Lockdown

Lockdown by Diane Tullson

Adam, a teenager, attends what he thinks is just going to be another day of school. Along with the other students and faculty, Adam soon realizes this is no normal day when the school is put on lockdown because of an armed intruder. Adam and three classmates find themselves in trouble when they cannot get into any classroom and must hide elsewhere. The terrified students soon discover that Josh, a ridiculed classmate, is the gunman. When Adam learns this, he begins to feel sorry for Josh and partly blames himself for not befriending him. Adam goes on a quest to stop Josh not only from hurting or killing other students but also from killing himself. This book describes an event that unfortunately has occurred in many schools recently. Because Adam narrates this story, readers can vicariously experience the fear and regret that Adam feels. The book describes a situation in which a student is bullied and humiliated to the point where he resorts to violent actions against his teachers and fellow students. Young students can learn a great deal about what their words and actions can do to sensitive fellow students. ( Amazon )

Every book I read about a shooting, the common element is that someone has been bullied for a length of time. This book is no different. Hearing authors who have researched school shootings bullying has to stop. Really good book, Teens will love it.

Feeling Sorry for Celia

Feeling Sorry for Celia by Jaclyn Moriarty

The daughter of divorced parents, Elizabeth is becoming reacquainted with her father, who has recently returned to Australia and wants to make up for all the time with her he's missed and this consists primarily of dragging her to expensive restaurants. Her life is further complicated by her best friend, Celia Buckley, who careens from one escapade to the next, confident someone else will bail her out. An English assignment lands Elizabeth a pen pal from a neighboring school, and she is becoming a serious long-distance runner, but Celia (and boys, of course) are serious distractions. Holding her own despite internal doubts, Elizabeth navigates the murky waters of adolescence essentially alone. Her mother is a parody of a contemporary career woman: emotionally dependent and immersed in her job at an ad agency, she leaves dizzy notes (many of which are no more than thinly veiled pleas for help with ad campaigns) around the house for Elizabeth, who is left to cook, clean and look after herself. (Amazon)

Using letters to tell this story was a great idea. However, there is something about the author's voice that doesn't mix with mine. I have read two books by this author in less than three weeks and I am always so happy when I finish reading them. Who Knows? I won't be reading anything by this author anytime soon.

Eclipse

Eclipse by Richard North Patterson

On the eve of getting a divorce, Damon Pierce, a 40-year-old partner in a huge San Francisco, Calif., law firm, who specializes in international litigation, e-mails Marissa Brand, a woman he was once in love with in college, to update her on his life. Marissa is married to Bobby Okari, a firebrand reformer whose Nigeria-like country, Luandia, is awash in oil. With these riches come the usual scenarios: ecological disasters, a brutal dictator with murderous henchmen, a rapacious foreign oil company and an oppressed populace. After everyone in Okari's village is slaughtered, Bobby is arrested for the lynching of three oil workers. Damon, because he's a good man and because he's still in love with Marissa, signs on to defend Bobby from the bogus charge. (Amazon)

I love Richard North Patterson. I have read several of his books and have recommended them to my friends. This book was a disappointment. I felt that it took forever to get into the story and then I had a hard time following all the characters and the plot 's twist and turns. I know this book will be for some people but not for me.

Fire and Ice

Fire and Ice by Julie Garwood

Sophie Rose, a tough and determined newspaper reporter, is the daughter of Bobby Rose, a suave, charming, and handsome gentleman who also happens to be a notorious big-time thief sought by every law-enforcement agency in the country. When the major Chicago daily where she works insists she write an exposé about her roguish father, Sophie refuses, quits her job, and goes to work at a small newspaper. Far from her onetime high-powered crime beat, she now covers local personalities such as the quirky winner of several area 5K runs whose trademark is goofy red socks.

