An interesting question....children and e-readers?

Angela Flynn published an article on Technorati on Tuesday that brings up an interesting question: Should children use an e-reader?

She feels that books should never be replaced in a child's life and describes her children's early years looking at board books, visiting the library, and story times.

I will admit that I'm annoyed by my children's use of iPods (they got them for Christmas, we have restrictions for when and how long they can use them), video game players, the computer, television, etc. But I've also come to realize today is a completely different world than when I was a kid. It's just part of their culture. And while I don't condone children using electronic devices all day long, every day. They are here to stay and my motto is: Everything in moderation is okay.

Now, when it comes to an e-reader, I would actually LOVE for my kids to want to use an e-reader before picking up any of those other electronic devices. If they are reading, I don't really care what the medium is, whether it is a book, magazine, comic book, or an e-reader. I don't think, at least in our household, we would ever get to the point where anyone is solely reading on an e-reader.

I get children's e-books from our library and put them on my Nook and it makes bedtime stories new and exciting for the kids. I don't do it all the time so it's a treat for them to get to pick the book. My oldest daughter has struggled with learning to read a bit. If she asks me to use my Nook, I hand it over. And I try to keep a few books on it just for her. Anything I can do to keep her excited about reading, I'm gonna do it! :-)

I think an e-reader would be a fabulous way to get a reluctant reader excited about reading. The only thing I'm not 100% on board with is the whole "app" thing that Nook is now doing. It makes total sense for Barnes and Noble to go this way. It makes their e-reader that much more desirable and versatile. However, for children, when you add the apps to the e-reader, they are most likely going to want to play a game of Angry Birds instead of reading a book.

For this Mom, I think I'll keep my Nook mostly app-free. They have iPods to play apps on. :-)

Review Snippets: Part Two

And onward with the reviews....

These Things Hidden by Heather Gudenkauf
This book's description really grabbed me, mostly because I was curious what a golden girl high school student could do that was so bad that her parents disowned her, her own sister will no longer talk to her, and she was just released after spending five years in prison for what she'd done. I'm not going to give too much away other than the book starts with three young twenty-soemthings dealing with the aftermath of one girl's decisions five years earlier.

Gudenkauf does a good job of slowly revealing the truth. But the ending is quite a bombshell and a bit over the top. While this book seemed well-written, it definitely is not an "enjoyable" read just because the subject matter is rather sad. But it's not a bad read either. It's one of those "can't look away from the train wreck" kind of books that makes you want to keep reading to learn what really happened.

Allison thoroughly reviewed The Clouds Beneath the Sun awhile ago. And she rated it very highly. Welllll....maybe I had too high expectations going in. I thought it was about 100 pages too long and Natalie's inner struggle whether to testify or not began to bug me. She seemed to get almost whiny. And the ending just down right made me angry.

As a random sidenote, there's an "author's note" at the end that provides a sort of epilogue to the book. It tells us where certain "characters" ended up. And it confused the hell out of me. Were these real people? That's how the author wrote this note. It seems to suggest the characters were real people. Can anyone shed some light on this for me?

Source disclosure: I receive and e-galley from netgalley.com of These Things Hidden. And I own a copy of The Clouds Beneath the Sun.

Review Snippets: Part One

Oh so sad. I've only finished 10 books so far this year. UGH. That's what having a 16-month old (plus two other older kids) and a part-time business will do to your reading life. And reviews. Well, they are just not getting written as I would like. So I'm going to quick type up a few short reviews so at least I can document my thoughts.

The Inner Circle by Brad Meltzer
I was drawn to this book because its main character is an archivist at the National Archives. My background in museum and archival work made me very curious and well, I know a former co-worker who actually works at the National Archives so it made me think of her. :-) Beecher White is an archivist who gets sucked into a presidential conspiracy when he discovers a book in a hidden compartment of a chair in an isolation room at the Archives. From there, he discovers he can trust no one and he is now part of a situation involving a brotherhood known as the Culper Ring. But is it the real Culper Ring (dating back to George Washington) or just a group claiming to be?

Hmm...this book was mildly entertaining. The last third got quite unbelieveable even for a political conspiracy book. I kept thinking I was reading a book that would be made into a movie. And quite a bit of it reminded me of the already-made movie National Treasure. If you're looking for something that is an easy read, a little over the top, and a bit of a thriller, this may be a good vacation read for you. Not a total waste of time, but definitely better books out there.

The Night Season by Chelsea Cain
The fourth installment in Cain's Archie Sheridan series. She steps away from the serial killer Gretchen Lowell storyline to introduce us to a new serial killer. One that kills his victims with a small octopus! And all while Portland is flooding. I wonder if Cain wrote her "Heart" series as a trilogy and now plans to write more without Gretchen involved?

I'll be honest and say, this is a great, fresh addition to the series! I actually liked the fact that we have moved on from Gretchen. This book was much MUCH less violent than the previous books (which is a nice change of pace). And many of the other original characters are still there and seem to take on more full development now that we're not focused on the Gretchen/Archie dynamic.

