The Shadow Dragon (YA, Adult)

Owen, James A. 2009. The Shadow Dragons. (Book #4 in The Chronicles of the Imaginarium Geographica.) Simon & Schuster. 417 pages.

"We are definitely lost," John said with decisive authority. "I haven't the faintest idea where we are."

The fourth in the series. (The first book: Here There Be Dragons; The second book: The Search for the Red Dragon; The third book: The Indigo King). How do you review a book that's fourth in a fantasy series? I want to just say read this book if you like fantasy and time travel and Arthurian legends. Or read this book if you like action and adventure. Or read this book if you like reading literature. Because there is nothing I can say that will do this one (or any of the others) justice.

Even though these are marketed as young adult, I think they are just as much for adults as anyone else. They're long, complex fantasy novels. Our three heroes aren't young teens on a quest. They are all older men. They get older with every book. (So far we've spanned from around World War I through World War II in these four books.) These books are rich in detail. The more fantasy you've read, the more you'll appreciate everything. That's not to say you have to be well-read to appreciate the action and adventure. I'm just trying to say that this one has enough to offer a variety of readers.

This fantasy stars three Inklings: C.S. Lewis (Jack), J.R.R. Tolkien (John), and Charles Williams. These three are caretakers of the Imaginarium Geographica. And in this fourth book, we meet even more caretakers.

The book begins in the late 1930s. But there is so much time travel involved, that much of the action takes places in their future. (World War II.) We've got wars on both sides--in the Archipelago of Dreams and the real world. And of course, these wars are connected. To win the world war, these three caretakers (and friends) will need to battle the real enemy in the Archipelago, and that enemy is not a new enemy.

I really loved this one.

© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

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Al Capone Shines My Shoes (MG, YA)

Choldenko, Gennifer. 2009. Al Capone Shines My Shoes. Penguin. 275 pages.

Nothing is the way it's supposed to be when you live on an island with a billion birds, a ton of bird crap, a few dozen rifles, machine guns, and automatics, and 278 of America's worst criminals--"the cream of the criminal crop" as one of our felons likes to say. The convicts on Alcatraz are rotten to the core, crazy in the head, and as slippery as eels in axle grease.

This is the sequel to Al Capone Does My Shirts. And I liked it. Moose Flanagan is still a compelling narrator. I *still* don't know what Moose sees in Piper. How he can possibly like her like her when a wonderful girl like Annie is around. But Moose is still a good guy, even if he doesn't have the best taste in girls. If you thought life would calm down after Natalie, Moose's autistic sister, got accepted into a special school, then think again. Life gets very, very messy in the sequel. An exciting messy though. And a scary messy now that I think about it.

This one is a unique historical fiction novel about family and friends, criminals and baseball. (This one is set in 1935.) I don't want to tell you *too* much about the book itself. Because some books are just like that. There is joy in discovering the book for yourself. But I can say that I enjoyed this one. I found it an exciting, compelling read. I didn't know quite what to expect. I didn't know if I would like it as much as I liked the first book. I wasn't sure--at the start--that the book "needed" a sequel. I'm still not convinced that the sequel had to happen. (I think the first one stands alone just fine.) But the sequel is good. It wasn't a disappointment. It was nice to revisit these characters. So I'm definitely glad I read it!

I love the author's note on this one.

Other reviews:

The Bluestocking Society,
Kids Lit
Killin’ Time Reading
The Novel World
Peaceful Reader
Welcome to My Tweendom

© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

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Road to Tater Hill (MG)

Hemingway, Edith M. 2009. Road to Tater Hill. Random House. 213 pages.

For months I had wished and wished the baby would be a girl, a little sister. Maybe I shouldn't have wished so hard. A boy might have lived.

The year is 1963. The summer of 1963. And Annie's got some growing up to do. Fortunately, she won't be all on her own. This will be a time of growth and healing for all.

This one had me at hello. From the very first paragraph, I was drawn into Annie's story. Annie is eleven and carrying a heavy burden of grief and worry. Her father is in the military--and he's overseas. Her mother just had her baby prematurely. Mary Kate. Her sister's name was Mary Kate. But she lived only a day. These two (mother and daughter) are staying with her grandparents. Will grief bring this family together or tear it apart?

Annie often goes off on her own. And on one of her trips, she finds a rock baby. A baby just the right size, right weight. She wraps it in the precious yellow blanket--the blanket she made for her new sister--and holds it. But that's not all she finds in her explorations. She also discovers an older woman living in a mess of a house--more of a shack than a proper house. A woman, Eliza McGee, with issues of her own. Alone, both seem a bit hopeless. As these two come together, healing begins. It's a great story of inter-generational friendship. A really great story.