Those red socks–with Sophie’s business card neatly tucked inside–are practically all that’s found after runner William Harrington is killed near Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, seemingly the victim of a brutal death by polar bear. The Alaska cops want to know why Harrington carried Sophie’s card. With an unerring nose for a good story, she heads north.What Sophie doesn’t realize is that on her journey from Chicago to Prudhoe Bay, danger follows in her wake. After one attempt on her life, she’s been assigned brash but sexy Jack MacAlister as a bodyguard by the cautious FBI.

Amid great peril and deadly intrigue in the unforgiving Alaskan terrain, she and Jack form an uneasy alliance sparked with sensual attraction. But they will soon be fighting more than their growing passion for each other. Powerful forces will stop at nothing to prevent the exposure of the sinister conspiracy Sophie and Jack are about to uncover. (Amazon)

This was a nice romantic suspense novel. which I enjoued a great deal.

House Party

House Party by Eric Walter


Casey’s parents are going out of town to close on their old home. Casey is suppose to be spending the night with her best friend, Jennifer. Instead Jennifer lies to her mother and encourages Casey to have a few friends over to her house for a party on the night her parents are gone. Casey is hesitant but goes ahead with the plan.

The girls plan is to invite 15 people to the party. But as the day progresses, they are worried that not all invited guests will attend, so they bump the guest list up to 25. What difference is ten people? The night before the party, the girls aren’t hearing the buzz from the internet about the party that they think they should. So to not be embarrassed with having no one show up, the girls invite more people. Do you see where this is going?

Jennifer gets the idea that a party isn’t a party without spiked punch. She decides to pour a little gin, a little vodka and a little whiskey in the punchbowl. “No one will get drunk, we didn’t put that much in the punchbowl.”

As all teenage parties go, there were more teenagers than there was room and more booze than there was punch. It was a disaster waiting to happen.

The Darwin Expedition

The Darwin Expedition by Diane Tullson


Liam and Tej are in a car accident on a deserted forestry road on their way to spend some time snow boarding. Being the brave teenage boys that they are, they decide to walk out of the woods to civilization. Along the way, the boys spot some bear scat and begin to worry about a bear following them.

The boys are correct and they tangle with a bear, more than once. They also share the experience of Darwin’s theory, Survival of the Fittest. As the boys realize they don’t have a clue as to where they are located, one boy takes charge and realizes his potential as a leader.

This book was just okay for me. Teenagers might enjoy it more than I did.

Chains

Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson

As the revolutionary war begins 13 year old Isabel ( Sal ) wages her own war for her freedom. Promised freedom upon the death of her owner, she and her sister , become the property of a vindictive New York couple who have no sympathy for the American colonies and for the two young slaves. When Isabel meets, Curzon, a slave with ties to the colonies, he encourages her to spy on her owners who know the details of British plans for invasion. She is reluctant but when the unthinkable happens to Ruth, Isabel realizes her loyalty is available to the bidder who can provide her with freedom.

This is the first book in a planned three book series. I enjoy reading the stories of Laurie Halse Anderson. she tells wonderful stories with characters that readers fall in love with and cherish for years to come. The difficulty I had with this book was its targeted audience which was designated for ages 9-12. This book was tough to read and I thought the audience should have been for those students who were a little older.

The Truth about Forever

The Truth about Forever by Sarah Dessen

Macy, 16, witnessed her father's death, but has never figured out how to mourn. Instead, she stays in control–good grades, perfect boyfriend, always neat and tidy–and tries to fake her way to normal. Then she gets a job at Wish Catering. It is run by pregnant, forgetful Delia and staffed by her nephews, Bert and Wes, and her neighbors Kristy and Monica. "Wish" was named for Delia's late sister, the boys' mother. Working and eventually hanging out with her new friends, Macy sees what it's like to live an unprescripted lifestyle, from dealing with kitchen fires to sneaking out at night, and slowly realizes it's not so bad to be human. Wes and Macy play an ongoing game of Truth and share everything from gross-outs to what it feels like to watch someone you love die. They fall in love by talking, even through they are not aware of it.

