Nose in a Book

Mabel's Fables, Toronto

2012-03-02T05:17:00.000-08:00

Mabel's Fables is a children's book store in Toronto and is probably my favourite bookshop in the GTA. Located in Mount Pleasant, Mabel's sells books for children of all ages, as well as books for teens and even popular books for adults. The displays are always brilliant, the staff is knowledgable and friendly and there's a bookstore cat! You can see the feline Mabel in the window.

If I were to describe this shop in a word it would probably be cosy. Opened in 1988, Mabel's Fable's will surely be around for years to come. You can visit the shop's official site here.

Review: The Westing Game

2012-02-29T05:43:00.000-08:00

Title: The Westing Game
Author: Ellen Raskin
Publisher: Puffin Books
Publication Date: 1978
Genre: Junior Fiction, Mystery

Sunset Towers is a beautiful apartment building in Wisconsin, which looks out over Lake Michigan. With a restaurant on the top floor and a coffee shop and doctor’s office on the ground floor, each apartment is quickly let out. The tenants were all carefully chosen, but one of them is a mistake. The residents of the building seem to have little in common: they are a doctor, a restaurateur, a hairdresser, a secretary, a judge, a delivery boy, a housekeeper, an doorman, an athlete, brothers, sisters and wives. One is a thief, one is a bookie, one a bomber and one is not who they say they are. When millionaire Sam Westing is found dead in his mansion, sixteen people who live in Sunset Towers are called for the will reading. Westing’s will is actually a puzzle, and he intends to give his entire fortune to whoever solves the mystery of who killed him. The sixteen are divided into eight groups of two, and are given $10,000 each as incentive to play. Each pair is given a clue, which consists of random words with nothing in common. The will says that one of the sixteen is the person who took Westing’s life. As each pair tries to solve the mystery behind Westing’s death, they find out that things are even more complicated than they first imagined.

What fun! This murder mystery of sorts was extremely clever and well thought out. I love junior fiction that doesn’t underestimate its readers or talk down to them. The Westing Game provides a mystery with many layers, the first of which we are introduced to just as the book begins. Who handpicked the tenants of Sunset Towers and why? As we are introduced to Westing’s sixteen potential heirs, we get to know this colourful cast of characters. I especially loved Turtle, who first appears to be bratty and spoiled but proves to be a brilliant young girl. I loved getting to know the many characters and seeing how they changed throughout the game, and being able to see what they became as they grew older. While many authors do not succeed in creating a believable protagonist, Raskin managed to write a book with so many well-developed and realistic characters. The plot was creative and well planned out, and I was very satisfied with the resolution. The forward says that Westing did not plan out the plot before beginning to write, which is kind of unbelievable. The Westing Game was a smart mystery that’s perfect for anyone (young or old) who likes a gripping puzzle.

4/5

“The poor are crazy, the rich just eccentric.”

Review: Pandemonium

2012-02-27T06:15:00.000-08:00

Title: Pandemonium
Author: Lauren Oliver
Publisher: Harper Collins
Publication Date: February 28th, 2012
Genre: YA, Dystopian Fiction

If you have yet to read Delirium, the first book in the series, then it would be wise not to continue reading this review.

Now that Lena has escaped Portland and found her way into the Wilds, she wants to move on and start over. She wants to forget the person she used to be; a girl who believed everything society told her, and saw love as a life threatening disease. Lena managed to escape just before she was to undergo the procedure that would stop her from ever feeling true happiness or sadness again, although in the process of fleeing she lost her boyfriend, Alex. Now Lena is one of the Invalids who live on the outskirts of society. With her new group of companions, she struggles to survive and find food. While things are much more difficult than they were in Portland, she at least has her freedom. As time passes, Lena becomes part of the resistance and lives under a false name in Brookyln. She finds herself in grave danger when she is asked to keep an eye on Julian, the son of a prominent leader in support of an earlier procedure. While their cause is for the good of everyone, to what extreme will the resistance go to to stand up against the government’s fear of love?

I haven’t been waiting for this book as long as some people (I read Delirium in August) but it feels like I waited forever. While some sequels to terrific books can be a letdown, thankfully Pandemonium was worth the wait. The book is told in chapters that alternate between ‘now’ and ‘then.’ ‘Then’ follows Lena’s life after she escapes into the wilds and meets up with a group of Invalids. ‘Now’ follows her life as a ‘cured’ member of the resistance in New York. This format worked very well, since the two different paces complimented each other. Honestly, I can’t imagine it being done in any other structure. If the events of Pandemonium were told in sequence, it would have dragged on too much. While it had a slow start, Pandemonium quickly took off and was fast moving and full of suspense. The interesting thing about this sequel is that only one of the characters from the last book appears in it. And that, of course, is Lena. After having to leave everything she knows behind, Lena has grown a lot as a person. The hardships she faced as she left Portland have helped her grow and leave the person she used to be behind. As Delirium began, Lena was almost exactly the type of person the government wanted her to be. She believed in The Book of Shh and feared deliria. Now, Lena is immersed in the resistance, fighting for the right to love. I don’t actually want to reread my Delirium review, since it was one of my earlier reviews. However, I do remember saying that while Lena felt like a bit of a flat character, it was because she grew up in a society that encouraged her to be ‘flat.’ So many things have changed Lena since then, and in Pandemonium we get to see more of who she really is. After this book, I don’t think anyone could accuse Lena of being flat or undeveloped anymore. I don’t think it’s a spoiler to say that Lena has another romantic interest in this book. I knew that this was going to happen, and I had an idea of how she would meet this person. My predictions on that front proved to be incorrect, although I guessed who was going to be Lena’s new boyfriend as soon as he was introduced. I know a lot of people were not looking forward to this aspect of the plot, but I ended up feeling just as Lena does by the book's end. Of course, the big question when reading a sequel is how it measured up compared to its predecessor. While Pandemonium didn’t quite match Delirium, it was a compelling read that was darker and perhaps more thoughtful than the original. I think one of the reasons I preferred Delirium was because of the writing. The prose was much more poetic and enchanting. I suppose you could measure how much you enjoyed a book in a series by how much you want to read the next book (or if you want to read it at all.) If Requiem was already out, I would probably have gone to the bookstore to buy it right after finishing Pandemonium.

4/5

“Grief is like sinking, like being buried. I am in water the tawny color of kicked-up dirt. Every breath is full of choking. There is nothing to hold on to, no sides, no way to claw myself up. There is nothing to do but let go.”

In My Mailbox (28)

2012-02-26T06:43:00.000-08:00

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren, in which book bloggers post about the books they've bought, borrowed or received in the past week.

This week I bought French Women For All Seasons: A Year of Secrets, Recipes and Pleasure by Mireille Guiliano. I have to admit I'm more interested in the recipes than anything else. I found this for .50 cents, and it's by the author of French Women Don't Get Fat. I'm assuming it's not a sequel, but I'm not sure.

Earlier in the week I took out The Death Cure by James Dashner and Where She Went by Gayle Forman. The Death Cure is the third book in the series, following The Maze Runner and The Scorch Trials. I read Where She Went earlier in the week, and it didn't quite live up to If I Stay.

More books from the library! I was killing time and picked up Chasing Vermeer by Blue Balliett to glance through. I ended up liking it enough to take it out, and I'm reading it right now. It kind of reminds me of The Westing Game. Saving June by Hannah Harrington was recommended to me by theyretakingthehobbitsto yesterday. I also took out Looking at the Moon by Kit Pearson, the sequel to The Sky is Falling. This will be a reread for me. I just realized that I have way too many books to read before I go on vacation on March 8th to South Carolina. While some of the books I took out last week will probably not get read, I really hope to read all of the ones I took out this week.

What was in your mailbox this week?

Review: If I Stay

2012-02-24T05:06:00.000-08:00

Title: If I Stay
Author: Gayle Forman
Publisher: Speak
Publication Date: April 9th, 2009
Genre: YA, Contemporary

Mia is in her final year of high school, and has a promising career as a cello player ahead of her. She just nailed her audition for Julliard, and she’s dating the lead singer of an up and coming band. But when an impromptu road trip with her family on a snow day results in a horrifying car accident, Mia’s life will never be the same. After the accident, Mia wakes up standing over the wreckage, while the paramedics take her damaged body to the hospital. Her music loving parents are found dead at the scene, and Mia is in grave condition. As Mia’s remaining family members visit her in the hospital, she realizes that she has a choice to make. How can she live in a world without her parents? But how can she leave her boyfriend and her best friend? Over twenty-four hours in the hospital, Mia has to grapple with the biggest decision of her life: whether to end it or keep on living.

