YA Weekend: the ghostgirl series

I'm not sure what drew me to Tonya Hurley's ghostgirl series. I think I read some reviews on various book blogs and thought the concept sounded interesting.

In the first book ghostgirl, Charlotte finds herself starting her junior year of high school. She has vowed to do anything she can this year to become part of the popular crowd. She spent all summer planning her return to school and how she was going to reinvent herself. And on the very first day of school, she is lucky enough to get paired up with her dream guy in Physics class. Then she just so happens to choke to death....on a gummy bear. From there she is whisked away to the Afterlife or actually somewhere in between. She (as a ghost) now must attend Dead Ed in the same high school she attended while living. She learns she can pop in on her living classmates and see what they are up to. While doing so, she realizes that Scarlet, the sister of Queen Bee Petula, can see her. The two embark on a strange friendship. Throughout the course of the book, Charlotte refuses to accept her death and still tries to get the guy and be popular by living vicariously through her "living" classmates. By continuing to deal with the living, she alienates herself from her fellow dead students.

The second book Homecoming finds Charlotte now moved on to the other side, though she's not quite sure if this is heaven or some place in between. She and the other Dead Ed students are working in a phone bank answering calls from teenagers who can use their help. Day in and day out Charlotte's phone never rings, frustrating her to no end. Back at her old high school, Queen Bee Petula has contracted a deadly staph infection from a botched pedicure. It seems the only way to help her out of her coma is for her sister Scarlet to go to the other side to find Charlotte to help her.

These books are very light fare and perfect for the 13-15 year old set. For me, Charlotte gets a bit annoying with her whiny attitude toward the injustice of her death. It also bugs me how much she wants to be one of the popular girls. I love the character of Scarlet. I was glad that the football jock dreamboat seemed to have more depth to him than what you would expect. These are somewhat fun, but a bit mediocre overall. They are very quick reads. The books themselves are gorgeous with a die-cut cover, color and decorative embellishments on every page and silver trimmed pages. HOWEVER, the extra height of the book (and perhaps the silver trim) make the book very heavy and awkward to hold for long periods of time.

These are very good for escapist reading. A third installment ghostgirl: Lovesick is due out this July.

Source disclosure: I borrowed these books from the library.

St. Patrick's Day Murder

Holiday reading can be fun, so I picked up the 14th installment of Leslie Meier's Lucy Stone series in anticipation of St. Patrick's Day. I've read a few books in this series and knew it wasn't a "must read in order" series. Lucy is a reporter for the Pennysaver in Tinker's Cover, Maine. Her pregnant daughter-in-law is in the hospital with toxemia and her daughter is under the influence of a fanciful child convinced that fairies are real. But she finds time to investigate when local pub owner Old Dan is found, without his head. Old Dan's estranged brother arrives from Ireland with his abrasive wife, with plans to produce Finnegan's Wake with the local church. Lucy ends up in the chorus, despite a lack of singing talent, giving her a window into the drama behind the scenes. The ending will surprise no one. This isn't on my A list of mystery series, but Lucy is usually a fun diversion. I expected a blarney-infused installment to be highly entertaining, but the plot was dull and plodding. One victim's death is so far-fetched as to be laughable. Celtic/Irish lore is thrown in for effect, but nothing really sticks. The attitudes of the Tinker's Cove residents changing toward the newcomer is implausible, and the "surprise" toxemia grated on my nerves, since that's the sort of thing that's closely monitored. All in all, an installment you could skip, and not recommended for your St. Patrick's Day fix.

Mystery Monday - Sequels Edition

The Seventh Witch by Shirley Damsgaard is the seventh in the Abby and Ophelia series about a psychic librarian coming to terms with her heritage as a witch. For the first time, we get to see the full array of powerful women in Ophelia's family, as she and Abby travel to the North Carolina mountains for Great Aunt Mary's 100th birthday. While I missed Darci, I really enjoyed meeting the family, and a chance encounter with Cobra was also fun. Great Aunt Dot, who sees fairies, was a hoot, and the rivalry with another clan was interesting. All in all, a worthy installment. The first in the series is Witch Way to Murder, and they're probably best read in order, given the ongoing character development. These are the best paranormal mysteries I've come across.

Bridezilla by Laura Levine: The Jaine Austen mysteries are fun and quirky, but insubstantial, like popcorn. Jaine is a writer for hire who runs into a disproportionate number of dead bodies. Killing Bridezilla was a lot of fun. Jaine's former high school classmate (and Queen Bitch) Patti hires Jaine to write her wedding vows. She wants Romeo and Juliet...but snappier. The money is too good for Jaine to pass up (someone has to keep Prozac supplied with Yummy Fish Guts cat food), and she finds herself sucked back into Hermosa High history as she continually rewrites to meet Patti's demands. Patti had stolen her groom from another classmate, kicks a bridesmaid out of the party for being too fat, and generally offends everyone she meets. So it's not that surprising when she turns up dead, having plunged from the very balcony that was to serve as her stage, landing on the point of an arrow brandished by a tacky cherub statue. Jaine investigates to clear another classmate. This installment in the series was hilarious and non-stop entertainment. The high school nostalgia brings a surprisingly thoughtful element to balance the hilarity. A very cute, funny mystery. The first in the series is This Pen for Hire.