I think Cain is a really good writer. She is very creative. I mean, who comes up with using a rare small octopus as a murder weapon?! Don't worry, that wasn't a major spoiler. That is revealed early on in the book. I also think she does a great job of telling the story without a lot of extraneous information. Too many authors feel like they need to add 100 more pages than necessary. Highly recommend this one!
Evil at Heart Review
Sweetheart Review
Heart Sick Review

Source Disclosure: The Inner Circle was an e-book galley copy from Netgalley.com and I borrowed The Night Season from the library.

Picture Book Friday: Earth Day!!

Happy Earth day!!! Hopefully, the weather where you live is beautiful today so you can get outside and enjoy the wonders of the world around us.

It's so important for us to teach our children that we need to practice good habits EVERY DAY not just EARTH DAY. And today, I've got something for every age group!

First up, Todd Parr has a book in his familiar bright and vibrant style called The Earth Book. This is perfect for introducing earth-friendly ideas and habits to your youngest children (preschool and up). It features very simple and smart ideas such as recycling and coloring on BOTH sides of a paper (this is one that we could definitely do more often in our household!). Planting trees, turning off lights and saving energy also show up on the list. The book even comes with a poster your kids can hang up to remind them of ten things they can do to save the earth EVERY DAY!

One of the best things about Parr's book...it is printed entirely on recycled materials and with non-toxic soy inks!! Very cool!

Next, I have something for chapter book readers. I thoroughly enjoyed the reading style of E is for Environment by Ian James Corlett. It has fun, engaging illustrations and is written in a way which kids will love. In the book, the two children discover ways they can help and teach their parents to save energy, water, and be environmentally conscious. Each chapter tackles a specific topic and is written up like a problem. The children have to come up with a way to fix it. There is a nice overview and review at the end of each chapter. For example, the father complains the water bill is too high so the son comes up with ways they can cut water use and save money, such as turning off the faucet when brushing, taking shorter showers and less often baths, and watering the lawn less.

Each chapter is short, only a few pages long. Not a hard read at all. And what fun! Give this book to your children and let THEM teach YOU what to do around the house to be more earth-friendly. In the summer, I spend time with my girls (ages 5 & 7) reading and teaching them a bit each morning. I plan to read one chapter at the start of each week and then see how we do practicing each habit. We already practice many of the ideas in the book in our household, but it will be fun for the girls to know that we do these things and I'm sure there are areas in which we can do better.

Next Up: Mark Kurlansky's World Without Fish. This is a powerful book for older readers. The book jacket says "for ages 9 and up" but I feel like the ideas are bit heady for a 9 year old and some of the vocabulary he uses would be a bit hard at that age as well. I would say about 11 or 12 and up for this book.

This quote from the book offers the most concise description of what his entire book about:

One of humankind's most enduring misconceptions is that of nature's bounty. That's the belief that nature is such a powerful force that it is indestructible. (page 53)

Using Charles Darwin's On the Origin of Species, Kurlansky formulates a very powerful argument for a call to action where our oceans are concerned. He discusses the many ways fish are being endangered: overfishing, fishing regulation/guidelines, oil drilling/spills, and global warming. While the writing itself is just a tad on the dry side, it's very informative and has great sidebars, illustrations, and bold text throughout. He also includes a 12-page graphic novel to further illustrate the points he makes. I think the graphic novel is a great tool to help younger kids see the possible effects of overfishing on ocean life. His biggest argument is that overfishing will cause the oceans to be altered forever. By removing large amounts of fish, faster than they can reproduce, a species may become endangered or even extinct. This would set off a chain reaction where the larger fish that fed on the endangered species wouldn't be able to find food. And the fish that were once food for the endangered species would become overabundant because there would be no one to eat them.

Overall, this book is incredibly interesting and I learned a lot! It's great for older kids, and I was not bored at all as an adult reading this. Definitely a great conversation piece for anyone's library! And a perfect read for Earth Day!!

Source disclosure: I read The Earth Book while at story time at the book store. I received an e-galley of E is for the Environment from Simon & Schuster's galley grab. World Without Fish was sent to me by Workman Publishing after I requested it from Shelf Awareness.

Mystery Monday - BLACK SWAN by Chris Knopf

BLACK SWAN comes out in May, and I'm reviewing it now so you have a chance to read the first four books in the series before picking it up.

Sam Acquillo is a rarity in series fiction: the protagonist who starts out at rock bottom and stays interesting as he gets his life together. At this stage of his development, he is marooned on an unfriendly island off the tip of Long Island with his girlfriend, Amanda and dog, Eddie. Poor Sam. All he ever really wants to do is be left alone, but his senses of justice and chivalry once again see him embroiled in a dangerous mess. With more severe weather in the forecast, he is forced to seek shelter at the island's inn, the Black Swan, where the owner's daughter, Anika, is a lovely young thing with an eye for Sam. When Sam suspects that a suicide at the inn is the result of foul play, his nature does not permit him to walk away, despite the danger. Sam fears for Anika's safety, and for that of her computer genius brother, who appears to be the target of some very unsavory people.