This book was recommended to me over and over, but all the same I still had misgivings before I started reading. The quote at the top of the book from USA Today recommending If I Stay to fans of Twilight didn’t help. Twilight isn’t really my thing, so the comparison made me nervous. I started this book to kill time, but I ended up falling in love with it very quickly. As for the Twilight comparison, these two books have very little in common. If I Stay was similar to Before I Fall, not just because of the plot but also because of the writing styles. However, both can stand on their own and were similar without it feeling repetitive. Initially, I didn’t quite understand what this book was about. Soon, Mia is in a fatal car accident, and watches over her comatose self as she tries to decide whether she should live or not. Forman’s writing was quite lovely, and I loved the role music played in the novel. Initially, I wondered how the whole novel could focus on Mia making a single decision. I worried that it would drag on. Flashbacks are shown throughout the novel, and they helped with the pacing and kept the book from feeling dull. While I wouldn’t go as far to call the story heart wrenching, it was an emotional read. There were sections that certainly were tearjerkers, such as the end. Adam and Kim were incredibly realistic characters, and I also loved Mia’s family. I did like Mia as a protagonist, although she acted differently around other characters than you would expect from her narration. Like Adam, I loved her passion for music, but I found her to be a bit too perfect, and not as strong as some of the secondary characters. I was actually surprised to learn that there is a follow up to If I Stay, since I thought this was a stand-alone type of book. All the same, I am looking forward to reading the sequel. With most books, I love to read other reviews right after I finish, to hear what other people think. With If I Stay, I had no desire to read what other people had to say, since I just didn’t want to hear anything negative about this compelling novel, which was a first for me. Although If I Stay wasn’t perfect, reading it was a very personal experience and I would definitely recommend it.

4.5/5

“Sometimes you make choices in life and sometimes choices make you.”

Review: The Sky is Falling

2012-02-22T05:30:00.000-08:00

Title: The Sky is Falling (Guests of War)
Author: Kit Pearson
Publisher: Puffin Canada
Publication Date: February 8th, 1990
Genre: Junior Fiction, Historical Fiction

In the summer of 1940, ten-year-old Norah and her friends spend their days watching the planes fight above their village in Kent. The war has certainly brought excitement to Norah’s life, but all parents see is the danger. Once they decide to send Norah and her five-year-old brother Gavin to Canada until the war ends, Norah realizes that there is no way to persuade them otherwise. While the ship ride from Liverpool to Montreal is full of excitement, the idea of living with strangers in a foreign country terrifies Norah. After staying at a University in Toronto for weeks, a family is finally found for Norah and Gavin. The only problem is that they originally only wanted a boy. Mrs. Ogilvie and her grown daughter live in an enormous house in Toronto. While Mrs Ogilvie immediately fall in love with Gavin, she shares Norah’s stubbornness and the two clash almost instantly. While a girl from her village is also in Norah’s class at school, the teacher treats Norah with sarcasm and the students tease her and call her a coward for leaving England. When the war might be go on for longer than Norah first believed, she has to find a way to accept her new home.

I first read this book maybe twelve years ago and I loved the series. However, I recently read Kit Pearson’s newest book, The Whole Truth. I found it disappointing, and that made me doubt whether The Guests of War trilogy was as good as I remembered. The first book in the trilogy follows Norah as she and her brother leave England for Canada during the Second World War. I was probably ten or so the first time I read this book, but this time it was just as hard to put down. It’s one of the best historical fiction books I’ve read for children. I might be a bit biased towards this book because it takes place in Canada, but I thought Pearson realistically portrayed World War II from the eyes of an English child forced to leave her home. One thing I found rereading this book in my twenties is that it was much more of an emotional read than it was the first time. As Pearson points out in the afterword, for some children being guests of war may have been an adventure, but Pearson did an excellent of conveying what it was like for some children who didn’t want to leave (like Norah.) While Norah could be much too headstrong and stubborn at times, I think her actions were very realistic. Who wouldn’t act out when they’re forced to leave everything they’ve ever known and live somewhere completely different than what they’re used to? Plus, Norah is only ten-years-old. I will definitely be rereading the other books in the series, the last of which is told from Gavin’s point of view. Overall, this book is a must read for children interested in World War II.

5/5

Review: The Virgin Suicides

2012-02-20T05:06:00.000-08:00

Title: The Virgin Suicides
Author: Jeffrey Eugenides
Publisher: Picador USA
Publication Date: January 1st, 1993
Genre: Fiction, Realistic Fiction

In the 1970’s, the five Lisbon sisters killed themselves over a yearlong period. The first was the youngest, Cecilia, and eventually the other girls followed. To the neighbourhood boys in their Detroit suburb, the Lisbon girls are a beautiful mystery, and years after their deaths the boys are still trying to piece together what happened. Who were the Lisbon girls, really? What was life like in their stifling and strict house? And why did they choose to end their lives in such a way? As the boys try and seek the truths that they will never find, they will never be able to stop loving the Lisbon girls.

I originally wanted to read this book when I was sixteen, but my hold came in at the library around the same time two girls at my high school killed themselves in a rumoured suicide pact. While the idea that it was a pact didn’t turn out to be true, I obviously wasn’t in the mood to read a book about teenage girls killing themselves at that time. Five years later I finally bought The Virgin Suicides. If I had read it when I was sixteen, I don’t think I would have got this book. It’s been a few weeks since I finished reading it, but I’ve been putting off writing the review because I find it a difficult book to describe. That might be because The Virgin Suicides is different from so many other books I’ve read before. One of the things that makes this book so unusual is that we don’t get to know any of the characters as deeply as we usually would. This isn’t because they’re not fully developed, but because we just don’t get to see who they really are. There is no actual protagonist. Instead, the book is told from the perspective of multiple boys in the neighbourhood, in the first person plural point of view. You never get to know any of these boys as intimately as you would with the average protagonist. The person the reader knows the most about is Lux Lisbon, who is still an enigma to us. Like the boys in the book, we only get to know Mary, Therese and Bonnie Lisbon through glimpses. A lot of people look for novels that show them a character they can relate to, and I don’t think this book will provide them with that. However, while there is so much we don’t know about the boys, we do get to see the extent of their obsession as they watch the girls’ lives unravel. The writing was rather beautiful and it was definitely a good book. But, at the same time, it was hard for me to enjoy. I suppose it’s kind of like Citizen Kane: everyone knows it’s great, but less people actually like to watch it. Reading The Virgin Suicides dragged on a little bit, but I loved certain parts, especially with the girls and the tree and their communication with the boys through music over the phone. There were parts that made me ache, especially since I felt like the suicide of the four older Lisbon girls could have been preventable if their parents (and even the people in their neighbourhood) had acted differently. It was strange to read a story and feel on the outside of everything, knowing so little about the main characters. At the same time, I enjoyed how many things were left open for speculation. While this could be frustrating, I would recommend this book to people who like to analyse and read books that are unique. While so many authors couldn’t pull off a book like The Virgin Suicides, I think the lyrical writing saved it.

4/5

“Basically what we have here is a dreamer. Somebody out of touch with reality. When she jumped, she probably thought she'd fly.”

In My Mailbox (27)

2012-02-19T12:02:00.000-08:00

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren, in which book bloggers post about the books they've bought, borrowed or received in the past week.

Lots of books this week! I'm not sure I'll get to read all of them, but I'll give it a shot.

From the library:

In the Woods by Tana French

The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides
All These Things That I've Done by Gabrielle Zevin
Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie
The Wild Things by Dave Egger
Super Sad True Love Story by Gary Shteyngart
London is the Best City in America by Laura Dave
Frommer's Paris Free and Dirt Cheap
See it London

Bought:
The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith (ebook)
Dave Cooks the Turkey by Stuart McLean
Mandy by Julie Edwards
National Geographic Traveler Paris
Lost Explorers by Ed Wright
Rick Steves' French Phrase Book & Dictionary

You can also see my owl luggage tag, which is nothing to do with books but it's just so cute! I bought so many books this week, and I'm thankful for my library's bookstore for selling books for 50 cents.

Feel free to post a link to your own IMM in the comments.

Review: The Future of Us

2012-02-17T05:35:00.000-08:00

Title: The Future of Us
Author: Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler
Publisher: Razorbill
Publication Date: November 21st, 2011
Genre: YA, Science Fiction

The year is 1996 and Emma Nelson has just set up her first computer. After she signs up for AOL, she finds herself on a website called Facebook, which asks her for her e-mail to sign in. On the website, Emma finds herself looking at the profile of a woman named Emma Nelson Jones. She looks like an older version of Emma, but her status updates reference things Emma has never heard of. When her next-door neighbour Josh comes over to look at the website, he writes it off as a joke. Emma and Josh used to be best friends, but have drifted apart since Josh admitted that he wanted to be something more. As Emma spends more time looking at the site, she becomes more convinced that this woman is herself fifteen years in the future. And future Emma doesn’t look like a happy person. Once Emma realizes that the smallest things she does can change her future, she tries to change things so she can be happy in the future. Josh’s future, however, appears to be perfect. But is it really what he wants? As the two teens get to see small glimpses of their futures, they wonder if seeing what the future holds is really worth it.