Apple Turnover Murder by Joanne Fluke: Something about the Hannah Swensen mysteries keeps me coming back again and again, now for the thirteenth time. Is it the small-town charm of Lake Eden, Minnesota? Or Hannah's array of cookie recipes (it's definitely not the hotdish recipes...)? Or the delightfully quirky cast of characters who surround her? I think it's all of these. What it's not is that love triangle with Norman the dentist and Mike the cop, which got tired several books ago. Still, it's not intrusive enough to ruin the fun for me. The twelfth book (Plum Pudding Murder), ended with the arrival of an old flame of Hannah's, promising more in this line. And the despicable Bradford Ramsay is indeed key to the mystery, having been murdered right after Hannah threatens him. Oops. You'd think in a town with a body count like Lake Eden's, people would learn to stop saying incriminating things like "You'll be sorry!" At any rate, Hannah investigates while she tries not to obsess over why Norman has been so distant since returning from a visit to dental school buddies. The usual small-town Minnesota charm ensues, and I enjoyed reading this installment. A cliffhanger ending promises that the love triangle nonsense isn't over, but I'll put up with it to visit Lake Eden again next year. The first in this series is Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder.

Scone Cold Dead by Kaitlyn Dunnett: I enjoyed Kilt Dead, the first Liss MacCrimmon mystery, and was looking forward to the second. Really, this series should be perfect for me, as it engages me on several levels: my inexplicable fondness for Maine, my love of small-town cozies, my interest in dancing and Scottish history/culture. Liss moves back to Moosetookalook, Maine, after a knee injury ends her career as a Scottish dancer, to run her aunt's Scottish Emporium. The Highland Games setting in Kilt Dead was more fun, I think, but really, this is a case of early promise not panning out. In Scone Cold Dead, Liss's old dance troupe is coming to town and her former manager is murdered. He was so thoroughly unlikeable that I didn't particularly care who killed him, but there were more problems in this cozy. The pseudonymous Dunnett seems to have adopted the obligatory love triangle of recent cozies, and Liss's boyfriend is grumpy about one of Liss's friends, who turns out to be male. I really can't see why she likes the boyfriend. He was thoroughly unlikeable throughout the book, and Liss was insensitive. I don't buy the law enforcement professional asking for Liss's help "because she knows the dance world." Sure, interviewing her makes sense, but asking an amateur to assist in an investigation? The reasoning seemed thin - it's not like they speak a different language and he needs an interpreter. The murder method is ridiculously complex and fraught with potential for error. I plowed through to the end, hoping it would live up to the promise of Kilt Dead, but no luck. In a fit of optimism, I picked up the third book in the series, A Wee Christmas Homicide, and didn't even finish it. This is extremely rare for me. I usually at least skim to the end to find out who did it, but I couldn't be bothered. In this holiday mystery, Liss discovers she's sitting on a gold mine: the cute little kilted bears she thought brightened up the Scottish Emporium are Tiny Teddies, the must-have toy of the season. Two other Moosetookalook businesses also have supplies. Instead of just chucking them on eBay, Liss comes up with a convoluted plan to celebrate Twelve Days of Christmas and bring tourists to benefit ALL Moosetookalook businesses. The obnoxious Gavin, who had tried to fleece Liss by purchasing all her Tiny Teddies, is murdered, and good riddance I say. Why Liss investigates is beyond me, and I didn't care in the least who killed Gavin. I'm sadly giving up on this series.

Source disclosure: I purchased all these books.

YA Weekend

Enola Holmes and the Cryptic Crinoline by Nancy Springer: I like Enola Holmes. She's spunky, resourceful, and bright. While her life would be much easier if she would just trust her brother Sherlock, it's understandable why she doesn't, and chooses instead to rely on her own instincts and deductive reasoning skills. In this, the fifth in the series, Enola's landlady, Mrs. Tupper, goes missing. Enola unravels the mystery, which leads to Mrs. Tupper's past during the Crimean War and to a meeting with Florence Nightingale. The historical setting is believable, Enola's cat-and-mouse game with her brother balanced nicely against the central mystery, and the mystery and codes compelling. A really fun series. The first is Enola Holmes and the Case of the Missing Marquess.

Source disclosure: I purchased this book.

Flashback Friday

In addition to my more current reading, I sometimes dip into older series or favorites from long ago. They seem less newsworthy than advance copies or hot new releases, but might still be of interest. I thought Flashback Friday might be fun for these excursions!

murder@maggody.com by Joan Hess: I like Joan Hess. Her Claire Malloy series is one of my favorite cozy series. I've dipped into her Maggody series before, but never read them in any particular way. To be honest, I'm not sure what to think of this series. It's a rather fun way to pass the time, but don't feel like "must reads" the way her Claire books do. Arly Hanks went off to the big city, got educated, and returned to be sheriff in her rural hometown of Maggody, Arkansas after her marriage crashed and burned. The tongue-in-cheek verbosity that is so well-suited to Claire (a bookstore owner in a college town) makes Arly a bit less sympathetic, as though she feels superior to her rural roots. This is perfectly understandable, given the stereotypical redneck hick neighbors (especially the Buchanons, an inbred clan featuring a moonshiner with a pet sow), but the line between contempt and amused affection is a fine one, and I'm sometimes not altogether comfortable with the portrayal of rural folk or of Arly's attitude toward them. Maybe I'm taking it too seriously. At any rate, this, the twelfth installment in the series, the town of Maggody is about to go online, with a new computer lab staffed by a new arrival in town. As the Maggody folk explore the internet, ghost images of their neighbors in compromising positions pop up unexpectedly, leading some to conclude the devil is at work in the internet. A meandering plot, some obvious twists, and the sidelining of the mystery in favor of Maggody life made this one tough to finish, though the flashes of Hess's trademark humor made for some chuckles.