This is the second or third book I have read by Sarah Dessen and I love her.. She tells great stories and her characters are to die for. Wes and Macy are welding their lives together without even knowing it. Teenage girls will love this book.

Dramarama

Dramarama by E. Lockhart

She was just big boned, big nose Sarah, living in small town Ohio. Then she meets, Demi, who is trying to be invisible-easy considering he is black and gay. Alone, they are brought together by their love of musical theater. The renamed Sayde and Demi make their way to a summer theater camp and that's where things change. Encouraged to become part of the ensemble, Sayde finds she is too opinionated to do that, even as it turns out that she is less talented than she believed. At the same time, Demi is discovering that he's a star who can hang out with actual boyfriends rather than Sayde.

Sayde makes a sacrifice for her friend and their lives will never be the same again. Reading this book was okay, but I was still disappointed in the book.

The Murder of Bindy MacKenize

The Murder of Bindy Mackenzie by Jaclyn Moriarty

Brilliant, precocious Bindy (who wrote in her diary at age 10, "I've been struggling a bit with Ulysses by James Joyce") is frustrated when her gestures of kindness toward fellow students go unappreciated. Her aggressive resistance to a new required course, Friendship and Development, sharply alienates a group of her fellow classmates, whom she nicknames the Venomous Six. But as she gradually gains self-awareness, it's these students, along with a dreamy transfer student, Finnegan, who embrace, support, and even save her. (Amazon)

It took me forever to write this book. I just could not get into it. I have two more to read by this author and then we will never cross paths again.

2008 Challenges

I finished all my challenges but sadly, I did not blog all the books. I would love to comment on all of them but am too busy writing in other places. I have signed up for several blogs for 2009. But doubt if I can keep up with all the book review stuff. Maybe I will just post the books name and the challenge that it should count for.

I am doing the best I can.

Chunkster Challenge-Completed

I completed my Chunkster Challenge... First Challenge ever completed and I am pumped.

Inkspell

I love reading books in a series. I like the continuing contact i have with characters who touch my heart and make me think.

Inkspell by Cornelia Funke is one such book.The story begins with the book Inkheart and a young girl, Meggie, who loves to read and be read to. One strange night, Meggie's father reads aloud from Inkheart, and an evil ruler named Capricorn escapes the boundaries of fiction and lands in their living room. The fun begins!!!Inkspell continues the story a year later.

Characters are moving from one world to another and many desperately want to get back home for a variety of reasons. I love this series and am anxiously awaiting the last book in the trilogy, Inkdeath, which will be out sometime last summer or early fall.

Eldest

I thought I had posted this two days ago and can't find it any where... Makes me so mad.

Eldest by Christopher Paolini tells the continued story of Eragon and his dragon Saphira. Eragon is a dragon rider and need to receive more training in magic, fencing and communication to be able to destroy King Galbatorix. Eragon has the help of dwarfs, elves and other humans.

Another part of the novel is the story of Eragon's cousin Roran. He is also being harassed by King Galbatorix, so he does what is necessary to save himself and his community. I am generally not a fantasy reader but enjoyed both books and am anxiously awaiting the third book in the trilogy.

Lone Star Nation

Being an adopted Texan, I wanted to read a book that tells the story of Texas Independence.The book, Lone Star Nation by H.W. Brands was recommended by a friend who is a history lover.

I had a hard time with the book but then I was intrigued by the way the author brought in characters who are Texas heroes.The author begins the book with the story of Moses and Stephen Austin, the "founders" of Texas. It amazed me the sacrifices the Austins made to take families into Texas. At the end of the story, Stephen Austin, in poor health, had no money, no home, no family and in actuality, had been replaced as the leader of Texas by Sam Houston.Throughout Texas history, many men have played important roles. This book gives some background information about Andrew Jackson, Sam Houston, James Bowie, William Travis, and others.