In essence, this is a locked-room mystery, with the weather serving to keep the island relatively cut off from the mainland. The supporting characters keep secrets and tell lies, making for a mystery of satisfying complexity. This would be melodramatic if it weren't for Knopf's wicked sense of humor. He adds levity at just the right moments to alleviate the tension:

"I introduced her to Amanda, who complimented Anika on her leather choke collar. I'd lived among women long enough to know this was a peace ritual, an expressed hope for boundaries to be respected and good will shared among all. Anika responded with a demure glance toward the ground, a fondling of the observed object, and a suggestion that it would look far better on Amanda, given her long, slender neck. I wondered if I should now piss on the grass at Amanda's feet, anthropologically speaking" (pp. 35-6; uncorrected proof).

Sam is a complex fellow, a former boxer and former engineer who left corporate America for a quiet life by the water. His experience with solving complex problems, not to mention his right hook, have helped him get to the bottom of some thorny mysteries in the past. In the first book, he has hit rock bottom, but he is not indifferent. BLACK SWAN is the fifth book in the series. Sam has grown as a person, but Knopf has kept him complex and unpredictable. Sam is wittier than your usual hard-boiled detective, more competent than your usual amateur sleuth, and he sometimes lets his inner boxer get the better of him. He may know exactly what he ought to do, and then do the opposite. There are no ruts or predictable patterns in this series.

Knopf is equally at home describing the finer points of sailing in a storm, how to sabotage software, or the best self-defense moves in close quarters, and his clarity, wit, and precise language are the perfect backdrop for an engaging mystery. I highly recommend that you begin with THE LAST REFUGE.

FTC Source Disclosure: I received an ARE courtesy of The Permanent Press.

My review of THE LAST REFUGE

My reviews of TWO TIME, HEAD WOUNDS, and HARD STOP

13 Rue Therese by Elena Mauli Shapiro

Here's an irresistible premise for you: an author takes a box of mementos collected by a neighbor who died without heirs, and incorporates them into a novel imagining the life of their owner. But, wait! Let's have an American professor in Paris find this box and write letters summarizing his findings. But the box should be left deliberately by the secretary of the department, who urges the professor to share his findings. And! Let the professor suffer from fevers that call into question the veracity of his letters. Are you confused yet? I have gone back and forth between rating this book five stars and rating it two. I settled on three, no - four, no three. I liked it, and I would certainly recommend it to a friend, but it's not quite...it doesn't quite...well, let me explain.

Shapiro's first novel is inspired by an actual box of mementoes she inherited after an heirless neighbor dies. She has always been fascinated with the box of treasures. What we choose to keep reveals so much about us, but also leaves great mysteries that can never be known for certain. This box belonged to Louise Brunet, who fell in love with her cousin (who was killed in the Great War) and married her father's apprentice. She teaches piano to Garance, a prodigy, and yearns for passion in her life. Shapiro imagines Professor Trevor Stratton scrutinizing the mementoes and finding their histories, their meaning to Louise, becoming gradually more obsessive and confused whether he has uncovered a truth or has only imagined it.

Shapiro's language teeters on the line between poetic and overwrought, crossing into both territories. I spent several minutes trying to decide whether certain passages were brilliant or cliched, and for some, I honestly still can't tell. Like this one: "The first time, the pain was so terrible that she'd thought it could not possibly get any worse. The second time, the pain had eaten her whole, had incorporated her into its being. Her flesh was pain itself" (p. 111). Since there are mementoes in the box from both World Wars, we are brought into both through the flashback/imaginings of Stratton, with mixed success. The two pages made up almost entirely of a story told in footnotes fell flat to me. Footnotes pull me out of a narrative like nothing else. The second person intrusions also pull me out of the story: "Inside you find a bit of change, scattered on the cloth lining like so much stray cash. Why not drop the coins one by one along the way and see where we wind up?" (p. 205)

Then there's the ambitious framework, in which Trevor Stratton and Josianne (the secretary) are barely developed characters. While the premise is interesting, Louise's story is simply far more interesting than the contemporary one. The ending for Trevor is ambiguous, but I'm familiar enough with French film that it didn't bother me. The disparity between the involving tale of Louise's life and the flat passages about Trevor and Josianne was simply too great. I have to admire the ambition of this novel, and Shapiro's boldness in execution, and I loved the story she imagined for Louise, but too many clever touches interrupted the narrative flow for me. Still, an utterly fascinating (if sometimes frustrating) read.

FTC Source Disclosure: I purchased this book.

Picture Book Thursday: Animal Story Time

First of all, HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY! Did you all remember to wear green? Even though it would make more sense for me to feature St. Patty's day books today, I don't have a bunch of those sitting around. So today's topic is: ANIMALS! :-)

Read to Tiger by S. J. Fore is a very cute story of a little boy trying to read a book. His tiger keeps interrupting by chomping his gum, impersonating a bear, practicing karate and more. It's not until the tiger realizes the little boy is reading a book about tigers that he becomes interested in the book. In the end, the little boy finally ends up reading his book to the tiger. This is a great picture book for young readers. There is much repetition and great pictures to help with more difficult words. A nice choice for an older sibling to read to a younger sibling. S. J. Fore previously published Tiger Can't Sleep which I'm sure is just as cute! We'll have to take a look at that one too.