They keep reprinting classic Nancy Drew mysteries, so someone must be buying them. But I have to wonder whether kids these days too savvy to enjoy Nancy's sleuthing. I hadn't read this in years, but I remember them with great affection, particularly the first, The Secret in the Old Clock, and some other standouts (The Brass-Bound Trunk and Password at Larkspur Lane), with only dim recollections of the plot. I re-read the first four, The Secret in the Old Clock, The Hidden Staircase, The Bungalow Mystery, and The Secret at Lilac Inn, when I was sick and not feeling up to very involved reading. These books are still fun, and the pre-internet, pre-cell phone era has great charm. Nancy is plucky and brave. Her father respects her contributions to his cases. And the mysteries are fairly interesting as they unfold. Who doesn't love an old-fashioned caper involving a missing will and deserving would-be heirs? And hidden staircases and secret passages? The Secret in the Old Clock was originally written in 1930 by the pseudonymous Carolyn Keene (produced by ghostwriters of the Stratemeyer Syndicate) and extensively revised in 1959. Good luck finding an affordable copy of the original, which I understand includes some racial stereotypes that were unacceptable by 1959, as well as cosmetic changes to cars and fashions. These four books are pre-George and Bess. Nancy's great friend is Helen, who is later written out. I found these to be fun, quick reads. The dated elements (social strata in River Heights are hilarious, average families have housekeepers) add to the charm, really. I've been collecting this series for Lilah to read when she's older.

A side note: I reviewed Not a Girl Detective, a CeCe Caruso mystery by Susan Kandel, right here. It's just a blurb, really. But this book is a lot of fun if you're a Nancy Drew fan interested in the history of the Stratemeyer Syndicate and of the Nancy Drew series. It's well-researched, and, while you can find the information on Wikipedia, it's more fun to watch CeCe unfold the layers of history.

Never Look Away by Linwood Barclay

Never Look Away is the second Linwood Barclay novel I've read (my review of Fear the Worst here), but I've taken to collecting them now (through Bookmooch). I LOVE Harlen Coben novels and though these don't quite grip me the same way, they do fit the bill when it comes to wanting an interesting suspenseful story.

Never Look Away opens with a family's trip to an amusement park. Just after entering the park, the couple's four year old son is kidnapped and then found a few moments later abandoned in his stroller on the other side of the park. Just as David Harwood is calming down from the roller coaster ride of finding his son, he discovers his wife is now missing. As the investigation into her disappearance gets underway, suspicion falls more and more on David. His claims that his wife was depressed and suicidal appear made up. No one else has seen this side of her. His actions appear more and more guilty to the police. All during which, David never gives up looking for his wife and eventually stumbles on a mystery involving her true identity. Is she who she's said all these years? Or someone completely different? Someone he doesn't even know.

This book has several twists and turns and while I found much of it to be predictable, the book was time well spent. I find Barclay to be a comfort author. Someone you can count on to give you a good well-written story when you're in the mood to just sit down and enjoy a book. Not much thinking involved, no real depth to the story or characters. Just nice surface appeal.
The book is in bookstores March 16, 2010.
Source disclosure: I received a review copy of this book from Random House through the LibraryThing Early Reviewer program.

The Gardner Heist by Ulrich Boser

I wanted to read this book last year when I was participating in the Art History Reading Challenge. I first heard of the Gardner Heist ten years ago when I was in grad school for Museum Science. And then again when I took an online Forensics course through Barnes and Noble several years ago. They had this case as one of the examples to discuss how things could have been handled differently by the authorities.

For those who aren't familiar, nearly 20 years ago (the anniversary is actually March 18th this year) two men dressed as police officers banged on the security door of the Gardner Museum in Boston. The guards let the two men in and were tied up in the utility room while the men went about stealing (ripping/cutting paintings out of their frames and leaving the empty frames on the wall) about a dozen artworks from the museum. And then they just disappeared into the night. The paintings have yet to resurface anywhere in auctions or the underground art world.

Boser's book very thoroughly traces the history of the investigation from renowned art investigator Harold Smith all the way through his own obsession with trying to crack the case. And amazingly enough, this case is still open today with only theories and speculation left as to what happened to the artwork.

I found this book a bit tedious to get through, while it is VERY thorough, I feel like maybe just a tad bit too thorough. There are sooo many names and places and Boser comes back to the some of the names in later chapters. It was a little difficult for me to keep track of everyone. However, it was very interesting too! Quite an inside look into the art theft world and just the criminal world in general. Some of the people Smith thought could be behind the theft were scary individuals. It's pretty surreal for a naive Midwestern girl like me to fathom the reality of the mob world and that the characters you see on television and movies do exist in the real world. I mean, you know people like that exist in the real world, but to see their personalities laid out in a nonfiction book, just incredible. I like my little bubble of goodness I live in. :-)

If you like investigative reports or are particularly interested in art theft, this would be a great book for you. Otherwise, I suggest moving on.
Source disclosure: Borrowed this from the library.