This is a fun book if you don’t take it too seriously. The concept is creative, but initially I felt like it could be a hit or miss. Written by Jay Asher, the author of Thirteen Reasons Why and Carolyn Mackler, author of The Earth, My Butt and Other Round Things, the narration switches each chapter. The two characters have been friends for ages, but Josh’s feelings for Emma put a wedge in their friendship. Emma Nelson (isn’t that a Degrassi character?) goes from one boyfriend to another without ever getting attached. Josh is a skater who goes with the flow. Anyone who has spent at least five minutes on the Internet knows that pretty much everyone thinks the 1990’s were the greatest thing ever to happen to humanity. If you’re looking for nostalgia, then The Future of Us is for you. There are lots of references to popular culture (maybe a little too much, it felt a little forced sometimes.) This book comments on modern society and raises a lot of questions: would you change your future if you could? What do the few sentences of our status updates say about us? What would I have thought fifteen years ago if I had seen my present Facebook page? How do our simple actions today affect the future? The plot was interesting, although the writers could have worked more with the creative concept they thought of. Why were Emma and Josh able to access the Facebook of the future? Because of the absence of an answer, I’d say this book isn’t really science fiction, but no other label fit for the genre. I love a quick read that goes by fast, and The Future of Us was that. Asher and Mackler are both good writers, and their sections flowed well together. Mainly character driven, the plot focuses primarily on the relationships of the characters and how Facebook has affected them. There wasn’t a strict plot, but because of the unique premise that didn’t matter too much. The characters were a bit superficial and I couldn’t understand why they only cared about who they ended up with when they were able to look into the future. While these things might make it seem like I didn’t enjoy The Future of Us, I actually did. It was original and easy to get caught up in. While it might appeal more to fans of teen realistic fiction than fans of sci-fi, it’s definitely worth reading.

3.5/5

“I've always protected myself when it comes to love. And maybe that's the problem. By not letting myself get hurt now, it ripples into much bigger pain later.”

Review: The Paris Wife

2012-02-15T05:17:00.000-08:00

Title: The Paris Wife
Author: Paula McLain
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Publication Date: February 22nd, 2011
Genre: Historical Fiction

When Hadley Richardson is twenty-eight and visiting a friend in Chicago, she meets the charming and passionate Ernest Hemingway. The two quickly fall for one another and marry with plans to move to Italy. After Hadley inherits some money, they leave for Paris under recommendation from a friend. In Paris, Ernest becomes acquainted with other writers who take him under their wings. As his writing becomes recognized and his confidence grows, Hadley feels like she will always be on the outside. While she makes sacrifices for the sake of her husband’s work, Hadley begins to feel distanced from her genius husband. In the end, Hadley is the first of a long string of wives for Ernest. Was she just the Paris wife or did their relationship mean something more?

This book is a tricky one to review because as a whole it was quite solid. Some books I like and I could talk about them for ages, while others I liked just as much but there isn’t very much to say about them. The Paris Wife is the latter, and it was actually recommended to me by my Grandmother. The Pairs Wife is the story of Ernest Hemingway and his first wife, Hadley Richardson. I knew very little about Hemingway and his novels when I started reading this book, and I don’t think that you have to be familiar with him to enjoy The Paris Wife. This book is historical fiction, but it was easy to become so caught up in the story that I’d feel like I was reading a memoir for a moment or two. The author’s prose is quite lovely, and the writing was smooth and well phrased. I wouldn’t be surprised to see this made into a movie in a few years time, since it’s so easy to picture the events of the book taking place on the screen. You could tell that a lot of care went to into the details of this book, although I don’t know enough to vouch for the historical accuracy. Of course, this is fiction so you can’t expect it to be a perfect reflection of the past. McLain captured Paris in the 1920’s beautifully, and I loved reading about ‘the lost generation.’ The main character became a bit unlikable and too dependent on her husband as the novel wore on and I was especially frustrated with her submission towards Ernest. However, I think the writer did a good job of explaining the reasons behind Hadley’s actions, such as her domineering mother. We are introduced to a cast of colourful characters, including F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald and Gertrude Stein. As a portrait of the jazz age and the many writers featured in this book, The Paris Wife was an enjoyable read that might whisk you away to the past.

4/5

“Though I often looked for one, I finally had to admit that there could be no cure for Paris.”

Review: The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight

2012-02-13T18:45:00.000-08:00

Title: The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight
Author: Jennifer E. Smith
Publisher: Little Brown
Publication Date: January 2nd, 2012
Genre: YA, Contemporary, Romance

As Hadley races to JFK airport to fly to her dad’s wedding in London, she doesn’t feel prepared for what she expects to be the worst day of her life. Hadley has no interest in seeing her dad for the first time in a year or meeting his soon to be wife. Things become worst than she could have imagined when she arrives four minutes late for her flight and has to wait three hours for the next plane to Heathrow. Just as things couldn’t get any worst, the unexpected happens; Hadley meets a boy who could change her mind about love and relationships. As Hadley gets to know Oliver over the seven-hour plane ride, she comes to dread landing in London even more than she already had. After they lose each other in the airport, Hadley races across London to make it in time for her father’s wedding. When it seems like Hadley and Oliver meeting in the first place was an incredibly unlikely piece of luck, how will they ever meet again?

I’ve been looking forward to this book for a long time, and I thought it be the perfect book to read for Valentine’s Day. In the end, it was definitely worth the wait. The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight is different from so many other books I’ve read because it’s told in third person present tense and takes place over a twenty-four hour period. While the style of narration took a while to get used to, it worked quite well and I was impressed with the writing. This was a quick read that was easy to get caught up in, even if it isn’t exactly plot heavy. I loved Hadley and Oliver’s relationship, although I never really believed it was ‘love at first sight.’ I enjoyed Oliver’s wry humour and the way he and Hadley interacted with each other. While their relationship is the critical event of the novel, Hadley’s family problems were the reason they met, and that played a significant role as well. Hadley dealing with her father’s remarriage added a lot to the story. Smith succeeded in making me feel the same way Hadley felt about her father: frustrated and angry with him, but still loving him to pieces. This book is fairly short, and that combined with the fact that it takes place over a short period of time made it feels sort of incomplete. If felt more like a novella, or that is was kind of missing something. While I can see the books flaws, it didn’t really matter to me. I still loved it. I loved how it made me feel, I loved the title and how it tied into the book, I loved the central relationships (romantic and familial), I loved the setting and I loved the storyline. This is the sort of book I usually like: a YA contemporary novel with a realistic romantic relationship, witty banter and family playing a large role in the plot. However, I could understand why a lot of people didn't like this book because they felt like not enough happened. While this book is certainly not for everyone, I really enjoyed it. It actually reminded me a bit of the movie Serendipity. In the end, I couldn’t have picked a better book to read right before Valentine’s Day.

4/5

“She thinks of the way they stood together near the bathroom, how it seemed like they’d been on the brink of something, of everything, like the whole room was changing as they’d huddled together in the dark.”

Review: Perfect Chemistry

2012-02-13T05:24:00.000-08:00

Title: Perfect Chemistry
Author: Simone Elkeles
Publisher: Walker Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: October 23rd, 2008
Genre: YA, Romance

Brittany Ellis is seen as the perfect girl, and she’s put a lot of work into maintaining that imagine. In reality, Brittany’s life is far from perfect. Her sister has cerebral palsy and Brittany feels like her parents put so much pressure on her to make up for her sister not being able to do so many things. Senior year is supposed to be the time of Brit’s life, but she finds herself partnered with Alex Fuentes, a dangerous gang member from the wrong side of town. Alex and Brittany despise each other, but they can’t help feeling the attraction between them. When Alex accepts a bet that he can sleep with Brittany before Thanksgiving, he tries to get to know her. As the two spend more time with each other, they learn to see past the facade they have each created. What started out as a bet for Alex has started to mean something, but how can he be with a girl like Brittany when his life is so dangerous? When the gang life that also claimed his father’s life might ruin Alex’s as well, he has to decide what he would really do for love.