I recently received a board book copy of Mister Seahorse by Eric Carle. This is a new-to-me title. I actually thought it was a newly published Carle book, but realized it's just a new edition. Mister Seahorse was originally published in 2004. A fun book for kids interested in sea life. Another repetitious story showing fish families. This one is unique because it focuses on seahorses, sticklebacks, tilapia, Kurtus nurseryfish, and more. All varieties where the father takes care of the eggs instead of the female. A great way to show the nurturing side of males. The book has acetate overlays on every other page featuring a hide-and-seek camouflage for the fish. As always the bright Carle illustrations are wonderful! I'm sure this would be a delight for toddlers through pre-K.

I've had Brown Rabbit in the City sitting on my shelf for awhile. And I'm happy to finally be able to review it. Such a sweet little tale! This is the sequel to the book Moon Rabbit. In Brown Rabbit in the City, he comes to visit his good friend Little Rabbit. Little Rabbit flits all over the city with Brown Rabbit in tow. They visit her favorite cafe, a tall building, crowded streets, an art gallery and the subway. It's all a little too much for Brown Rabbit and he goes off on his own. All of sudden, Little Rabbit realizes she was too busy showing her friend everything. They didn't really get to visit and enjoy the company of each other. She rushes off to find him and the two enjoy spending the next day together in the park dancing and playing music. A very sweet rabbit story if you're looking for an Easter gift that doesn't scream "Easter".

Source disclosure: I received unsolicited review copies of each of these books from Penguin Young Readers Group.

Teaser Tuesday

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

Grab your current read
Open to a random page
Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

"Typical of October, the frenzied wind and sea conditions didn't always correlate with precipitation. A sailor could be consumed by a raging maelstrom, while the folks on shore enjoyed a sunny, breezy day." - Black Swan (the fifth Sam Acquillo mystery) by Chris Knopf p. 21 (uncorrected proof)

Mystery Monday - Flavia deLuce

I was unable to resist the third Flavia deLuce novel, A Red Herring Without Mustard, even though it's still in hardcover, and I was not disappointed. These, along with Susan Wittig Albert's Beatrix Potter mysteries, would also be great for middle-graders, though the mysteries are complex enough for adult fans of cozy mysteries. Flavia is a precocious eleven-year-old sleuth and eager student of chemistry (partly so that she can effect revenge on her mean older sisters), fascinated by crime-solving (life in 1950s rural England is, after all, pretty boring). I really enjoy the chemistry aspect of the books. In one of her experiments, Flavia uses some of what she's read to test for fingerprints on an object that's been submerged underwater. When a Gypsy caravan comes to Bishops Lacey, Flavia has her fortune read. The Gypsy woman who had given Flavia a puzzling fortune then turns up dead. Was it the Gypsy's odd granddaughter? The strange woman who had accused the Gypsy woman of stealing her baby years before? Is Flavia herself a suspect? And what does a bizarre religious cult have to do with any of this? Red herrings are abundant in this mystery, which also includes some further development of Flavia's character and family. This could be read alone, but I've certainly enjoyed reading this series in order.

My review of The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie
My review of The Weed That Strings the Hangman's Bag

Source disclosure: I purchased this book.

Winner of the National Book Award by Jincy Willett

You've got to admire a book whose cover is decorated with gold seals and entitled Winner of the National Book Award. I realize that authors don't create their own cover art, but whoever designed this cover encapsulated Jincy Willett's debut novel in two dimensions. In Rhode Island, chaste librarian Dorcas (known all her life as "Dork") plans to ride out a storm in her library, tackling the "New Books" shipment. This shipment is particularly troublesome, as it includes the true crime/biography written about her promiscuous, larger-than-life twin sister, Abigail. We learn that Abigail is awaiting trial, and as Dorcas pours herself one bourbon after another, she reads the book, unfolding the events that led to Abigail's current state. The overwrought prose of the fictional author combined with Abigail's obfuscations and lies is sharply contrasted with Dorcas's thoughts and reflections as she reads. Throughout, references to potentially dangerous New England weather and the "pure unadulterated Yankee bullshit" that runs rampant in Rhode Island give a strong sense of place.

Dorcas lives in her head; Abigail lives out loud. Dorcas reflects, "A well-wrought piece of fiction...helps us make sense out of the chaos of our lives. Why be deliberately obscure when real life is so fractured and opaque?" The plot of this story would be unbelievable, the protagonist (and pretty much all the characters) would be unsympathetic, in another format. But Willett's choice to tell the story through Dorcas's reaction to Abigail's story opens the door to Willett's wicked wit and sharp satire of writing itself (with a healthy swipe at metaphors, and at "true crime").