Over the Holidays by Sandra Harper

Sandra Harper's holiday novel is a nice way to spend an afternoon relaxing. The title could have double meaning and perhaps that was the authors' purpose; the story takes place over the holidays and also the characters' attitudes toward the holidays.

The book itself only happens for a few short weeks around the holidays but Harper's story packs a punch in that short time frame. Following several women linked by family, we see many different viewpoints on the holidays. Just after Vanessa and her husband JT decide not to travel East as they do every year, her sister-in-law Patience decides to travel to California instead. Vanessa finds it hard to hide her annoyance as she already has her plate full with work and their own holiday preparations. Vanessa also teases with the idea of infidelity over the Christmas break. Patience struggles with not having her standard "perfect" New England Christmas and dealing with a sassy seventeen year old daughter who seems to hate her. Vanessa's older sister Thea is struggling over the holiday season with finding inspiration for her art. And Patience's daughter, Liberty (Libby for short) cannot seem to get through to her mother that she doesn't want the same things has her mother.

Lots of inner turmoil going on in this book from Sandra Harper. And amazingly, she wraps it all up with a perfect little bow by the end of the book. I wasn't sure if this book would be too fluffy for my tastes when I started it. But honestly, Harper has written a book that manages to capture the stresses of the holiday season from many women's point of view in a way that is entertaining and spot-on. I think at one time or another we've all been annoyed at the the fact that much of the holiday preparations fall on the woman's shoulders. It's amazing to see how universal this is through several characters in Over the Holidays. I would recommend this as a holiday read as well as a book for anyone who enjoys Women's Fiction with strong, well-developed characters and a story with some depth to it.
Source disclosure: I received this book from Simon and Schuster through the LibrayThing Early Reviewer Program.

Middle Grade Musings: We the Children by Andrew Clements

This book caught my eye while perusing the Shelf Awareness newsletter one day. I was excited to receive a copy!

We the Children by well-known author Andrew Clements is the first in a series of books called Benjamin Pratt and the Keepers of the School. This first installment really just introduces us to Benjamin Pratt and his friend Jill. They attend a school originally started by an eccentric ship captain. And now, the school is in danger of being bulldozed so the City can build an amusement park on the property. Ben didn't know it at the time, but a fateful encounter with the school janitor just before he passes away may give Ben the key to saving his school. Ben is also preoccupied by an upcoming sailing race. The race itself provides an exciting end to the book and also a look at what Ben's true personality is like.

The first book doesn't take us very far into the story, but gives a small inkling of what is to come. Clements focuses quite a bit on ships and sailing. If you have a child who is particularly interested in these subjects, this may be well suited for them. I also think this would be a good book to put into the hands of boys. Though with a girl playing the part of sidekick to Ben, I believe anyone will enjoy it. I am anxious to see where Clements takes this story in the future books.
Source disclosure: A review copy sent from Simon and Schuster.

Graphic Novel Snippets

I joined the Graphic Novel Challenge this year. I think I will be a little more successful with this reading challenge than I was with the Art History Reading Challenge from last year. Crossing my fingers anyway. I'm entering at the Intermediate level where I just have to read 3-10 graphic novels this year. Well, I've already read three, so I guess I can't lose!

I requested Calamity Jack from the publisher when I saw it listed on someone else's blog. I really LOVED Rapunzel's Revenge by Shannon and Dean Hale so I was very curious about Jack's side of the story. While this chapter of the story was an interesting retelling of the Jack and the Beanstalk story, I wasn't quite as riveted as I was with Rapunzel's story. I think part of that is that I loved Rapunzel's character and how strong the Hales portrayed her. She definitely plays the role of sidekick in Calamity Jack and there is much more of a love story going on in this one as well. While I didn't respond to this one as much as the first, it is still entertaining with a few twists and turns that keep the reader focused. I think it would be great for a reluctant reader (though I believe that with just about all graphic novels) and boys might be a little more interested in this one, just because of the main character as well as the storyline of Jack overcoming the giants.
Source disclosure: I requested a copy directly from the publisher for review.

Zeus: King of the Gods is the first in a planned eleven-part series by George O'Connor called Olympians. This graphic novel starts from the very beginning of Greek Mythology talking about the Titans and eventually getting to Zeus's (whose father was the Titan Cronus) story. The story continues through Zeus defeating his father. O'Connor eludes to other books in the series in a couple places (like the story of Aphrodite) and there is a great Author Note at the end. I definitely recommend this one and hope the rest of the series is as fun as Zeus. I think this (and the rest of the series) would be a great introduction for any young readers who might be interested in Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson series but might need or want some background on Greek Mythology first. Or maybe a great complement along with reading the Percy Jackson series.
Source Disclosure: The publisher sent a copy of this to me.

This young adult memoir by David Small depicts his childhood in images (and a few words). David was subjected to repeated x-rays from his father (a radiologist) as a treatment for his sinus issues as a small child. All the exposure to radiation caused David to get cancer in his throat as a young teen and was subjected to an operation that left him with one vocal cord and a huge scar on his throat.