Throughout February, Chapters and Indigo have been doing a display in the stores titled “Book Boyfriends,” which features books with desirable boys. I think the books are chosen through twitter. I was looking for a book to read for Valentine’s Day, and Perfect Chemistry was one of the books on the display. I had mixed feelings about this book. I did enjoy reading it, but there were things that bothered me. I think everyone has heard this story before; forbidden romance, good girl falls for bad bay, boy accepts a bet not thinking he’s going to fall for girl, etc. It has a bit of Romeo and Juliet, Grease and She’s All That. And I was fine with that, because I knew it was going to have an unoriginal plot going in. Like the students at Fairfield, I judged Brittany and Alex from the start and was proven wrong; they were much more complex than they first seem. Alex is the smart mouthed bad boy with a good heart that he tries to hide. I have to admit I’m getting sick of boys in books being huge jerks at the beginning then turning out to be a girl's dream. I know Alex is a good person beneath everything, but I hated they way he acted at the beginning of the book. The way he treated Brittany was horrible, from harassing her to objectifying her. When Alex finds Brittany extremely drunk on the beach, he considers having sex with her to win the bet. In the end, he decides not to, since he’s drunk and high and wants to be at his best when he finally hooks up with Brittany. Seriously. Not because it would be wrong to take advantage of a girl, but because he’s drunk. He does say later that he doesn’t have sex with passed out girls, but the whole thing stopped me from ever completely warming to the guy. Another thing I didn’t understand about the book was Brittany hiding her sister from most of her friends. My mom works with students who have special needs, including cerebral palsy. Where I live, anyone can go to school until they’re 21, and some students do this so that they can meet people their own age and socialise. I really think Brittany’s sister would have benefited from going to school, and the way her family hid her inside made it seem like they were ashamed of her. Brittany does say she feared people teasing Shelley, but the whole thing was a bit bizarre to me, since it was very different from what I’m used to. At my school it would not have been a big deal for some one with cerebral palsy to be at school, and I like to think no one would have teased someone like Shelley. All of that aside, I soon became caught up in the story. The plot was well paced with an exciting climax. I found myself rooting for Alex and Brittany, especially when it felt like I was the only one on their side. The narration switches between Brittany and Alex, which sometimes doesn’t work very well when done by one author. Fortunately, Elkeles pulled it off. While I found myself rapped up in the story, the ending was a bit too cheesy for me, especially the epilogue. However, Perfect Chemistry is perfect for anyone who loves YA romance. If you like bad boys and a seemingly unlikely romance, then you will probably love this book.

3/5

“One of the things that makes me who I am is the loyalty I have to people I hold close to my heart.”

In My Mailbox (26)

2012-02-12T06:36:00.000-08:00

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren, in which book bloggers post about the books they've bought, borrowed or received in the past week.

Yay books! From the library, I took out The Sky is Falling by Kit Pearson, which I'm reading right now. I read it before maybe twelve years ago, and so far it's just as good as I remember. I also took out Jane by April Lindner, which I might read in a hurry tomorrow and post the review on Valentine's Day. Maybe. Last, I took out Sloppy Firsts by Megan McCafferty. Someone recommended this one to me on my other blog, but I completely forget who. I should start writing down who recommends me books, or tagging the posts so I can check back later. I also took out some more travel books. I bought The Hunger Games, since I'm a bit mental and it was driving me crazy that my paperback didn't match my hardcovers. I'm really anal. And, thankfully, Costco sells books for very cheap. I'll give my old copy to the library bookstore I volunteer at.

That's it for me, what was in your mailbox this week?

Review: Hush Hush

2012-02-10T05:54:00.000-08:00

Title: Hush Hush
Author: Becca Fitzpatrick
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Publication Date: October 13th, 2009
Genre: YA, Paranormal Romance

When Nora meets Patch, her new biology partner, unexplainable things begin to happen. She suddenly feels like someone is following her and can’t help but wonder if Patch is somehow connected to the peculiar things that have begun to happen to her and her best friend. Patch is a mysterious bad boy that Nora knows isn’t right for her, but she can’t help being attracted to him. When Nora and her friend Vee meet Elliot and Jules, Nora feels that something is not right with them. She keeps finding herself in danger, and it becomes clear that she cannot simply ignore her feelings for Patch. While Nora thought Patch was all wrong for her from the start, what will it mean if he’s not even human?

Isn’t Hush Hush a great title? The cover is amazing as well, but the actual book didn’t live up to either. My first qualm about this book was that it felt like I’d seen it all before: angels, forbidden romance and bad boys. While some books can make popular elements feel new again, Hush Hush couldn’t quite pull it off. I think if I’d liked Patch, the main character’s love interest, I would have enjoyed this book more. Not only did Patch remind me so many characters I’ve seen before, I also thought he was a jerk. It kind of freaks me out that we’re supposed to like him. In fact, I disliked all of the characters. Vee was likely the silliest, empty-headed girl I’ve ever encountered in books and Nora was almost as bad. She was a very superficial character who felt underdeveloped. Her main characteristic was that she was spineless. Nora and Vee do a lot of irrational things, such as calling in a bomb threat so that they can snoop through Patch’s permanent record. There were a lot of times where the author did things to advance the plot that didn’t make sense. Nora’s dad was recently murdered, so why is her mom so lax about her safety, especially after her best friend is attacked? Why on earth would a tower of terror be called the archangel? Why are they talking about these things in biology class? I also felt that the pacing was all wrong: there was way too much build up. It felt like there was too much plot: there were too many villains and things got confusing. A day after finishing Hush Hush, I had already forgotten why certain things happened, mainly because there was just too much going on and too many different villains and motifs.

So far, this has been a very negative review. I don't enjoy writing reviews about books I don’t like, but no one can like every book. This book reminded me a lot of Twilight, which I suppose is both good and bad. If you love Twilight and are looking for a similar series, then you might like Hush Hush. However, this also means that the plot felt overdone and unoriginal. Since a friend recommended this book to me, I really wanted to like it. But Hush Hush just wasn’t for me. If you like paranormal novels and bad boys, then you might enjoy this book.

1.5/5

“Keep in mind that people change, but the past doesn't.”

Review: Betsy-Tacy

2012-02-08T05:41:00.000-08:00

Title: Betsy-Tacy
Author: Maud Hart Lovelace
Publisher: HarperTrophy
Publication Date: First Published in 1940
Genre: Junior Fiction, Realistic Fiction

To people in Deep Valley, it felt like Betsy and Tacy had always been friends, since it was difficult to imagine one without the other. The girls first became friends when they were five years old and Tacy moved to the house across the street from Betsy. Tacy is very bashful while Betsy is a born storyteller. Together, they can turn an ordinary piano box into their extraordinary hideout or a sand into their own special shop. Betsy tells Tacy stories about giant feathers or about the magic horse that pulls the milk wagon. As long as they have each other, any day can be magical for Betsy and Tacy.

This is wonderful little book about two little girls and their day-to-day adventures at the turn of the century. While they are rather ordinary girls, they turn simple activities into something magical. Reading these books was slightly bittersweet, since I knew that I’d been missing out on these books throughout my childhood. I don’t understand how I hadn’t heard of this series until very recently. I re-watched You’ve Got Mail in mid October, and caught a reference to the series. A year or so ago I read Ballet Shoes, based on the reference in the same movie. It was amazing, so I figured I’d have to read Betsy-Tacy as well. A week or so ago I read Home for the Holidays by Heather Vogel Frederick, which is a part of the Mother-Daughter Book Club series. In the book, the girls read the ten books in the Betsy-Tacy series, which they all loved. Fans of the books actually wrote to Frederick trying to convince her to read Betsy-Tacy (which she did, and she obviously loved them.) After reading that, I went out to the library and took out Betsy-Tacy. This book struck me as the Anne of Green Gables for the younger set. It had similar themes and focused a lot on a strong friendship, plus the main character had a vibrant imagination. These books are semi-autobiographical and were originally stories Maud Hart Lovelace would tell to her daughter. As her daughter grew up, so did Betsy and Tacy. The main characters are sweet girls and it was very easy to forget that this book takes place in the 1900's. I was their age in 1995, but I still saw similarities in our childhoods, although theirs took place in a very different time. I’m really looking forward to seeing the girls grow up throughout the series, which ends with Betsy’s wedding.

When first hearing about these books, it would be easy to dismiss them as being boring. The plot outline doesn’t exactly sound riveting. I think that that’s the beauty of this book: it takes simple and ordinary things that children do and turns it into a sweet book about the wonders of imagination and childhood. Although the writing is very simple, it’s also charming and delightful. My favourite part was when Betsy was telling Tacy about heaven. I thought that chapter was sad and beautifully written, yet it still managed to have all the sweetness of an ideal childhood. I’m really looking forward to continuing with this series. I don’t think this lovely book is half as popular as it deserves to be. Betsy-Tacy is practically perfect and a must-read for children (or children at heart.)

5/5

“Goodness!” Said Betsy. “The world is big.”