If you're looking for a family-friendly, coming-of-age novel (that happens to be historical) then I really recommend this one. I loved so many things about it. I loved the fact that both Annie and Eliza love to read. That both draw power from words. From stories. I loved the use of poetry and literature in the book. (How absorbed Annie becomes in A Wrinkle in Time.)

© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

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Sunday Salon: Reading, Read, To Read #45

Happy Sunday everyone! I've watched two movies this week: The Woman in White (1948) and You For Me (1952). And endless hours of figure skating. I love, love, love watching skating. I've done some reading--some for fun and some for Cybils.

I've been thinking about challenges for 2010. I've posted about a few of the challenges I'm hosting. (Celebrate the Author, Young Readers, A to Z, 18th and 19th Century Women Writers, etc.) But I've also been seeking out other challenges. I was happy to see the announcement for the TBR 2010 challenge. Though the TBR challenge has always been love/hate with me. I always get so very excited signing up for it. Creating a list. Knowing that it is a list with little wiggle room. 12 Books, 12 Alternates. That's it. But both years I've participated I've ended up fighting with myself. I put that on the list??? Why??? What was I even thinking??? I look at my list four or five months later and it's like a stranger wrote it. So how can I prevent this happening again? I *really* do want to join in again.

What I read in a previous week, but reviewed this week:

Devil's Paintbox. Victoria McKernan. 2009. Random House. 360 pages.
Willoughby's Return. Jane Odiwe. 2009. Sourcebooks. 352 pages.

What I read this past week and reviewed:

My Elephant. Petr Horacek. 2009. Candlewick Press.
The Legend of Ninja Cowboy Bear. David Bruins and Hilary Leung. 2009. Kids Can Press.
Under the Star: A Christmas Counting Story. Jane Yolen. Illustrated by Vlasta van Kampen. Key Porter Kids.
The Seeing Stick. Jane Yolen. Illustrated by Daniela Jaglenka Terrazzini. Running Press.
Pumpkin Baby by Jane Yolen. Illustrated by Susan Mitchell. Key Porter Kids.
The Big Fat Cow That Goes Kapow. Andy Griffiths. Illustrated by Terry Denton. 2009. Feiwel and Friends. 124 pages. (Early Reader)
Ruby Flips for Attention. (Ruby and the Booker Boys). 2009. Derrick Barnes. Scholastic. 130 pages.

What I read this past week and haven't reviewed yet:

Dessert First by Hallie Durand. 2009. Simon & Schuster. 154 pages.
Road to Tater Hill. Edith M. Hemingway. 2009. Random House. 214 pages.
Al Capone Shines My Shoes. Gennifer Choldenko. 2009. Penguin. 274 pages.
The Shadow Dragons. James A. Owen. 2009. 417 pages.
No Girls Allowed (Dogs Okay) by Trudi Trueit. 2009. Simon & Schuster. 118 pages.
The Funeral Director's Son by Coleen Murtagh Paratore. 2009. Simon & Schuster. 135 pages.
Dog Whisperer: The Rescue by Nicholas Edwards. 2009. SquareFish. 216 pages.

What I've read and really, really need to review:

The Swiss Courier. Tricia Goyer and Mike Yorkey. 2009. Revell. 324 pages.
Touched by a Vampire: Discovering the Hidden Messages in the Twilight Saga by Beth Felker Jones. 2009. Multnomah. 180 pages.
Thirsty. Tracey Bateman. 2009. Waterbrook Press. 376 pages.


What I'm currently reading:

Mary Barton. Elizabeth Gaskell. 487 pages.
Man and Wife. Wilkie Collins.

What I'm just fooling around that I'm reading:

The Silver Blade by Sally Gardner
The Monstrumologist by Rick Yancey
Dracula by Bram Stoker
The Monk by Matthew Lewis

What I've abandoned:

© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

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Library Loot Second Week in November

You probably have *no* idea how much I've missed the library these past few weeks. But I managed to get there today. And I had some great finds.


Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut

Note: This one was on the display rack *right* by the check-out. I'd been meaning to give Vonnegut a try, and so this one just jumped into the bag.