Though this is categorized as young adult and touted as a coming-of-age story, I would be hesitant to have anyone younger than 15 or 16 or so read it. Many parts of the story would be difficult for a young reader. David's parents lie to him about his cancer, he finds his mother in bed with another woman when he's fifteen, his grandmother tries to burn down her house with his grandfather inside, and I'm sure there's more that I can't remember off the top of my head. While this book sounds disturbing (and it is), it's also really interesting because of the graphic novel medium the author chose to use.
Source disclosure: I borrowed this book from the library.

The Scarlet Stockings by Charlotte Kandel

I breezed through this lovely middle-grade book. Charlotte Kandel's The Scarlet Stockings harkens back to the types of books for girls from back in the day.

The book takes place in the 1920's and starts with a 12-year old orphan girl named Daphne and her experience at the Catholic orphanage where she has grown up. She loves to dance and teaches herself steps in the little spare time she has. One day she receives a mysterious package in the mail. An instruction manual for learning to dance and a pair of scarlet stockings along with a riddle about the stockings:

First, you must find me.
Then, you must follow me.
Choosing, you will test me.
Knowing, you will challenge me.
At last, you must deserve me.

Daphne delights in her new possessions and becomes even more excited when she is finally adopted by a generous family. Her life speeds ahead quickly when she accepts a position as a starlet's personal assistant and learns the ways of the theater world. She learns the magic of the scarlet stockings and begins a journey she has always dreamed about: becoming a prima ballerina.

I don't want to give the whole story away. I do want to say that I truly enjoyed reading a story that is old-fashioned and without gimmicks (no trading cards, online games, treasure hunts, or anything else involved here). Just straight story-telling. Admittedly, the book is a bit long at 367 pages and I believe its length will turn some readers away. The first two parts of the book seem to drag on a bit, while the last three parts speed by. But overall I feel like female readers in the 9-12 group will really enjoy this tale. It's the first in a trilogy as well, so those who enjoy it can look for more to come!

Source disclosure: Received a copy from the author through Shelf Awareness.

Middle-Grade Musings

Whew! Almost completely caught up on reviews now.

The Unusual Mind of Vincent Shadow by Tim Kehoe was a very fun, fast book. I honestly can't remember if I requested this book through Shelf Awareness or if it was just randomly sent to me by the author. But, I sure did enjoy this book! Vincent has a quirky brain that leaves him with blackouts but gives him brilliant ideas for toy inventions! He has a top secret lab in the back of his closet that no one knows about. He tinkers whenever he can though he rarely gets his inventions to work the way he wants.
He moves to a new city and really likes one of his new teachers who encourages him to enter a toy invention contest. And one of Vincent's inventions is chosen to go to the national contest!

You know I like to support local authors and Tim Kehoe lives in Minnesota with his family. Always fun to read a new book set where you live! I believe this book is the first in a series starring Vincent. I recommend this book to reluctant readers for its short chapters and illustrations. I think it would be particularly interesting to boys as well (or really anyone!!). I will definitely read the next one.
Source disclosure: I believe through Shelf Awareness from the publisher.

39 Clues: Books 4 & 5: Not much to say here. The adventure continues with Amy and Dan continuing to get themselves into various predicaments with members of the Cahill family. I continue to enjoy these books as they move along. I particularly like that they only focus on a few of the family members in each book. And it seems that Dan and Amy are growing up and maturing through the course of their adventure. It's also fun to see which countries their travels take them to and which family members do actually help them out.
Source disclosure: I purchased both of these books.

The graphic novel Good As Lily is actually a Young Adult title, but I didn't have enough to say to warrant its own review. I actually really enjoyed this one. High schooler Grace wakes up one morning to meet her 6 year old self, as well as 30-year old and 70-year old versions of herself. The four Graces go through the week together as High School Grace tries to figure out what to do with the other Lilys or how to help them. She starts to figure out what each of them needs. The title comes from Grace losing her sister Lily at a young age and always feeling like she never lives up to Lily's memory.
Source disclosure: Borrowed this book from the library.

More Book Club Snippets

Our book club read Karen White's The Lost Hours in November and we picked The House on Tradd Street for January. The two books had a very different feel to them, although they both contained White's very descriptive style of writing. I have to say, overall, I believe I enjoyed The Lost Hours a bit more (mostly because I really enjoyed the historical fiction part of the book).

Tradd Street finds realtor Melanie Middleton inheriting an old historic house in Charleston after meeting with its owner only once. She's not sure why she inherited the house, but agrees to live there for a year and oversee its restoration before she plans on selling it. Before she realizes it, Melanie stumbles into a bit of a historical mystery. She has a gift and can see ghosts (there is even a quote that seems to poke fun at the Sixth Sense's famous quote "I see dead people".) :-) Melanie and her friends come across information both in reality and through clues from the spirit world that solve the decades old mystery of a woman's disappearance.

This book is actually listed as a "romance". I can see why it was categorized as such because Melanie gets involved in a bit of a love triangle. However, I see this book more as general fiction. It has much more to it than just the romance. This is also the first in a series by White, followed up by The Girl on Legare Street (which I seen reviewed very well around the blogosphere).

Overall, I found the book very difficult to get into. It didn't move fast enough for me. The first half to two-thirds were rather dull. The last third or so really picked up and left me liking it overall just because the book ended so well. I probably will take a gander at the second book, but not sure I'll continue reading the series. Maybe eventually, but there are plenty of other books I'll get to first.
Source disclosure: Borrowed this book from the library.