Review: The Book of Lies

2012-02-06T06:00:00.000-08:00

Title: The Book of Lies
Author: Mary Horlock
Publisher: HarperCollins
Publication Date: March 3rd, 2011
Genre: Fiction, Historical Fiction

Cat has just murdered her former best friend Nicolette and she can’t believe that no one has caught on yet. As Cat hurriedly writes a confession detailing the events leading up to her fight with Nic, she looks at all the lies and secrets kept in her hometown. Guernsey is a small island that was changed forever during the German occupation, and Cat’s father became a local expert concerning Guernsey’s history. Cat believes that her family history has determined what kind of person she has become. Her own story is intertwined with her Uncle Charlie, who was thirteen when the Germans first came to Guernsey. Charlie was eventually sent to prison and then a concentration camp when he was only fifteen. As Cat reflects on her relationship with Nic, it feels like everyone in Guernsey is also telling lies.

This is the only time that I’ve been able to write a review where I reveal not only that there was a murder, but I can say who died and who killed them. The fact that Cat killed her friend Nic is revealed in the opening paragraph. The book takes place in 1984, while transcripts from Cat’s father flashback to the 1940’s. Cat’s uncle, Charlie, left her father with audiotapes detailing his involvement in the German occupation. Footnotes are featured throughout the entire novel, written by either Cat or her father. I found the footnotes to be useful but some of the transitions into the past felt awkward. At first I preferred Cat’s narrative to Charlie’s, since Cat’s read more smoothly. In the end, I actually preferred Charlie’s story. While it didn’t flow as well (and perhaps that was the point,) Charlie’s story ended up being gripping and well thought out. I was shocked by the ending of that storyline, and I thought that it was a perfect ending considering the themes of the novel. One could argue that none of the characters were likable, but this is the type of book where that is actually the point. However, I actually found myself liking the characters despite some of their actions. I loved Cat’s sense of humour and her honesty, although I hated some of the things she did. This book was primarily character driven, but the plot was interesting and creative. It was a bit slow moving at times, but it was worth it in the end. The historical aspecta of the book were well thought out, although some of the facts were included awkwardly. The Book of Lies takes an intriguing concept while focusing on an aspect of history that it often overlooked or misinterpreted. As a history student, I think that this book expresses a lot of interesting ideas about the relationship between the past and the present. The Book of Lies is the type of book that you can’t really compare to anything else. Original and engrossing, it’s not a book I will soon forget.

4/5

In My Mailbox (25)

2012-02-05T07:22:00.000-08:00

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren, in which book bloggers post about the books they've bought, borrowed or received in the past week.

This week I got two new books for 50 cents total! Girl in Translation by Jean Kwok I picked out from The Little Free Library in the Beaches. For .50 I bought How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff from my library's bookshop, where I volunteer. I've already read How I Live Now, but I'd like to give it a reread.

From the library, my hold on A Year Without Autumn by Liz Kessler came in. In the book, a girl skips a year of her life and finds she is no longer friends with her best friend, Autumn. I've been looking for a book to review on Valentine's Day, and I'm still hoping my hold on The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith will come in, but it's still on order. Just in case, I picked up Love Story by Jennifer Echols and Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles. I'd been recommended these two books at some point, but after examining them closely I'm having my doubts about them both. They don't really look like my thing.

I also picked up a lot of travel books at the library. I have a job at a summer camp, so I'm (hopefully) going to Bath, London and Paris for two weeks in September. Unless something goes wrong, so here's hoping. I've already booked my hostels, since I was looking at places while I tried to make up my mind, and rooms I wanted were booked up a few days later. So I'm spending all weekend reading travel books with my Mom. I've never been on a plane before and I've never traveled alone, so this should be interesting. Feeling very spoilt since I went to New York a month ago and the family and I are going to South Carolina in March.

That's it for me, what was in your mailbox this week?

Review: The Truth About Us

2012-02-03T05:15:00.000-08:00

Title: The Truth About Us
Author: Dalene Flannigan
Publisher: Kindle Edition
Publication Date: November 5th, 2011
Genre: Fiction, Contemporary

Erica’s life seems to be falling apart when she catches her husband having an affair. But just as things are becoming difficult for her, she gets a call from her old friend Jude who drags the past back into Erica’s life. And all of a sudden Erica’s problems are much more dire than her marriage falling apart. Jude, a former party girl, has recently become a devout Christian and is trying to repent for all her sins. Unfortunately, she wishes to confess to her involvement in something that Erica has tried to forget. Sixteen years ago, Jude, Erica and Grace were college roommates. Now, Grace makes documentary films, and Jude’s wish to confess would certainly have a major effect on Grace’s life. When the truth about the past could have life altering consequences for all three women, is it worth it to risk telling the truth? And what if the people don’t want to know the what really happened? When one person’s actions years ago has had a rippling effect for these three women, they will have to finally confront the past.

I’m going to do my best to make this review spoiler free, even if that means excluding a major part of the plot. Before I started reading The Truth About Us, I imagined that it was going to belong to the Romance or Chick Lit genre. Instead, this intense and dramatic book dealt with a lot of serious issues and became impossible to put down as the story progressed. This was a quick read that was thought provoking. I took Women’s Studies in University and this would have been a perfect book to read since there is so much to discuss. The narration switches between each woman every chapter, with Grace’s chapters told in first person and Jude and Erica’s in third person. At first I was sceptical of the switch between first and third person, but in the end it worked quite well. While Jude felt like a bit of a caricature, Erica and Grace were great characters. While they felt real, it also felt like I didn’t know them as well as I could have, but that may have been because of the book’s length. The plot was well paced, although in retrospect the ending might have been a bit anti-climactic, although it didn’t feel like that while reading. I know some people don’t like to read independently published books, but this book is worth making an exception for. Well written and gripping, The Truth About Us was an enjoyable read that I’d definitely recommend.

4/5

“She could see the subtle but pervasive ivy stems that had grown from that little seed.”

Review: The Promise

2012-02-01T06:01:00.000-08:00

Title: The Promise

Author: Lesley Pearse
Publisher: Michael Joseph
Publication Date: January 19th, 2012
Genre: Fiction, Romance, Historical Fiction

In this sequel to Belle, the year is 1914 and Belle is happily married to Jimmy, her childhood sweetheart. When she reencounters Etienne, a Parisian who saved her life, she is reminded of her youthful love for him. However, Belle is optimistic about her future with Jimmy and her life as a milliner in London. Her past is filled with more unhappiness than one can imagine, and Belle believes that it is time for her happy ending. When England enters war with Germany, Belle’s life slowly starts to unravel. No one will remain untouched by the war, and like all of England, Belle will never be the same.

Back in November, I was looking for a fiction book set in World War I to read for Remembrance Day. I didn’t look that hard, but I wasn’t able to find one. If only I’d had The Promise. This book begins in London on the eve of war, and continues until a few months after the armistice. I started this book without knowing it was a sequel, but it became clear early on, due to the references to very dramatic past events. I was able to get by well enough without having read Belle, but I would recommend reading it before moving on to the sequel. This is probably only a book for people who like romance novels. While I enjoyed The Promise, there were some flaws in the writing that stopped it from being anything more than an entertaining read. I found that there was a lot of telling instead of showing and things could be very repetitive. The story was interesting enough, although I wasn’t as poignant as you would imagine, considering it is set during WWI. While at first I admired Belle’s independence and how she was decades ahead of her time, I found her to be self-involved later on. The story was exciting and intriguing, especially since it includes so many different issues relevant to the period. The Promise takes the reader from London, to war-town France and to New Zealand. Although this book was quite long, reading it flew by. Overall, romance lovers will be drawn to The Promise for its historical setting.

3/5

Little Free Library, Toronto

2012-01-31T06:11:00.000-08:00

A month or so ago I read this article in the Toronto Star about a Little Free Library in the Beaches. These Little Libraries have been sweeping the internet lately, and the idea began in Hudson, Wiscousin. The first Little Library was built in memory of school teacher June A. Bol, and the idea soon caught on. These libraries rely on the honour system, and ask you to leave a book and take another.

The project began in 2009 and there are now Little Free Libraries throughout the United States (with the most in Wisconsin), and in Canada, Germany, Ghana and the U.K. Anyone can have their own Little Library, either by purchasing one online, or by making your own. You can read more about the project (and find out if there's a library near you) here.

The Little Library in Toronto was created by Bill Wrigley and is modelled after the nearby Beaches Public Library. It is the first Little Library in Toronto and you can find it on Lee Avenue. Unfortunately, my pictures didn't capture how beautiful this Little Library really is. It holds approximately two dozen books. I exchanged my copy of Around the World in 80 Days for Girl in Translation by Jean Kwok.