I found it interesting how some of the "heroes" were portrayed in comparison to how we teach it in the schools in Texas.

The Crossroads Cafe

I finished my fourth book for the TBR Challenge. It was a pretty good book. I chose this book because my f2f book club was also reading it. The Crossroads Cafe by Deborah Smith deals with two scarred individuals who come together and support each other in a new life.

My f2f book club met Monday the 25th and everyone really loved the book. It was a romance, yet the writing and language were rich and flowing. The character were so easy to fall in love with and everyone enjoyed their story.I have read several books by Deborah Smith and she always tells a great story with great characters. I recommend that everyone reads her.. You won't be disappointed.

Thirteen Reasons Why

Just finished my fourth book for the Young Adult Challenge and it was very good, but oh, so sad..From the front cover:"Clay Jensen returns home from school to find a strange package with his name on it lying on his porch. Inside he discovers several cassette tapes recorded by Hannah Baker- his classmate and crush - who committed suicide two weeks earlier.Hannah's voice explains that there are thirteen reasons she decided to end her life. Clay is one of them, If he listens he will find out."
This book was an interesting look into the mind of a troubled young adult who feels she has no one to trust. Even though the events were pretty typical of teen age life, Hannah had no support system to help her deal with her issues.I wish I would have listened to this book because the writing is in two very distinct voices: Clay's and Hannah's...

The Invention of Hugo Cabret

I went on a reading weekend with my f2f book club and wanted to try and get at least one book finished for one of my challenges...I am so glad that I read this one.

The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick is the recent winner of the Caldecott Award, which is giving each year to the best picture book. "Hugo" is not your typical picture book, it is 533 pages long where a picture books is about 32 pages. The author uses a combination of orginal drawing, movie stills, and photographs to make his story come alive with the text. It is a very fascinating and original book.

Hugo tells the story of a young man living in Paris, whose life is surrounded in secrets and mystery. His life intertwines with a bookish school girl and an eccentric old man who runs a toy shop in the train station where Hugo works.

Great book.. I highly recommend it.

True Evil

YES!!!! I like killing three birds with one stone. I just finished True Evil by Greg Iles for the Chunkster Challenge, TBR challenge and for my f2f book club which meets Tuesday night. It feels really good to get the book finished and it is really good that it was a pretty good read.

A FBI agent working undercover, Alex Morse, has suspected that a divorce attorney is having spouses of his clients killed in mysterious ways. Alex Morse's own brother-in-law was one of those clients and now Morse's beloved sister is dead. Morse seek revenge for her sister... Alex knows the next target. Will Dr. Chris Sheperd help Alex find a killer or will he be in the next victim?

Overall, I really liked the book. However, the medical jargon lost me a couple times and for me, took something away from the story.

Bet Your Bottom Dollar

I just finished my first TBR Challenge book Bet Your Bottom Dollar by Karin Gillespie. This book has been in my TBR pile for such a long time and am so glad that I finally had a reason to read it.

BYBD tells the story of a small southern town's Dollar store and the ladies who run the store. Big trouble comes to town when a national chain dollar store moves to town and the local community is scared that the big chain will put the local store out of business.

This is a delightful book. I love books where the women's relationship are one of the main themes of the book.. I liked this book so much that I plan on reading the next two books in the series.

November Blues

Whenever I read books that are in a series, I am always leery about reviewing them. I always hate it when someone posts a spoiler and I sure don't want to spoil anyone's reading experience. November Blues in the followup book to The Battle Of Jericho, both books by Sharon Draper.

November's life has changed dramatically beginning with a pledge stunt gone horribly wrong. Who will stand by her side when she needs them the most. How will Jericho respond when his world has been shattered and he feels he must make a choice between football and music ? Can the physical pain of football pound away at Jericho's emotional pain?