Laura Lippman's What the Dead Know served as our book club pick for October. I read this one pretty quickly. It was well-written and a good story, however, the subject matter is a bit disturbing. The book opens with a woman claiming to be a girl who disappeared decades earlier with her sister. The authorities pull her over when she appears to be involved in a hit and run accident and disoriented. They are not sure if they should believe she is who she says she is. The book is written both in present day and through flashbacks explaining what happened to the two sisters.

You spend much of the book thinking one thing is going on only to do an about-face at the end of the book and something completely different was really happening. The interesting thing is that when you finally find out the truth about what really happened, the rest of the story seems to be a little less disturbing than you thought while reading it (does that make any sense?).
Source disclosure: Off my bookshelf, originally given to me by a friend.

'Tis the season--Holiday Books 2009

Despite the fact that Christmas is nearly a month over now, I did some holiday reading in December and want to get at least some mini-reviews up. Perhaps you can decide to add them to your holiday reading/gift giving list for 2010.

I won a copy of Wishin' and Hopin' in a book blog contest. I was excited to win a copy because the book sounded interesting enough that I wanted to read it, but didn't grab me so much that I actually want to purchase the book (is that terrible?!). And I was pretty right about my initial assessment.

Wishin' and Hopin' describes 1960's life through the eyes of ten-year old Felix Funicello (cousin to Annette). I found this book to be only a so-so holiday read. It takes over half the book to even get to Christmas. Quite a bit of the story is the school year leading up to the holidays. While I love nostalgic holiday movies and books, this one did not hit the jackpot for me. It was mildly entertaining but Felix as a protagonist seemed younger than his age and I just didn't care for it that much. However, if you grew up in the 60's and attended Catholic school, you may have a greater appreciation for Lamb's story than I did. It also bothered me that the book ended with the family eating a holiday dinner at a Chinese restaurant (um....did Wally Lamb just finish watching the holiday movie "A Christmas Story"? Not very original, in my opinion).
Source disclosure: won in a blog contest

If you're looking for a nostalgic Christmas story, I don't think you can find a better book than Dave Barry's The Shepherd, the Angel, and Walter the Christmas Miracle Dog. I first read this book two years ago, borrowed from the library. Barnes and Noble had it as a bargain book this Christmas so I just had to snatch up a copy of it and read it again. It did not disappoint, I loved the story just as much the second time.

I would definitely recommend this one over Wally Lamb's Wishin' and Hopin'.
Source disclosure: I purchased this book.

Secrets of the Christmas Box by Steven Hornby had sooo much potential. I really really REALLY wanted to LOVE it! However, it fell quite a bit short of my expectations. Cleverly written in 24 chapters, this middle-grade book could be read aloud each night from December 1st until Christmas. Secrets tells the story of Christmas ornaments come to life and the adventure that awaits them beyond the Christmas tree. However delightful the book synopsis sounds, this is actually quite a dark tale. Larry the snowman ornament's brother appears to be missing after the ornaments are all placed on the tree. Larry and his good friend Debbie along with a new toy solider ornament go off in search of Larry's brother. They discover along the way that things may not be as they seem in their little Christmas tree world.

I thought this would be a cute little tale to read to my children at Christmas each year, but I think it may be too dark and scary for younger children (with an evil Tree Lord and tree lights that hunt down and attack other ornaments) and perhaps a bit too young in subject matter for older kids who could actually read the book themselves. I'm not sure Hornby found the right audience for this one. In short, LOVED the idea of the book but was disappointed with the reality of it.
Source disclosure: Received a copy from the publisher through Shelf Awareness.

Susan May Warren's Christmas novella was quite entertaining at times and delivered a nice holiday message. I believe this would fall into the Christian Fiction category, but not too overtly. It didn't get too preachy and actually some of the church-related scenes were amusing to me.

The story follows Marianne Wallace as she plans to have her large family all together for one last holiday before her youngest goes off to college and her children all start to lead their own lives. Of particular interest to me is that the story takes place in Big Lake, Minnesota where Marianne cheers on her son as a football player for the Big Lake Trout. It's always fun to read books that take place in your home state. The Big Lake Trout and their drive to get to the state championship play a large role in this story, especially when the team mascot has a heart attack and Marianne is cajoled into donning the Big Lake Trout costume to cheer on the team. The description of her trying on the costume truly made me laugh. And as a mother, you realize there are all kinds of things you'll do for your kids that you never dreamed you would even consider! I really enjoyed the town and its characters and could identify with Marianne as a future version of myself. I would recommend this one as a fun holiday read (though I don't think it would top my all-time best holiday book list).

Source Disclosure: Received a copy from the publisher by contacting the author's website.

Yarn Tales

Okay, time to get my reviews updated! I am soooo behind! Let's start with a couple knitting-related books.

First up, Laced with Magic, Barbara Bretton's sequel to Casting Spells. I enjoyed this installment of Bretton's series quite a bit. Maybe not quite as much as the first, but definitely still worth reading and continuing the series.

In Laced with Magic, Luke's ex-wife Karen suddenly shows up in Sugar Maple. First, Chloe didn't even know that Luke was married before, let alone had a daughter who passed away. Karen's arrival puts a damper on Luke and Chloe's relationship. Even though, Chloe is not particularly fond of Karen, she does agree to help save their daughter's spirit, who happens to be trapped by evil fae leader, Isadora. And just when you think everything has been worked out and Luke and Chloe can move on from the whole episode in this book, it ends with quite a bang! A cliffhanger that will leave your jaw touching the floor! Now, I can't wait to read the third installment to see what happens!