Review: The Apothecary

2012-01-30T06:11:00.000-08:00

Title: The Apothecary
Author: Maile Meloy
Illustrator: Ian Schoenherr
Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons
Publication Date: October 4th, 2011
Genre: Juvenile Fiction, Fantasy

The year is 1952 and Janie Scott has just moved from Los Angeles to London. Leaving sunny California for post-war Britain is difficult for Janie, but the local Apothecary makes things easier for her by giving her a cure for homesickness. When Janie meets Benjamin Burrows, the Apothecary’s son who dreams of being a spy, she finds herself drawn into the mysterious world of the Apothecary. When the Soviets come looking for the Apothecary and he goes missing, Benjamin and Janie are left with the Pharmacopoeia. The Pharmacopeia is the Apothecary’s ancient book that can tell one how to turn themselves invisible or into birds. With it and their new friend Pip, Benjamin and Janie try to save the Apothecary and end up in the middle of an adventure not to be forgotten.

Perhaps since the first books I fell in love with were junior fiction, I’ve never really stopped loving the genre. I used to get a lot of criticism from friends in high school for still loving books for the younger set, but I honestly could only read books for middle schoolers and be perfectly happy. The Apothecary caught my eye because of the beautiful illustrations by Ian Schoenherr. What’s interesting about this book is that it mixes history and fantasy. Set in London during the Cold War, Janie’s family is forced to leave America during the McCarthy years. In grey and war torn London, she meets a mysterious Apothecary and his intriguing son. Their adventures are tied closely with the Cold War and the events of the time. Perhaps because of this, The Apothecary at first didn’t feel like a fantasy book. Actually, at first it didn’t even read like junior fiction. This might be because Janie tells the story from her perspective in the future. I really liked the writing and the voice of Janie. I also thought the young characters were realistic while still being interesting and original. These things pulled me in, and I was initially absorbed in the story. I loved the concept, but things started to fall apart a bit for me as the story progressed. I didn’t like the pace and I thought that the plotting wasn’t as strong as the writing. In the end, certain parts of the story, especially those related to the nuclear bomb, didn’t make sense and felt a bit sloppy. I still loved the sense of adventure and the combination of historical fiction with magic. The Apothecary is one of those books that could have been better, but it still was an original and engrossing novel.

3/5

In My Mailbox (24)

2012-01-29T07:02:00.000-08:00

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren, in which book bloggers post about the books they've bought, borrowed or received in the past week.

Lots of books from the library this week! This week I took out The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin, The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits and A Very Interesting Boy by Jeanne Birdsall, If I Stay by Gayle Forman and The Future of Us by Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler. I finished The Penerwicks, which was wonderful. Review to come. Earlier in the week, I also took out Annie On My Mind by Nancy Garden, which I already have read and returned.

On another note, I started volunteering at my library's little bookstore this week. Paperbacks are 50 cents, so I will likely be bringing home a few of those in the future.

What was in your mailbox this week?

The Strand, New York City

2012-01-27T06:01:00.000-08:00

Earlier this month I was lucky enough to be able to visit the Strand Bookstore in New York City. After Shakespeare & Company in Paris, the Strand is perhaps the most hyped bookstore I know about. Featured in Dash & Lily's Book of Dares and shown very briefly in the movies Julie & Julia and Remember Me, the Strand is within walking distance of many other book shops and was the first stop on my list.

While the Barnes & Noble at 18th Street claims to be the world's largest bookstore, the Strand certainly felt bigger to me. Carts like the one pictured above surround the outside of the shop, and the inside contains four floors of books. The books were cheaply priced and the store also sold some wonderful bookish merchandise (tote bags, t-shirts, mugs, journals, etc.) While I heard that the staff was infamous for being rude, I thought they were all perfectly nice.

Before I went to the Strand, I imagined it to be massive but very dusty, with primarily used books. While I was right about the size, the Strand sells used, new and rare books and is a warm and charming bookstore. Definitely a must-see for anyone bookish while visiting New York.

Review: The Art of Fielding

2012-01-25T06:47:00.000-08:00

Title: The Art of Fielding
Author: Chad Harbach
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Publication Date: September 7th, 2011
Genre: Fiction, Contemporary

At an August baseball tournament in Peoria, Henry Skrimshander’s life changes forever when he catches the eye of sophomore Mike Shwartz. A month later, Henry finds himself at Westish College, able to continue playing baseball. Guided by his favourite book, The Art of Fielding, Henry proves himself to be a skilled shortstop. In his junior year, scouts are showing interest in Henry, who has lead the Westish Harpooners to success. When Henry makes an unexpected mistake in a game that puts his roommate in the hospital, his error serves as a spark for change in his life and in those connected to him. The College president finds love in someone he never imagined having feelings for. His daughter Pella has just left her husband of four years and has returned to her father. Schwartz becomes jealous of Henry's success and feels that his life isn’t going anywhere. Henry’s pending success and the pressure seems to have hindered his skill. And Owen, recovering from his injury, finds himself in a relationship that could end badly for both involved. Henry’s skills as a baseball player were extensive, but can something extraordinary last forever?

I have a strange relationship with sports. While I’m horrible at every single one and have very limited understanding of any sport, I still love the energy you feel in the stands when watching a game. I’ll always enjoy a good, inspiring sports movie, especially if the main character is an underdog. And Henry Skrimshander is definitely that. Skinny and often overlooked, at seventeen he looks fourteen or fifteen. As the book begins, he is finishing playing summer baseball, and believes that he will have to go work in a factory instead of going to college. Michael Schwartz finds him a place at Westish after seeing him play, and Henry seems to have everything he ever wanted. I was drawn to the characters from the start, and I think that one of reasons for all the praise is the characters that are so realistic that they jump off the page. I picked this book up entirely based on hype, and it wasn’t until I started reading that I realized this book is about baseball. Any fears I had about reading 500 pages about a sport I know little of were erased by the writing. The plot was interesting and well paced, although things started to drag on midway through, leaving me feeling that this book would have been better if it ended 100 pages sooner. At its core, The Art of Fielding is a character driven novel. The only character that didn’t feel developed was Owen, but maybe that was the intention. Since Owen is the only one of the main characters whose point of view we don’t see, perhaps he was supposed to be a bit of an enigma. I loved the writing, and it was a truly absorbing novel that made me forget everything else. Overall, this book felt a bit dull at some points, but it was essentially an enjoyable book that was more about people becoming who they want to be, and less about baseball.

4/5

“It was strange the way he loved her; a side long and almost casual love, as if loving her were simply a matter of course, too natural to mention.”

Review: The Hidden Gallery

2012-01-23T06:51:00.000-08:00

Title: The Hidden Gallery (The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place)
Author: Maryrose Wood
Illustrator: Jon Klassen
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Publication Date: March 1st, 2011
Genre: Junior Fiction, Fantasy, Historical Fiction

After the disastrous occurrences at the Christmas ball, Ashton Place is under construction and the Ashton’s decide to take refuge in a rented house in London. Miss Penelope Lumley is the governess of the children Lord Ashton has adopted, but the children under her charge are unlike any others. Alexander, Beowulf and Cassiopeia Incorrigible were found in the woods behind Ashton Place, and they appear to have been raised by wolves. Under Miss Lumley’s care, the children have improved considerably. However, they still enjoy howling at the moon and chasing the occasional rodent. Considering their upbringing, who can blame the children for becoming a bit unsettled by the Palace guard's bearskin hats? Or for climbing into a cage at the zoo? As Miss Lumley tries to piece together the clues of the children’s mysterious past, things will certainly never be dull with the Incorrigibles around.

Writing a review for a sequel can be difficult if I’ve already reviewed the first in the series. If both books were enjoyable, than many of the good things I mentioned in the first review still apply for the second. Of course, if the second book in the series doesn’t live up to the first, than writing the review is easy (although actually reading the book might have been a bit more unpleasant.) For that reason, reviewing The Hidden Gallery feels very repetitive since many of the things I liked about The Mysterious Howling are ever present in the sequel. I enjoyed the writing and the tone, the humour, the characters and the story. I still love the Snicket like writing style, with its explanations of words or phrases. I actually found the sequel to be even funnier than the original, with the narration just as clever as ever. It did feel like not very much happened, and the climax could have been more exciting. This book raised even more questions and answered none, so I’m not sure if I feel unsatisfied or just more anxious for the third book. If the average book did this, it would probably be enough for me to dislike it. However, The Hidden Gallery was just so charming that a few flaws aren’t enough to stop me from loving it. We are introduced to a new character and finally meet Penelope’s former headmistress, who has been frequently mentioned from the start. The more familiar characters are the same as ever, whether that means being plucky and optimistic in Penelope’s case, selfish and spoiled like Lady Ashton or mysterious and suspicious like Judge Quinzy. The children are the sweetest wild things you’ll ever meet, and have become star pupils under Miss Lumley’s tutorage. Wood makes full use of the wonderful setting, Victorian London, which helped make The Hidden Gallery feel quite different from the previous book in the series. Overall, I’d definitely recommend this series for the young, the young at heart and even for those who don’t usually read junior fiction. This tale about three peculiar children and their spirited governess is a delightful read that can make the most civilized person want to howl at the moon.