I won't spoil the slow dribbles of information that culminate in the revelation of the nature of the crime. If you pick this one up, you're in for great satire, biting wit, and almost unbearably complex characters. And you'll both anticipate and dread the revelations that lead up to the train wreck approaching in slow motion.

My review of The Writing Class

Picture Book Thursday: Peter Brown Storytime

The more I look at Peter Brown's books the more I love them! The two I review below both have a nice take on children and their involvement with nature and the environment.

In Children Make Terrible Pets, Lucille "Lucy" Beatrice Bear is dancing in the woods when she comes across an animal (really, she finds a little boy). She brings him home begging her mother to keep him. Lucy is allowed to keep him as long as she accepts sole responsibility for him. She names him Squeaker for the sounds he makes. She plays with him, eats with him, naps with him, pretty much does everything with the little boy. BUT, he is not easy to care for. He simply will not be potty trained, he messes up the furniture and does not listen very well. She is pretty fed up with him until one day he is missing! She looks all over and finally discovers the little boy had made his way back home to his family. She decides that is where he belongs and she says good-bye. Upon returning home, Lucy tells her mother that children really do make terrible pets. :-)

Such a cute story! And a great way to introduce kids to the idea that the animals we find in nature should remain there so they can be with their families where they belong. I've also discovered that Peter Brown's author notes are fun! This one says:

When I was a child, I once found a frog in the woods and brought it home to be my pet. My mom was not happy. "Would you like it if a wild animal made YOU its pet?" she asked. To which I replied, "Absolutely!"

The Curious Garden is the story of a little boy living in a dreary, gray city without any green space. While exploring the city, the little boy discovers a tiny patch of wildflowers on an unused elevated railway. He decides he is going to be a gardener and waters and cares for the little patch only to discover the garden wants to spread out. It was curious, and wanted to spread to other parts of the city. Before he knows it, there are wildflowers and trees popping up all over the city and more gardeners appear to care for the new green space. The city is transformed into a completely different place thanks to the curious nature of the spreading plants.

And again, I found the author's note at the end interesting. It begins:

It often seems impossible for nature to thrive in a city of concrete and brick and steel. But the more I've traveled, and the closer I've looked at the world around me, the more I've realized that nature is always eagerly exploring places we've forgotten. You can find flowers and fields and even small forests growing wild in every city; you just have to look for them.

It ends with:

All of this made me curious: what would happen if an entire city decided to truly cooperate with nature? How would that city change? How would it all begin?

Read The Curious Garden with your kids to find out how he answers those questions. I thoroughly enjoyed these two books and look forward to future books from Peter Brown!

Source disclosure: I received an unsolicited copy of Children Make Terrible Pets from Little, Brown & Company. The Curious Garden was an e-book download from my library.

Surrender!

I rarely toss aside a book without at least skimming to the end, especially when I received an advance copy and feel an obligation to write a comprehensive review. But, The Paris Wife by Paula McLain has defeated me. I've peeked at LibraryThing and Amazon reviews, which are glowing, so I want to make the disclaimer that this book is simply not for me. I appear to be an exception, so you may well love this book. I'm going to explain what I didn't like about it, which may be exactly what you're looking for in a beach read.

The Paris Wife is about Hemingway and 1920s Paris, shown through the eyes of Hadley Richardson, Hemingway's first wife. I was very excited about this one. I enjoy fictionalized accounts of real people. I'm fascinated by the 1920s, and what a juicy setting is the expat community in Paris at that time? But this book left me cold. I tried a dozen times over three months to plough through it, but I simply never cared about the characters. The writing is fine, though the dialogue is stilted. Hadley is not a well-drawn character, and certainly lacks the depth to carry a first-person narration. Hadley before Hemingway is boring, and I didn't care about her at all. She tells us some of her feelings about being a spinster, but McLain stops short of giving her breath. She's a paper doll, well-dressed in 1920s fashions, but with nothing behind them. I was relieved when Hemingway came on the scene, because he can't possibly be dull, right? Well, apparently, he can when told through a fictionalized Hadley's eyes. When they finally arrive in Paris, I was again relieved, because at least there's the interesting expat community. But that, too, had a shallow feel, and it never evinced any emotion from me except a mild, "Oh, look, Gertrude Stein" or "Hey, there's James Joyce." Because everything is told through Hadley's eyes and Hadley is not a nuanced, interesting character, nothing she sees has any depth. I would have learned more about who Hemingway really was as a human being by reading a biography.

FTC disclosure: I received an advance copy of this book from Ballantine Books through LibraryThing's Early Reviewer program.

Guest Post: Sing You Home by Jodi Picoult

I received a copy of Jodi Picoult's new book in the mail a couple weeks ago and just knew my friend Amber would want to read it. I knew I wouldn't be able to get to it for quite some time so thought she would love getting a copy before it even hit bookstores. I asked her if she wouldn't mind writing a review for the blog and here it is!! Thank you so much Amber! You can find out more about Amber here on her own blog. And now without further ado...the Sing You Home review:

Hello On My Bookshelf readers! I’ll be honest when Holly asked me to write a review of Jodi Picoult’s new book I was a little intimidated. Holly and Allison write amazing reviews and a good part of what I read comes from their reviews and suggestions. I love to read but I’m not much of a reviewer. I have a very hard time finding the right balance of information to include in my reviews, but I’m giving it my best shot! I will admit I am a fan of Picoult (I believe I have read all of her books) so I had high expectations for this book. I was not disappointed.