Source disclosure: Borrowed this one from the library

Spinning Forward is a debut novel from author Terri Dulong. When I spotted it on Shelf Awareness, I jumped at the chance to receive a review copy. After all, I was already hooked on Barbara Bretton's knitting series. And Spinning Forward was touted as the first in a series as well. Though this is decidedly very different from Bretton's light-hearted fare.

Sydney Webster loses her husband in a tragic car accident, only to find out that their idyllic New England life may not have been quite what she thought. In fact, her husband had a large gambling problem, taken a second mortgage out on their house that he couldn't pay, and left her with no inheritance, no house, nothing. She decides to pack up her meager belongings and move to the Keys where her best friend lives.

Spinning Forward is a story about one woman's journey to find herself again in her fifties when her whole life has been turned around. She focuses on what she can do, finds herself, new friends, and even love. She also randomly discovers who her birth mother is (Sydney was adopted and never really cared to look for her birth parents before now) and has a chance to forge a new relationship with her. Knitting plays a large supporting role in this story as Sydney decides to open a yarn shop in Cedar Key as a way of starting over and "spinning forward" into life.

While I found this book to be mildly entertaining, I think it might have been good enough as a stand alone novel. It is supposedly the first in a new series about Cedar Key from Dulong. But I have a hard time seeing where else the story is going to go. Everything seems to wrap up very well at the end of this and I'm not sure the characters or story hold my interest enough for me to pick up the second book. However, perhaps I'm just not the right age to fully appreciate the book either. I think Dulong's intended audience may have been more women of my mother's age. Despite not being wowed by this one, I may read the jacket of the second book just because I am curious where Dulong plans to take the characters.

Source disclosure: Review copy sent to me from the publisher after I read about the book on Shelf Awareness.

2009 Wrap-up

Well, I accidentally deleted the half-finished spreadsheet I had started so I could post all my 2009 books by category and by star rating. Oops. I think it's a sign to stop spending time on a wrap-up and get to the 2010 reading! So I thought I'd just post a quick summary and a few highlights from 2009 so that I feel I've wrapped up last year.

I read a total of 116 books. For 2008, it was 217, so there was no way I was ever going to top that. I did a fair amount of re-reading, but managed more literary novels than I had in 2008. I'm just going to list a few of special note.

Literature:

A Year of Cats and Dogs by Margaret Hawkins
The Writing Class by Jincy Willett
The Angel's Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
The Disappearance by Efrem Sigel
The History of Now by Daniel Klein
Seducing the Spirits by Louise Young

Mystery:

The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley
The Brutal Telling by Louise Penny

Juvenile:

The Red Blazer Girls: The Ring of Rocamadour by Michael D. Beil
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
Savvy by Ingrid Law
Scat by Carl Hiaasen

YA:

The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart

Nonfiction:

Always Looking Up: Adventures of an Incurable Optimist by Michael J. Fox
Annie's Ghosts: A Journey into a Family Secret by Steve Luxenberg

Shades of Grey by Jasper Fforde

Shades of Grey by Jasper Fforde: I have to confess that I'm not a dystopia fan. I have a pretty significant addiction to fantasy, but dystopia is not my subgenre. I'm not sure what it is, exactly - perhaps the appeal of fantasy for me is imagining a better world, not a worse one. Or that the dystopia I've tried has been (to me) intolerably bleak. But I avoid even highly praised books if they're described as dystopian. However, I *am* a Jasper Fforde fan, so I didn't even hesitate to pick up Shades of Grey on the release date, despite its dystopian description.

Eddie Russett's world is our world at some point in the distant future, after the Something That Happened, which ushered in an age of chromatocracy (rank determined by which color in the spectrum one can see) and strict, often pointless, rules according to the edicts of Munsell. Eddie can see only red, which places him well below the elite Purples and forbids him from marrying anyone Green (complimentary colors are forbidden to mingle). His world is artificially colored by the limited resource of scrap color mined from increasingly tapped-out supplies. He wants nothing more than to marry a woman from a redder family than his own to restore the Russett family's lost status, when he is sent to the village of East Carmine, on the almost-lawless Outer Fringes, to learn some humility after a prank on the headmaster's son. He meets Jane, a lowly Grey, who intrigues him with her lack of respect for the Rules and questioning of the caste system and its effects. He takes on a suicide mission to the deserted, dangerous village of High Saffron to seek a new source of scrap color, and learns more about his world than he really wanted to. What will he do with that knowledge in the next two books in the trilogy? I can't wait to find out.

Fforde's imagination is really a force to be reckoned with, and this is his most original effort yet. The chromatocracy is established as such a complete, believable fact that I had no difficulty suspending disbelief. Eddie is a likable hero, as ignorant of the truth about his world as we are, slowly learning that things are not as they seem. The bitter, determined Jane is a fantastic counterpoint to his blithe ignorance. The Something That Happened is never defined, but splashes of insight keep it a constant presence in the book, and the strange color perception is defined in a thorough, pseudoscientific way. The world is peppered with all those random details that make the Thursday Next series so enjoyable. In Eddie's world, spoon are scarce, the Greys eat all the bacon at breakfast, and killer lightning and giant swans are equally terrifying. A particular shade of green is a powerful painkiller, but is often abused.