4/5

"Don't look now, but everything's about to change."

In My Mailbox (23)

2012-01-22T10:02:00.000-08:00

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren, in which book bloggers post about the books they've bought, borrowed or received in the past week.

Every time I go to the library I check the holds shelf, just in case I have a book in and I missed the call. I was very happy to find The Hidden Gallery (The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place) by Maryrose Wood on the shelf for me. I read and loved The Mysterious Howling, so I had to check out the next in the series. I also took out The Paris Wife by Paula Mclain, which was recommended to me by my Grandmother. It's about Ernest Hemingway and his wife Hadley Richardson, and their life in 1920's Paris. I was also send an e-galley for The Truth About Us by Dalene Flannigan. I'm quite excited about this one: it's about three former college roommates and a confession about their past that will change everything.

That's it for me- what was in your mailbox this week?

Review: This Dark Endeavour

2012-01-20T06:00:00.000-08:00

Title: This Dark Endeavour: The Apprenticeship of Victor Frankenstein
Author: Kenneth Oppel
Publisher: David Fickling Books
Publication Date: August 23rd, 2011
Genre: YA, Fantasy

Victor Frankenstein lives a charmed life at Frankenstein Chateau, outside of Geneva. He lives with his kinder and more skilled twin Konrad, and their distant cousin Elizabeth who has been like a sister to them. Everything changes when Victor discovers an unfamiliar secret passage that leads to the Dark Library, which is filled with his ancestor’s studies in alchemy. When Konrad becomes ill, alchemy might be the only way to save his life. Victor, Elizabeth and their friend Henry embark on a dangerous quest to find the ingredients for the elixir of life. As Victor discovers his feelings for Elizabeth, he realizes that she is already in love with Konrad. Despite his complicated feelings towards his brother, Victor will do anything to save him. Is it possible that the elixir of life truly works and to what extremes will Victor have to go to to create it?

This book has been getting a lot of hype lately, due to the captivating premise and the success of Oppel’s other books. This Dark Endeavour is a prequel to Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, which I haven’t read. At first, I found this book difficult to get into. It was slow moving and I had to force myself to keep reading. However, I had enough faith in Kenneth Oppel to carry on. Things did get better, of course. I loved the dark tone and the gothic atmosphere, which I imagine when I think of Frankenstein. Throughout past reviews, you will often hear me being hard on the romantic relationships in books and wishing they were omitted. In this case, I found the romantic aspects of the plot very interesting, but not for the reasons that you would think. While usually the author intends us to root for the protagonist and hope he gets the girl, it is clear that Victor is the less deserving twin and that Konrad belongs with Elizabeth. In fact, I never felt that Victor’s feelings for Elizabeth were genuine: it seemed like lust to me. I liked having a protagonist who was complicated and not entirely likable. I’m sure some would argue that he’s not likable at all, but in the book’s climax he was very brave. I enjoyed the characters and thought they felt real, although whenever the younger Frankenstein brothers were mentioned it felt like an after thought. As I mentioned before, the plot was slow moving at first but picked up later on. I really liked the ending, which almost made me forget about my dissatisfaction at the start. The plot centres around alchemy and overall it was exciting and intriguing. This book has been dubbed the best of the year, and while I didn’t feel that strongly about it, I enjoyed it and would recommend it. This Dark Endeavour shows the beginning of Victor Frankenstein becoming what he is destined to be: a monster.

3.5/5

Review: The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Prisoner's Dilemma

2012-01-18T05:31:00.000-08:00

Title: The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Prisoner’s Dilemma
Author: Trenton Lee Stewart
Illustrator: Diana Sudyka
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Publication Date: October 27th, 2009
Genre: Juvenile Fiction, Adventure, Mystery

The four young members of the Mysterious Benedict Society are feeling a little like prisoners, since they are all living in Mr. Benedict’s home and are under strict surveillance for their own safety. The house holds the Whisperer, a dangerous and powerful machine that is able to plant thoughts into people’s mind, or erase them altogether. The Whisperer is the creation of Mr. Benedict’s brother, Mr. Curtain, who will do anything to get it back. Reynie, Kate, Constance and Sticky will have to use their considerable talent to save all of Stonetown from Mr. Curtain’s nefarious scheme.

This is the third and final book about the Mysterious Benedict Society, a group of gifted children selected by Nicholas Benedict to help save the world. I adored the first two books in the series, and I started The Prisoner’s Dilemma with high hopes. In the end, I was left feeling unsatisfied. After reading reviews, I had to ask “Is it me?” I read this book on December 24th, so at first I wondered if my stress about Christmas got in the way of my enjoyment. After mulling it over for a few days, I think that it’s the book, not me. Not to say this isn’t a good book; it was actually great. The plot was fast paced and exciting, and I liked that it once again centered around the Whisperer. It was an exciting story that made me forget about everything else going on. We learn about Constance’s parentage and mysterious past, which was one of my favourite things about this book. We see how the children have grown and developed as characters, while they are still as amazing as they were in book one. While all these things made me really like this book, there were a few things that stopped me from loving it. There were less clever puzzles and I don’t remember a single moment where something got past me. In the previous books, I was constantly reminded how brilliant Trenton Lee Stewart was with the many puzzles and riddles. Sticky, who is the group’s walking encyclopedia, was put in the background in this book, which I disliked. There were some things that we just too over the top for me, such as Constance’s powers, which I felt were unnecessary. Despite all this, I had a lot of fun reading this book. While it didn’t live up to its predecessors, The Prisoner’s Dilemma had some pretty big shoes to fill. I am very glad that there is going to be a sequel about Mr. Benedict’s youth, and I’m hoping it will be filled with intelligent puzzles like the earlier books in the series. If you’re looking for mystery, adventure and creative writing, then look no further than The Mysterious Benedict series.

4/5

Review: The Fault in Our Stars

2012-01-16T05:18:00.000-08:00

Title: The Fault in Our Stars
Author: John Green
Publisher: Dutton
Publication Date: January 10th, 2012
Genre: YA, Realistic Fiction

When Hazel Lancaster was thirteen she was diagnosed with stage IV thyroid cancer, but a miracle and a new drug have bought her some time. However, she still has tumors in her lungs and uses an oxygen tank to help her breath. Now sixteen, Hazel’s best friends are her parents and her greatest obsession is a book called An Imperial Affliction by Peter Van Houten. When Hazel is introduced to Augustus Waters, an amputee who has Osteosarcoma, she realizes that she has become the disease. Augustus is beautiful and interested in Hazel, and he soon comes to share her love for An Imperial Affliction. But when Hazels feels like a bomb about to go off, how can she possibly become close to another person? When Hazel and Augustus are given the chance to visit Van Houten to learn how their favourite book ended, they try and have bit of forever even if there time together might be limited.

What a book! It’s been a few days since I finished, but I’m still not sure exactly how to describe The Fault in Our Stars. I’ve loved all of John Green’s previous books, and with all the hype surrounding his latest it would make sense for it to not live up to anyone’s expectations. I went to the New York book signing and started this book while waiting in line to see John and Hank, and finished it in my hotel room. Despite my excitement, this book managed to surpass any of my expectations. Some books I’ll finish and all I want to do is talk about them. Looking for Alaska is that type of book for me. The Fault in Our Stars is a difficult book for me to actually talk about, because reading it felt like such an emotional (and therefore personal) experience. It’s not exactly like how Hazel feels about An Imperial Affliction, since I can’t relate to Hazel: I’m perfectly healthy and don’t understand what she is going through. This book focuses on the fleetingness of life and how many people want to make their lives and their deaths mean something. I love the themes and the writing, but the characters took the cake. I still can’t stop thinking about them, and I think it’s been a very long time since characters have affected me so much. This is the kind of book that actually makes me hurt, but I just loved it so much. Not only is it my favourite by far of John Green’s books, I’d say it’s tied with The Book Thief for my favourite YA book. The common criticisms of his books are that they are all very similar, but this definitely doesn’t apply for The Fault in Our Stars. The fact that Hazel is a girl is the smallest difference from the other books. You might think that a man writing from a teenage girl’s perspective wouldn’t work very well, but Hazel actually reminded me a lot of a friend in high school. Often books can portray an unrealistic male love interest, but Augustus was wonderful while still being flawed and real. While Looking for Alaska, An Abundance of Katherines and Paper Towns all had well planned out plots, The Fault in Our Stars didn’t have such a strict plotline. It didn’t have as much humour or the epic adventures featured in the other books. While I wouldn’t describe his other books as love stories, that would be the best way to describe The Fault in Our Stars. It was certainly an emotional read, and it needs to be read when you have time to essentially read it straight through, since it was so difficult to put down. I’ve always loved the title, which was of course taken from Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar. I liked the cover well enough from the start, but it looks so beautiful in person. After reading the book, I appreciate the cover even more. The Fault in Our Stars was certainly John Green at his best, and fans of his earlier books will fall in love with this achingly beautiful love story.