The Battle of Jericho

Sharon Draper is one of the best kept secrets of Young Adult Literature. She has won the National Teacher of the Year Award, as well as being a four time winner of the Coretta Scott King Award. She has won numerous education and writing awards, yet I don't hear people talk about her and they should be! She is a writer who writes characters that break your heart, yet you are standing on the street corner cheering them on.

Jericho and his cousin, Josh, are invited to join the most exclusive club at their school, The Warriors of Distinction. The Warriors are known for their good deeds around school- the toy drive, helping teachers,yet, sometimes Jericho questions what the club is really all about. After taking the pledge " All of us or none of us," Jericho finds himself questioning the club and himself, wondering how far he will go to become a club member and is it really worth it?

There is a sequel to this book November Blues. I will be reading it for sure.

Life on the Refrigerator Door

Life on the Refrigerator Door by Alice Kuipers
220 Pages



Happy New Year! I am so excited to have finished the first book in my Young Adult Challenge.. Being 1500 hundred miles away from home I had to substitute a book that I hadn't planned on reading.

Life on the Refrigerator Door is the story of 15 year old Claire and her divorced mother.Because both mother and daughter are super busy with life and all that it entails, communicating with one another is very difficult. They communicate by leaving notes for each other on the refrigerator door. When Claire and her mother are faced with a tragedy, they both realize that communicating by the refrigerator door leaves a lot to be desired.

I really enjoyed this book. It was short, could be read in less than an hour, and told a interesting story about a teenager and her mother.

Young Adult Challenge

I have joined a Young Adult challenge that begins January 1, 2008 and ends December 31, 2008. I know I can easily complete this challenge. The hard part is waiting until January 1 to begin reading these great books.

This is my list of possible choices:

1. Looking for Alaska by John Green

2. An Abundance of Katherines by John Green

3. Prom by Laurie Halse Anderson

4. Twisted by Laurie Halse Anderson

5. Inspell by Cornelia Funke

6. Eldest by Christopher Paolini

7.Just Listening by Sarah Dessen

8.The Truth about Forever by Sarah Dessen

9. This Lullaby by Sarah Dressen

10. The Sledding Hill by Chris Crutcher

11. I am the Messenger by Marcus Zusak

12. The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros

I might change my mind somewhere along the way but I think these are the ones I am going with

TBR Challenge

Well .you can tell I was bored today. I have decided to participate in another challenge , for me this is great. I promised my husband that I would try and decrease my TBR pile this year. I have over 1000 unread books at my house and really need to get rid of some of them. I am suppose to make my list of 24 books, 12 that I plan on reading and then 12 that might be used as alternatives. Since I am in California and don't have my books here I am going to make some guesses and then I will clean the list up when I get home.

12 TBR Books

1. The Crossroads Cafe by Deborah Smith

2. A Gentle Rain by Deborah Smith

3. The Yada Yada Prayer Group Gets Rolling by Neta Jackson

4. The Yada Yada Prayer Group Gets Decked Out by Neta Jackson

5. True Evil by Greg Iles

6. Bet Your Bottom Dollar by Karin Gillespie

7. The Zookeeper Wife by Diane Ackerman

8. The Nine by Jeff Tobin

9. The Kill Artist by Daniel Silva

10. Lone Star Nation by H.W Brands

11. Catering to Nobody by Diane Mott Davidson

12. Dying for Chocolate by Diane Mott Davidson

Alternatives

1. The Maytrees by Annie Dillard

2. The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick

3. Welcome to Camden Falls by Ann Martin

4. Needles and Thread by Ann Martin

5. Diary of A Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney

6. A Woman in Charge by Carl Bernstein

7. Living History by Hillary R. Clinton

8. The Camel Bookmobile by Masha Hamilton

9. Improbable by Adam Fawer

10. Miracle on 49th Street by Mike Lupica

11. Heat by Mike Lupica

12.Tilt-a-Whirl by Chri Grabenstein