This is the best of satire, fantasy, and coming-of-age stories all at once, a fresh and original start of what will undoubtedly be an amazing series.

Source disclosure: I purchased this book.

Curl up with a Book and a Nook! Contest

I'm posting this for a chance to win a Nook! Check it out!

The Brutal Telling by Louise Penny

The Brutal Telling by Louise Penny is the fifth book in the Inspector Gamache series set in the Canadian village of Three Pines (the first is Still Life). I don't ordinarily pick up books in a mystery series out of order, as I really enjoy the book-to-book character involvement, but the premise of this one was too good to resist. A stranger is found murdered in Olivier's bistro in Three Pines. At first, no one admits to knowing the murdered man, a hermit whose cabin is filled with treasures. Inspector Gamache teases out the lies (both material and inane) told by various villagers and pursues Olivier's murky past.

The combination of police procedural and village murder mystery was very well done in The Brutal Telling. Three Pines is an irresistible setting with well-wrought characters to inhabit it. Olivier and Gabri were charming, Clara and Peter, a husband and wife both pursuing careers as artists, were compelling, and the poet with the pet duck both funny and wise. On the investigation side, Inspector Gamache is complex and likable, and his team of Lacoste, Beauvoir, and Morin learn from his experience while teasing out different parts of the mystery themselves. I particularly enjoyed Morin.

I did not feel lost, though this was the fifth book in the series. However, I have purchased the first four books in the series so that I can get to know the Three Pines inhabitants and Gamache's team from the beginning. This is a fantastic book in what I can only imagine is a fantastic series.

Source disclosure: I received this book from the publisher through LibraryThing's Early Reviewer program.

Holly's Year in Review 2009--By Genre

I read 50 books last year and had a goal originally to read 72 books this year. That would be one more book per month than 2008. My LibraryThing tag for 2009 was at 67 as of yesterday (but I don't always put Picture Books in my Library Thing account). So yesterday I quickly finished off two middle-grade books I had lying around (39 Clues #5 and The Unusual Mind of Vincent Shadow) and a graphic novel I needed to return to the library. Got my total up to 70. So I'll be two books short of my goal. But not too shabby. With our new baby due the end of January, I can only hope that I can keep up with reading next year. I think my goal will be much lower though! :-) Without further ado, here's 2009's books listed by genre:

Adult Fiction
The Shepherd, The Angel and Walter the Christmas Miracle Dog
Casting Spells
The Double Bind
Laced With Magic
Cherries in Winter
The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane
Etta: A Novel
Vanishing Acts
Sarah's Key
The Great Christmas Bowl
The Lost Hours
The Last Bridge
Spinning Forward
Wishin' and Hopin': A Christmas Story
Shoot the Moon
Testimony
The Next Thing on My List
The Fragment
The Associate
Knit Two
The Late, Lamented Molly Marx
Words Unspoken
The Disappearance

Adult Mysteries
Sworn to Silence
Fear the Worst
Evil at Heart
Witch Hunt (Ophelia & Abby #4)
The Witch is Dead (Ophelia & Abby #5)
The Witch's Grave (Ophelia & Abby #6)
Witch Way to Murder (Ophelia & Abby #1)
Charmed to Death (Ophelia & Abby #2)
The Trouble with Witches (Ophelia & Abby #3)
A Bone to Pick (Aurora Teagarden Mysteries #2)
Wife of the Gods
What the Dead Know
Lethal Legacy
Three Bedrooms, One Corpse (Aurora Teagarden Mysteries #3)

YA Adult
The Hunger Games
Bad Girls Don't Die
The Boy in Striped Pajamas
Twilight

Middle-Grade
The Red Blazer Girls: The Ring of Rocamadour
Rescuing Seneca Crane
The Mystery of the Third Lucretia
Emma Jean Lazarus Fell Out of a Tree
Ladies of the Lake
Flawed Dogs: The Shocking Raid on Westminster
39 Clues #5: The Black Circle
Closed for the Season
The Unusual Mind of Vincent Shadow
Luv Ya Bunches
Emma Jean Lazarus Fell in Love
39 Clues #4: Beyond the Grave
The Graveyard Book
Lily' Crossing
The Hanging Hill
Secrets of a Christmas Box
39 Clues #2: One False Note
39 Clues #3: The Sword Thief
The Postcard
Twilight (Summer Confidential)
Sunset (Summer Confidential)
Sunrise (Summer Confidential)

Children's Fiction
Roxie and the Hooligans
Llama Llama Misses Mama
Pouch
Bear-ly There
Pumpkin Baby
Me With You
Ladybug Girl and Bumblebee Boy

Graphic Novels
Rapunzel's Revenge
Coraline
Good as Lily
The Irregulars
Museum Vaults: Excerpts from the Journal of an Expert

Also just for my information here's a breakdown of how many of the above books were:
Bought this year: 13
Advanced Copies/From the Publisher: 31
Borrowed from Library/Friend: 11 (Library), 11 (Friend)
Already sitting on my shelf: 2
Received free from Bookmooch/Giveaway: 6

Not bad, I think I need to work on reading more from my shelves in 2010 though! Only two! That doesn't seem right to me. But I guess it is.

Happy New Year and Happy Reading in 2010!!