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Tuesday, July 9, 2013

Books of June

Why hello July, when did you sneak up on me? Once again I am late with the monthly reading list. I should just make it a habit of planning to post in the middle of the month instead of the first of the month. Then when I do post early, I can surprise myself! I got a lot of reading done this month, and I hope that you guys see something here that might tickle your fancy.




33. Fury by Shirley Marr** Excellent book with a lot of voice and sass. You really kind of want to hate the MC for her bitchy, selfish, rich girl attitude, but in the end you just can't. Loved the relationships between the girls and how in the end they all looked out for each other. A great example of a dislikeable character made likeable by voice and circumstances. Highly recommended!

34. Obsidian Mirror by Catherine Fisher* I really wanted to love this, but in the end it just felt like too much. Too many subplots. Too many characters. Too much of not knowing what the heck was happening until about 3/4 of the way in. I like some mystery in my books, but I don't like being confused. This was confusing. I think I'm pretty much done trying to read Fisher. I didn't get into Incarceron for much the same reason.



35. If He Had Been With Me by Laura Nowlin** Bought on a rec from my good friend, Nomes. I read this very quickly and stayed up late to finish it (which hasn't happened for me in while). While I concede that there was a lot of telling, I really loved how well developed the romance was in this one. The characters were best friends since childhood and the author does a great job giving us peeks into what that was like and how things came to be the way they were. I was a bit disheartened by the ending (and not for the obvious reasons), but it was very true to life. Looking forward to reading more from this author.

36. No More Dead Dogs by Gordon Korman* This is an instance of oops, I goofed, but it turned out really, really well. See, when I picked this up, I mistook Gordon Korman for Robert Cormier. Now if you've read Cormier (The Chocolate War and I Am the Cheese) you know that his stories tend to be rather depressing. So when I saw this and mistook the author, I was curious if his middle grade books were just as gray. Well, I loved the book (more on that in a bit), but then I got curious and looked up Korman--and discovered that he's written TONS of middle grade stuff (like parts of the 39 Clues, and Everest just to name a few), but of course, no Chocolate War. My goof! But like I said, the book is a great find. No More Dead Dogs is about a kid named Wallace Wallace who has vowed to never tell a lie. He's kind of like those pre-schoolers who haven't quite figured out that when Uncle Vern asks you if you notice anything different he's looking for a compliment on his new hairpiece, not that there's a dead animal on his head. In this story, Wallace tells it like it is when he reviews the book, Old Shep, My Pal, and ends up in detention. Since his teacher is the director of the drama club, Wallace ends up participating in a production of Old Shep, My Pal, and he... changes it a bit. It's a fun read with a lot of great characters. What I particularly liked about it were the alternating points of view. We've got Wallace (of course) but Korman also includes the voice of the leading lady and the teacher who started it all. By doing so, he creates a book that will appeal to both boys and girls.


37. The Monstrumologist by Rick Yancey* I'm having a thinky-think back to all of the YA books I've read in the past three years, and to be honest I think this is the very first "legitimate" YA horror book that I've read. Horror as in grotesque, blood-and-guts-in-your-face horror that makes you cringe, look away and then peek back moments later. I did not expect this based on the Rick Yancey book I read last month (his new release, The 5th Wave), but it was a pleasant surprise. I used to be a huge horror fan, as in I read ALL of Stephen King's 80's (and about half of his 90's) novels. One thing that I really enjoyed about this one was how Yancey completely changed my opinion of the monstrumologist, Dr. Warthrope, half way through the book. At first, I thought he was a horrible, horrible person and shouldn't be allowed anywhere near children, but then as time went on, I actually grew to understand and like him. That's an authorial talent I need to learn in my writing. 



38. The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly** I enjoyed this book so very very much, but I do think part of that comes from the fact that I'm a scientist. Not that non-scientists wouldn't enjoy it, but I think that young girls (which is the intended audience) may find it a tad on the slow side. In short, I think there are some middle grade books which seem to be written more for adults and this one fits that category.

39. Five Parts Dead by Tim Pegler Eh? I found this book to be a tad on the boring side, mainly because I didn't feel like there was enough connection with the characters. Maybe there was just too much telling instead of showing in the story. Or maybe it was all the lighthouse "log" entries that got to be a little too much. I mean, every time the author cited the wind speed and direction my eyes glazed over and I found myself skimming. I did like the voice, but overall I was very neutral about this one.


40. Shadows:The Rephaim by Paula Weston* There was a little too much about this story that felt cliche (erased memory, girl discovers she has "abilities", hot guy who is questionably on her side). Still, I found myself reading it fairly quickly anyway and will go on to read the next one in the series. I DO appreciate that this book fit well into the NA category, and in that respect was a bit sexier than some other YA angel books. Also love the new cover!  Pssst - this one is available on netgalley right now!

41.Don't Breathe a Word by Holly Cupala* What I enjoyed most about this book was the way the author illustrated that boyfriend abuse isn't always physical, it can be mental as well, and just as damaging. This book also has much darker themes - drugs and prostitution - that reminded me a lot of the book Smack by Melvin Burgess, though it just wasn't "quite" to that level. Looking forward to seeing what this author comes up with next.



42. Jasper Jones by Craig Silvey* Okay, I was a little shocked when after reading this for about 50 pages 
I finally realized that it's historical. No clues whatsoever until the author starts talking about the war in Vietnam. The book itself wasn't what I expected, as in I expected much more mystery, the MC trying to figure out who the murderer really was, etc. Instead it was mostly introspection and a bit of romance (cute romance though); it fits well into the literary category. The book was very well written though, and the sidekick character was a gas!  I loved the casual references to all the Australian animals. Aussies might laugh, but I got a kick every time the author would say that a kangaroo was hopping by.

38. The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly** 
39. Five Parts Dead by Tim  Pegler
40. Shadows:The Rephaim by Paula Weston* 
41.Don't Breathe a Word by Holly Cupala* 
42. Jasper Jones by Craig Silvey*  - See more at: http://addktd2books.blogspot.com/p/book-list-2013.html#sthash.9EmW8x7y.dpuf

38. The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly** 
39. Five Parts Dead by Tim  Pegler
40. Shadows:The Rephaim by Paula Weston* 
41.Don't Breathe a Word by Holly Cupala* 
42. Jasper Jones by Craig Silvey*  - See more at: http://addktd2books.blogspot.com/p/book-list-2013.html#sthash.9EmW8x7y.dpuf

38. The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly** 
39. Five Parts Dead by Tim  Pegler
40. Shadows:The Rephaim by Paula Weston* 
41.Don't Breathe a Word by Holly Cupala* 
42. Jasper Jones by Craig Silvey*  - See more at: http://addktd2books.blogspot.com/p/book-list-2013.html#sthash.9EmW8x7y.dpuf
 

1 comments:

Nomes said...

I'm so glad you loved if he had been with me! I did not like the ending either, although i was happy with the idea of it. i felt so much of the book felt true and the ending felt like daytime movie drama.

also -- yay for liking shadows! Haze is (IMO) even better. More answers, more scope, more swoon!

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