Sing You Home centers around three characters, Zoe, Max and Vanessa. Zoe and Max have struggled with fertility issues throughout their marriage. A tragic turn of events causes Zoe and Max’s marriage to eventually fall apart. Zoe, a music therapist, focuses on the one thing that can make her feel better, her work. During the course of her work she meets Vanessa and they quickly become best friends. When Zoe finally feels like her life is falling into place and she is genuinely happy again her world is rocked to the core by the actions of her ex-husband. She suddenly is thrust into a world where her character and morality are being questioned.

A couple of interesting things about this book, since the main character in this novel was a music therapist Picoult wanted to include some original music as a soundtrack to the novel, the chapters correspond to the tracks on a CD included in the book. Picoult wrote all the lyrics and her friend Ellen Wilber provided the accompaniment and the vocals on the CD. I have not yet listened to the CD, but I will definitely be doing so. The other thing I found interesting about this novel is that because it is told from the point of view of three different characters, each character had their own font throughout the novel. It was a great way for me to keep track of which point of view I was reading. Since some of the parts could have been any of the three characters view point it was easy to distinguish the characters when I got wrapped up in the story.

While parts of this novel completely infuriated me, it was also those parts that made me want to read faster to find out what was going to happen. I really enjoyed this book, it was thought provoking and made me smile, laugh and tear up throughout its pages.

Sing You Home will hit stores March 1^st, 2011.

Source disclosure: I received a review copy of this book from the publisher after requesting it on Shelf Awareness.

Altar of Bones by Philip Carter

There are not too many reviews of Altar of Bones out there yet. I'm kind of surprised by this actually. Philip Carter is supposedly a pseudonym for "an internationally renowned author" according to Simon and Schuster's website. It seems to me that it would be promoted more already with less than a month to its release. As Book Faerie at Journey of a Bookseller noted, it does have a Dan Brown feeling to it. While reading I thought to myself that it kind of reminded me of The DaVinci Code minus all the random art historical/historical fact rambling.

Altar of Bones jumps around in the beginning quite a bit, but once you get to the nitty gritty of the story, it's a spy/treasure hunt/suspense thriller based on a Russian folk story. Somewhere deep in the frozen tundra of Siberia there is a frozen lake with a frozen waterfall hiding a cave that legend claims holds the Altar of Bones and a fountain of youth. One particular family, who are descendants of the "magic people" of the area, have passed the secret to the Altar of Bones from mother to daughter for centuries. One woman is known as the Keeper and she must protect the Altar of Bones at all costs. However, these women are tempted by love and the men in their lives tend to prove untrustworthy and only interested in finding the Altar of Bones.

Jump to the present day of the story and Zoe Dmitroff finds herself the most recent Keeper when she receives a letter from her grandmother. She starts on a world-wide journey to unlock family secrets. Along the way, she teams up with an ex-DEA agent named Ry O'Malley. Together the two of them travel to Paris, Budapest, and finally Siberia. All while being hunted by a crazy red-headed femme fatale, an old KGB official, and more. This book is chock full of action with car chases and gun fights with a little romance thrown in by the end. It also tries to offer a new conspiracy theory for a presidential assassination with ties to Hollywood.

All very interesting to ponder. The book was a tiny bit long for me and dragged a bit about 2/3rd in and picked up toward the end again, but overall was a fun read. I kept turning the pages to find out where the adventure took Ry and Zoe next, whether he would eventually double-cross her and what they would do once they finally found the Altar of Bones.

Source disclosure: This was an e-book galley from Simon and Schuster and will be available for purchase March 8, 2011.

I'm Stylish!

My friend Amber gave the book blog a Stylish Award! Super nice of her to include us. I think she's pretty stylish herself! She makes AWESOME birthday cakes! I mean seriously, she made Andy's bed from Toy Story as her son's birthday cake. She also makes fabulous jewelry at Links of Love! Check it out if you get a chance!

Now onto following the rules of acceptance -

1) Thank and link back to the person who awarded you this award.

2) Share 7 things about yourself

3) Award 15 recently discovered great blogs/bloggers (The Versatile Blogger guideline was different the first time I received it so feel free to choose 10 or 15)

4) Contact the bloggers to tell them about the award

7 things you all don't know about me? Hmmmm

1. When I was in junior high, I wanted to be a writer. I LOVED writing stories and thought I might write a book one day.
   
2. I wrote my senior art history thesis about decapitation imagery in Baroque art.
   
3. When I was younger, I always wanted to own/work in a book store.
   
4. I think it might be kind of fun to be an art teacher in a non-school setting (like the Art Center, Community Center, etc.)
   
