Wow. I was up until 2 a.m. because I had to see the end. Poor mexican kid who had lost his whole family is on a vendetta meets anglo dying of cancer. An unlikely friendship, a strange path. Hints of Going Bovine. Unique and beautiful. What a writer!



Ostrich Boys by Keith Gray.

Again, took me a year to get to this and I regret it. Think Thirteen Reasons Why from a male perspective, with the squashing of feelings and twisted turns that might take. The british terms and geography may make this challenging for some, but it is worth the ride. Powerful truths about the complicated lives boys lead in those teen years.



The Legend of Bass Reeves by Gary Paulsen.

I was intrigued by the picture book Bad News for Outlaws and found a reference to this book in the back. Paulsen's writing is lovely, and he does a great job of revealing cherished western legends like Billy the Kid for what they are - frauds - with the exception of this unsung african american hero. Bass's life was long and every minute seemed filled with enough to make any life memorable. Paulsen does an amazing job of honoring this african american hero. Born to slavery, family to native americans in the indian territory, and the best deputy federal marshall the west ever saw. An amazing life.

Etc., etc., etc.

The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume One: The Pox Party by M.T. Anderson.

Complex and challenging, once you get hooked he switches voices! And you almost put it down, but you can't, and you're glad you don't. A completely different take on historical fiction circa the run up to the Revolutionary War. The author's note encourages further investigation but leaves no doubt about his painstaking research in support of this stellar story. The ending begs to be continued. On to Volume Two!

Zombies vs. Unicorns, edited by Holly Black and Justine Larbaleister.

Okay, who could resist such a title? And the cover art and end papers? The entire tone of this collection of short stories by some of the heaviest hitters in YA fiction is smart and wry. Loved the first story, got mostly through the second and did not think I could get away with it in 7-8. High school, I think. Too bad. My son loved it. The censors, likely not.

Middle School, The Worst Years of My Life by James Patterson.

Heavy hitter Patterson of Maximum Ride fame takes on the Wimpy Kid and, well, falls short. Part of the pleasure of Kinney's character is the comforting normality, even banality, of his life, against which the tortures of school are bearable. Here we have a protagonist so marginalized that, at grade seven, he still talks to his imaginary friend. And home? Single struggling mom, unemployed abusive boyfriend, hardscrabble existence - stop!

It's challenging to pull off humor under these conditions. See The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbra Robinson for an excellent example of how to accomplish this. If you've grown up in a traditional Catholic household you will laugh until you cry.

Wow

Beauty Queens by Libba Bray.

Amazing. Fantastic. Typical Libba Bray. Intelligent, creative, hilarious, and a constant sense of, Oh my god, she actually said that out loud. Miss Teen USA meets Lord of the Flies meets dystopia starring evil Corporation. America's obsession with appearance and celebrity grilled to perfection. Even the cover art is spot on.

Just Read

I think I let this go too long and forgot what I've read. Here's my best guess at the last few weeks.



Mercury by Hope Larson.

A graphic novel recommended by the new YA librarian at my local library. Wonderful black and white illustrations. The story of two young women in the same family, one hundred years apart. Family tragedy, first love, friendship. This story skirts the line between reality and the supernatural nicely. No vampires or greek gods, but old wives tales told in a way that makes one wonder.





If I Stay by Gayle Forman.

Been meaning to read this one for awhile. A young woman daydreams of her boyfriend as her parents and younger brother argue over the choice of music for the trip to grandma's house when a car accident kills all but our protagonist. She is left in a coma, and her narration is out of body. When she realizes that the only thing keeping her alive is her decision whether to stay, and live, or go, and die, she undertakes a blistering examination of her relationships with family and friends and a hard look at her own dreams for the future. It is unclear until the end what she will decide, and this keeps the pages turning nicely. Well done.



Fat Vampire by Adam Rex.

Ugh. I like a good vampire story, but I couldn't get beyond the first chapter of this one. Skip it, unless bad jokes about fat kids is your thing.







Bite Club by Rachel Caine.

The tenth in the Morganville series, I was a bit under-impressed. I love this series, but Claire's tolerance for Shane's new career as a fight club punk and his easy dismissal of her and the entire Glass house was a bit much to take. Also, the best characters -Amelie, Oliver, Myrnin - only played bit roles. I hope this is not the end, but.





Set to Sea by Drew Weing.

A beautiful graphic novel. The story begins with a sorry sort who aspires to be a poet but can't find the words. When he's abducted and taken aboard a ship he learns the life of a sailor and gains the necessary material to realize his dream.

  Dead Reckoning by Charlaine Harris.

      Number eleven in the series. Is Sookie getting whiny or is it just me? Looks bad for Eric and good for Bill - we've come full circle. The foreshadowing promised lots of fairy politics and less of what made the books so much fun. Sigh.