Hollywood Buzz by Margit Liesche

Note: Why is it it's not until I get home that I realize this one is the second in the series. Oh well. I picked it up because the cover caught my eye. In a let's-read-the-back-cover way. And when I saw the word WASP (as in pilot), I knew I needed to give it a chance. I suppose I'll give this one a brief try. But I don't know if I can read it knowing that there's a first book out there.


A Constant Heart by Siri Mitchell

Note: A Christian book (published by Bethany House) set during Elizabeth England. It's not a surprise this one begged to go home with me.



Colonel Brandon's Diary by Amanda Grange

Note: This isn't the first time this one has come home with me. But it *might* be the last time. I was so disappointed with the last Sense-and-Sensibility inspired book I read, I'm hoping this one will prove better. I see that there is also an Edmund Bertram's Diary. And a Mr. Darcy's Diary. And a Captain Wentworth's Diary. But unfortunately, my library doesn't have any of those. Bother, bother. (Though they do have Mr. Knightley's Diary. I'll have to keep that one in mind.)



The Casebook of Victor Frankenstein by Peter Ackroyd

I was pleasantly surprised to find this one on the shelf. It made my day really! I just hope it's better than A Monster's Notes. If it is, then maybe I'll recommend it to my blogging friends that were so disappointed/frustrated with Laurie Sheck's Frankenstein-inspired novel.



The Memoirs of Mary Queen of Scots by Carolly Erickson

Note: I don't think I've read anything about Mary Queen of Scots (fiction or nonfiction).



The Children's Book by A.S. Byatt

Note: I remember reading Nymeth's review of this earlier in the year and wanting to read it. But this is the first time I've seen it at the library. So I *knew* despite its length (675 pages) it had to come home with me today.

Library Loot is a weekly event co-hosted by Eva and Marg that encourages bloggers to share the books they’ve checked out from the library. If you’d like to participate, just write up your post-feel free to steal the button-and link it using the Mr. Linky any time during the week. And of course check out what other participants are getting from their libraries!


© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

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Positively (MG)

Sheinmel, Courtney. 2009. Positively. Simon & Schuster. 216 pages.

When my mother died I imagined God was thinking, "One down, and one to go."

Our heroine, Emerson Price has known she was HIV positive since she was four. (She's now 13.) But when her mother dies, Emmy's world begins to collapse. (Her mother had AIDS.) She's sent to live with her father and stepmother. (There's a little one on the way too.) And Emmy begins to question everything.

Why is she taking her medications if she's just going to die anyway? (Why didn't the meds work for her mother???) Why bother if she's never going to have a normal life? If she's never going to have the opportunity of growing up, falling in love, being with someone, and starting her own family? Can one girl find the will to live her life to the fullest? Can Emmy work past the anger and bitterness and realize that there are plenty of reasons to live, to love living?

After several desperate cries for help (not that Emmy would say they were desperate cries for help), her parents (father and stepmother) decide to send her to Camp Positive. A six-week camp for children with HIV. Can the camp experience change Emmy's life? Can this broken family be healed? Is there hope for Emmy yet?

Positively is a heartbreaking (in some ways raw) novel about grief and brokenness. It's a redemptive novel about finding hope, family, and friendship in unexpected places. This one is a compelling book, one that I couldn't put down.

© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

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18th and 19th Century Women Writers Reading Challenge

18th and 19th Women Writers Reading Challenge
Hosted by Becky of Becky's Book Reviews
Minimum 2 books;
All of 2010

Sign up by leaving a comment.

Read books written by women authors that were written and/or published between 1700 and 1900. Contemporary historical books set in this time period do not count towards this challenge! The challenge is to encourage you to read some classics.

Here is a place where you can get ideas, but be careful, the list includes some authors who won't count. (The site lists authors based on when they were born. So on the 1801-1900 list, for example, you might find women authors who were born in this time but didn't begin writing and publishing their books until the twentieth century.)

Celebration of Women Writers 1801-1900
Celebration of Women Writers 1701-1800

Overlaps with other challenges allowed.

Participants:

Becky's Book Reviews
Reading With Tequila
Megan
English Major's Junk Food
You Can Never Have Too Many Books
Helen Loves Books
At Pemberley
Heidenkind's Hideaway
Msumana
Shona's Bookshelves
KT
Cafe Shree
© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

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Celebrate the Author (2010)

Celebrate the Author
Hosted by Becky of Becky's Book Reviews
12 Books, 12 Months
January - December 2010

The challenge is designed to “celebrate” author birthdays. Choose one author for each month of the year. Read at least one book a month. 12 authors. 12 birthdays. If you like, you can read MORE than that. Read the books IN ANY ORDER YOU LIKE. As long as you've got one book representing an author birthday from each month of the year by the end, then you're good.