5. I wish I had the time and money to travel more often. There are so many people I've lost touch with because we don't live near each other.
6. I really want to travel to Italy with Andrew some day. We've always wanted to go there together. We've both been separately.
7. I will admit it...I still love Journey. Anyone who knew me in high school, knew I listened to them all the time. And yesterday, the Glee cast version of Don't Stop Believin' came on the radio and it made me smile.

So to pass the award along. Here are some pretty stylish ladies that I really admire.

1. Allison at The Whole Ball of Yarn(s)
2. Renee at Our Happenings
3. Kathy at Art Projects for Kids
4. Emily at My Little World
5. DrewB at Momtog
6. Katie at Adventures of an Art Teacher
7. Marce at Tea Time for Marce
8. Girl Detective
9. Charlotte at Charlotte's Web of Books
10. Lenore at Presenting Lenore

The Radleys by Matt Haig

MILESTONE ALERT! My last post on here was #600!! 600 posts! That's a lot of book rambling by me and Allison. :-) And we are at 192 subscribers when you combine our Google Reader and Blogger stats. Come on! Get us to 200 subscribers! I think a giveaway might be in the works if we d0 get to 200 subscribers.

Okay with that bit of boasting out of the way, let's get to today's regularly scheduled book review. :-)

Matt Haig's The Radleys is yet another entrant into the literary world of vampires. Let me digress for a moment. Why are vampires so popular these days? Seriously. What is the appeal of these bloodsuckers? Is it because they are supposed to be attractive? I admit, I was not one of those people who got sucked into Twilight. I read the first one and did not read anymore. I have watched the movies though just to see where the story went from there. I have not read any of the Sookie Stackhouse books, nor do I really want to. I have not watched True Blood...in fact, I was never even into Buffy the Vampire Slayer in my younger years. BUT, something about the description of The Radleys appealed to me. I think it was the idea that they were trying NOT to be vampires!

The Radleys lived on an ordinary street in an ordinary village in England. Peter was a doctor, Helen was a stay-at-home mom and an artist, and they had a son named Rowan and a daughter named Clara. They always seemed a little pale and the kids seemed a little strange to their high-school classmates. But other than that, just run-of-the-mill people. HA! They were actually abstaining vampires. Vampires, who didn't want to be vampires anymore! And their kids didn't even know they were vampires. Until Clara decides to become a vegan. The lack of red meat in her diet went against part of the Abstainer's diet and an incident at a party one night turns the family's whole world around. Long ignored family members start appearing and secrets are revealed.

I enjoyed this book for the most part. I think I might have liked it to be a bit more campy and lighthearted. The second half was pretty dark. But overall, Haig made a valiant effort in breaking into the vampire genre. This is a perfect book for a long airplane ride, a beach read, or if you happen to be stuck inside for a snow day with three foot drifts in front of your garage like some people in the Midwest today.

Source disclosure: I received a review copy from the publisher after sending a request from Shelf Awareness.

The Scent of Rain and Lightning by Nancy Pickard

Nancy Pickard's The Scent of Rain and Lightning was a truly enjoyable way to start off my New Year reading. It grabbed me from the very beginning and kept me interested all the way through to the big reveal at the end. And the end really packed a punch!

The book tells its story on two timelines. We start off in present day with Jody Linder, a 26 year old school teacher who suffered family tragedy as a three year old when her father was murdered and her mother disappeared. The book then shifts back 23 years so we can see what happened leading up to the murder. We gradually come back to present day when the man convicted of her father's murder is released from prison early and returns to the small town of Rose, Kansas.

The book seems to depict small town life accurately and the many characters are interesting from the Linder family to the town drunk convicted of her father's murder and his family. Pickard also weaves in an unlikely love story between Jody and the son of the man convicted of killing her father.

I spent much of the book trying to figure out the mystery of who really killed Jody's father. It seemed the man convicted was too drunk. But who?! It was such a small town and everyone else seemed accounted for. My theory was that her mom killed her dad and ran off. But, I was pleasantly surprised by the twist that Pickard threw in at the end. For once, there wasn't a totally cookie cutter ending to a book!

This is a highly recommended from me! And very close to a five-star rating. It's just a tiny bit too fluffy for me to make it five stars. I usually like to learn something along with having a fantastic story in order to give a five star rating....such as learning about the Japanese internment camps during WWII in The Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet or the south during the 1960's in The Help. I need just a tiny bit more substance for a 5-star book. However, this is definitely a 4.75 for me.

Source disclosure: Purchased by me as an e-book.

Why do I have such a difficult time deciding what e-books to buy?

I have to admit. I'm glad the iPad was a gift to us because it has sat around for the last several days without even being turned on. Don't get me wrong. It's a very cool device. But I'm finding I prefer the NookColor to the iPad as an e-reader. I actually find myself using the iPad to stream tv and movies while I'm working. That feature is AWESOME! But the iPad is a bit bulky to hold for any length of time for reading. The NookColor is perfect for that!