You can choose picture books, poetry books, early readers, chapter books, fiction for middle grades, fiction for teens, adult reads, nonfiction, whatever you want.

The challenge is designed to ‘celebrate’ the special bond–the connection–that occurs between the author AND the reader as well as the connection between readers. It is very easy to “bond” with other readers over certain works, certain authors, etc. To find out author birthdays, visit these helpful sites:

Author birthdays by date (pdf), author birthdays by name (pdf), kidsreads.com, teenreads.com, author birthday directory, etc.

Or conduct google searches of your own. (Hint: typing the authors name, a “+” and the word ‘birthday’, tends to work if you assume that wikipedia gets such things right.)

No lists are necessary. You can make a list if you like. But you *don't* have to make a list and stick to it.

Sign up by leaving a comment.

If you'd like other participants to keep track of your progress, then I'd suggest having one post on your blog where you keep an as-you-go list. (If you don't have a blog, then don't worry about it! You're still welcome to join in on the fun.)

Participants:

Megan
Marilu
Jennifer
Bookend Crossing
At Pemberley
My Two Blessings

© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

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The Indigo King

Owen, James A. The Chronicles of the Imaginarium Geographica: The Indigo King. Simon & Schuster. 375 pages.

Hurrying along one of the tree-lined paths at Magdalen College in Oxford, John glanced up at the cloud-clotted sky and decided that he rather liked the English weather. Constant clouds made for soft light; soft light that cast no shadows. And John liked to avoid shadows as much as possible.

The third in the series. (The first book: Here There Be Dragons; The second book: The Search for the Red Dragon). This fantasy stars three Inklings: C.S. Lewis (Jack), J.R.R. Tolkien (John), and Charles Williams. (Though the Charles in this novel isn't the Charles we really know. But that is a long story!) It is also sprinkled with other writers (aka Caretakers) including H.G. Wells (Bert), and Jules Verne. New caretakers are being discovered in each book and it is fun to see which writers are the good guys and which ones aren't.

It's been fourteen years since these three Oxfordians became Caretakers of the Imaginarium Geographica. And these years have been sprinkled with adventure here and there. (Which of course you're encouraged to read about in the first two books.) In case you don't remember, an accident in the second book (I believe it was the second book anyway) caused troubles with time, with the time line. And those troubles erupt in this third novel. Jack and John (and friends) are traveling here, there, everywhere in time trying to solve problems and prevent catastrophic changes in the timeline. If they don't succeed, the world as we know it may never exist. It can be a bit complex. But it's a good and satisfying kind of complex, in my opinion. We have Jack and John meeting some very interesting characters (both human and animal) along the way. And there are a few fun twists. And new characters. Including Hugo Dyson.

This one does play around with the theme of King Arthur, Merlin, Mordred, The Green Knight, and The Holy Grail. So if you're in the Arthurian challenge, you can count this one.

Other reviews: Rhinoa, Semicolon, Deslily.


© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

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The Devil's Paintbox

McKernan, Victoria. 2009. The Devil's Paintbox. Random House. 360 pages.

Aiden Lynch slid down the steep creek bank, dirt crumbling beneath his bare feet and dust rising in a cloud behind him.

This is a difficult read. Emotionally that is. Especially if you are allergic to westerns. Aiden and his younger sister, Maddy, are starving to death. As in eating dirt and splitting up small bugs between them starving. If no one intervenes, it's only a matter of time until they both die. Their parents have died. And their neighbors have all scattered. Some have died. Some have moved away. But regardless, these two are isolated from the world. (The setting is Kansas in 1865.)

These two are given a second chance when Jefferson J. Jackson stumbles upon them. If Aiden agrees to work two years in a lumber camp (one year for himself, one year for his sister) then Jackson will let them join his wagon on a wagon train west. But the Oregon Trail holds so many dangers--some expected, some not so much--and their survival is never a guarantee. Every day almost seems to be a life-and-death matter.

The heart of this one turns out (in a way) to be about small pox and the oh-so-controversial vaccinations for small pox. Who deserves the chance to be vaccinated? Who doesn't? Should everyone be vaccinated? Should race and class matter? How much prejudice is involved?

This is a novel that makes you think. About the war. About the effects of the war. About prejudice. About what is right and wrong. About friendships. About life and death too.

It's a bit raw-and-rough on the emotions.

© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

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