After playing around with the NookColor for a bit now. I'm thoroughly impressed by what it has to offer. I could even be updating this blog from it if I wanted to. The only thing I've discovered it cannot do is stream/play video. I tried to get Netflix Watch Instantly to work through the web. But no go.

I've also discovered I'm cheap. Now, I usually have no problem shopping. However, I'm having a hard time choosing exactly WHICH books to buy as e-books. I received a Barnes and Noble gift card in the mail and I planned to use it to purchase a new e-book. But I kept looking at the Nookbooks available and thinking do I want this as an e-book? What if I like it and wish I had a hard copy of the book for my shelf in the instance that I want to read it again or pass it along to someone? I know some e-books can be borrowed. But very few people I know have e-readers, so that is not practical. I also had a hard time paying $10 for the e-book I was looking at. I'm not sure WHY as I had a gift card. And I will pay more than that for a hardcover of a book.

In the end, I decided to buy The Scent of Rain and Lightning by Nancy Pickard. It is my book club book for this month. I wasn't sure what I would think of it and I wouldn't be able to borrow the e-book from the library in time for book club.

The funniest thing about this, I could have just checked out the hardcover from the library and read the book that way. Not spent any money. And had the book in plenty of time for book club. Boy, these e-reader business execs sure know what they're doing, don't they? I just spent $10 (okay, it wasn't MY money, it was a gift card...but still) on a book, when had I not owned an e-reader, I would have just trotted down to the library and checked the book out.

Okay, that was my ramble for the day. :-)

Picture Book Thursday: Winter Fun

I thought snowy books would be appropriate for this week's Picture Book Thursday. Here in Minnesota, we're having the snowiest winter in 20 years. My kids are loving it, but I'm already hoping for an early spring.

Peter Rabbit: A Winter's Tale is a gorgeous picture book with a shiny sparkly cover, a fun story and an interactive pop-up at the end. Mrs. Rabbit sends Peter out to gather firewood one afternoon. He runs into his cousin Benjamin Bunny and the two run off to gather firewood together. But snowy fun lures them away from their duty. They sled and throw snowballs. While they are out running around the forest, they run into Tommy Brock who seems up to something. After seeing Mrs. Tittlemouse, the two rabbits realize Tommy Brock stole her babies! They are off to try and save them, all the while keeping an eye out for Mr. Tod, the sinister fox.

Throughout the book, your child will find little envelopes filled with a small shiny snowflake. At the end you can prop the book up, unfold the snowy fir tree and your child can hang their snowflakes on the tree. I would recommend this for about four years old. The snowflakes are too small for the younger set, though they can enjoy the story. You could save the interactive part for when they are old enough to handle it. I'm not sure younger than four will have the dexterity to hang the snowflakes by themselves (but you could always help them!).

Jan Bretty's Snowy Treasury contains four of her well-known stories all in one bound copy: Gingerbread Baby, The Mitten, The Hat, and The Three Snow Bears. I'm sure many of you are familiar with at least one of these stories. They are all beautifully illustrated and a delight to read. Set in beautiful landscapes all inspired by Jan Brett's hometown in the Berkshires or on her many travels including Switzerland and Scandinavian countries.

Source disclosure: These books were sent to me by The Penguin Group as review copies.

The Confession by John Grisham

John Grisham's latest was the first book of 2011 for me. I'll be honest, I was pleasantly surprised by this one. I believe The Client was the last book I had read by Grisham other than The Painted House and Skipping Christmas. I just haven't been into his legal thrillers since then. I read The Appeal and was very disappointed by it. I had heard that The Appeal was "old school" Grisham, but I felt it fell far short of his first books.

So I was leery to say the least going into The Confession. And really, the only reason I did read it was because my husband's uncle gave me a copy of the e-book and I wanted to play with my new e-reader.

Turns out the book was pretty good! Now, I'm not sure if that's because I went in with really LOW expectations or if it just intrigued me.

Keith, a Lutheran pastor receives a mysterious visitor in his office. Travis Boyette, a convicted serial rapist, claims that he killed a girl nine years earlier and now the state of Texas is going to execute an innocent man. Boyette has a deadly brain tumor and wants to come clean at the last minute. He wants Keith's help and guidance on how to proceed. Keith struggles with what to do next. Meanwhile, in Texas we meet Donte Drumm, the man who has been on death row for all this time vigilantly holding on to the belief that he his innocent.

The first two thirds of Grisham's book describe a race against the clock to prove Drumm is innocent before they execute the wrong man. All of this kept my attention and I "turned" each page as fast as I could to see if the execution would happen. Now, I'm not going to give away what happens. All I'm going to say is that I wish Grisham would have written a slightly shorter book or pushed off the climactic scene. Having one-third of the book left seemed a bit much and I found myself skimming through the pages. I felt the very end was satisfactory and I'm really glad that Grisham didn't reek more havoc on the pastor's life toward the end of the book.

This would make for a really great vacation or beach read (ah, the beach, doesn't that sound nice right about now?).

Source Disclosure: This e-book was shared with me by a family member.