5/5

“I'm in love with you, and I know that love is just a shout into the void, and that oblivion is inevitable, and that we're all doomed and that there will come a day when all our labor has been returned to dust, and I know the sun will swallow the only earth we'll ever have, and I am in love with you.”

In My Mailbox (22)

2012-01-15T07:13:00.000-08:00

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren, in which book bloggers post about the books they've bought, borrowed or received in the past week.

This week I went to SEVEN bookstores and bought SEVEN books. I actually devoted an entire day in my trip to NYC to going to bookstores and to the John Green event. I went to the Strand, where I bought The Book of Lies by Mary Horlock, The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides and Not Much Fun by Dorothy Parker. The Strand was amazing, and I also bought a The Great Gatsby t-shirt, a pin and a free tote bag. I'm kind of disappointed with all the pictures I took at bookshops though. After that, I went to Shakespeare & Company, Forbidden Planet, NYU Book Store, the 18th Street Barnes & Noble (which claims to be the biggest book store in the world,) Books of Wonder and 192 Books. From Books of Wonder I bought a signed copy of The Mysterious Benedict Society: Mr Benedict's Book of Perplexing Puzzles, Elusive Enigmas, and Curious Conundrums. Then that night I went to John Green's Book signing, where I finally got my signed copy of The Fault in Our Stars. I also bought Paper Towns, since I really like that edition and can't seem to find it anywhere at home. I also bought 13 Little Blue Envelopes there and got it signed by Maureen Johnson. I've already read it, but I'm happy I now have my own copy. After the show we waited around if we wanted our copies personalized (which pretty much everyone did.) When my row was eventually called I got to quickly meet John and Hank and get my books personalized. You can see my copy of The Fault in Our Stars here. After all that, it will be a long time before I buy any more books.

What was in your mailbox this week?

Tour De Nerdfighting 2012

2012-01-14T06:02:00.000-08:00

What a week! I just got back yesterday from New York, and the highlight of the trip was Tour De Nerdfighting (which was my reason for going.) I don't really have any friends who are interested in the things I like, so it was amazing to be in a theatre full of people who not only love the Vlogbrothers, but also love Harry Potter, Doctor Who, Charlie McDonnell and so much more. While waiting for our books to be signed, there was a lot of singing and general merriment.

While I thinking that normal books signings only feature a reading, questions and the actual signing, this tour also had shocking, singing, Rick Rolling, tutus and just so much awesomeness.

After the actual 'show' there was a lot of waiting around, but luckily Maureen Johnson was there and I got her to sign my book and pose for a picture! If you don't know what she looks like, I'm the one in The Great Gatsby t-shirt.

And then afterwards I got to get my books signed by John and Hank, who were so wonderful. John said he liked my shirt and I after talking to him I was so dazed that I couldn't think of a single thing to say to Hank. The book itself is amazing and I'd recommend it to everyone. While I'm suffering from post holiday exhaustion, I'll try to hurry with my review and posting some other book related photos from my trip.

Review: The Invention of Hugo Cabret

2012-01-13T08:00:00.000-08:00

Title: The Invention of Hugo Cabret
Author: Brian Selznick
Publisher: Scholastic Inc.
Publication Date: March 1st, 2007
Genre: Junior Fiction, Historical Fiction

For the past three months, Hugo Cabret has been living alone in the clock keeper’s apartment in Gare Montparnasse station in Paris. It was Hugo’s uncle’s job to look after the station’s clocks, but for months he has been missing and the responsibility falls to Hugo. While spending his days caring for the station’s many clocks, Hugo also has a secret that might hold a message from his dead father. When Hugo meets Isabelle, whose godfather owns a toy stall in the station, they find themselves entangled in a mystery. When Hugo discovers a way to find the message he thinks his father left him, his life will change forever.

The Invention of Hugo Cabret has been out for four years, but has recently peaked in popularity due to the recent movie adaptation. Before you even pick up this book you should know that the majority of it is made of illustrations. Unlike other books I’ve read, the illustrations are essential to this book. In some ways, The Invention of Hugo Cabret is like a graphic novel, since the pictures tell part of the story. At times there are breaks in text, which are followed by pages of photos that show an action. Sometimes descriptions of characters, places or objects are replaced with illustrations. In a lot of reviews I’ve seen people complain about half of the bulk of the book being made of drawings. While I loved this book, I would only recommend it to people who are open to reading a book with so little text. That being said, the illustrations are beautifully done and I enjoyed the book’s unique format. You might assume that since illustrations played such a key role in the story telling that the writing would be lacking. I was surprised by how great the writing is, since I assumed that Selznick was originally an illustrator. I felt that his writing left me with a sense of wonder, akin to what Isabelle and Hugo often felt. The story itself is amazing. Occurring in 1931, the majority of the book takes place in a bustling Parisian train station. I loved the role that films had in this book, which is essentially about the life of Georges Méliès. While the book has a great number of illustrations by Brian Selznick, it also includes some photographs of films, which added a lot to the book overall. Sometimes in books the author will reference films that he made up, but I love it when references are made to real films. While Hugo Cabret is more aptly described as historical fiction, the way the story was told made it feel like fantasy. I think one of the special things about this book is how it focuses on the type of magic that can be found anywhere. I’m worried that some kids passed this book up just because of its volume, where as in reality it is a very quick read. The Invention of Hugo Cabret was a captivating and unique book that takes you on an adventure you won’t soon forget.

5/5

“I like to imagine that the world is one big machine. You know, machines never have any extra parts. They have the exact number and types of parts they need. So I figure if the entire world is a big machine, I have to be here for some reason, too.”

Review: How to Save a Life

2012-01-11T08:00:00.000-08:00

Title: How to Save a Life
Author: Sara Zarr
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Reader
Publication Date: October 18th, 2011
Genre: YA, Realistic Fiction

It’s been ten months since Jill’s father died in a car accident, and she’s still struggling with how she’s supposed to grieve. After pushing away her friends and boyfriend, Jill is left only with her anger and her loss. When her mother decides to adopt a baby, Jill is adamantly opposed to the idea, since it feels like her father is being replaced. Mandy is brought into their lives in the last months of her pregnancy. Mandy is Jill’s age, but the two girls have little in common. Mandy moves into their home, bringing with her emotional baggage and secrets. As Mandy tries to cope with her past and her future, it becomes clear that her baby isn’t the only one in need of a family. As Jill tries to adapt to life with Mandy and the major change she is bringing, she also struggles with the loss of her father. When it feels like she can’t remember the person she used to be, Jill will to learn that she will never be the same person she was before her dad died.

This book was recommended to me on goodreads in the “readers also enjoyed’ section. I completely forget which book it was I was looking at, but I’m glad I picked up this book. How to Save a Life is about two eighteen-year-old girls: Mandy, who is pregnant, and Jill, whose father died less than a year ago. The two are thrown into the same house when Jill’s mother decides to adopt Mandy’s baby. I was impressed with how different the two girls’ narrations were, since I often find that writers have difficulty when writing from different character’s perspective in the first person. I was also amazed with how realistic the characters and their relationships with one another were. I especially liked how Jill and Dylan’s relationship was portrayed. It feels like if a couple are together as a YA book begins, the guy will cheat on the girl, or do something else that is equally horrible. Their relationship was more like something you’d often see in real life, rather than what I’m used to reading about. Part of what makes the characters so realistic is that they are so flawed. I feel like I know a Jill, a Mandy, a Dylan and a Ravi. I was a bit confused at times by Mandy’s character: she was too childlike and clueless, which you saw best through her interactions with Alex. The writing was very good: reading this book made me block out everything going on around me. I thought that it was a moving novel with strong themes. The ending left things too tidy for my liking, but I still enjoyed How to Save a Life. I think fans of YA contemporary will enjoy this book about dealing with loss and the changes life brings your way.

4/5

“But I’m still going to love you, always. And in the rock-paper-scissors of life, love is rock. Fear, anger, everything else… no contest.”

Review: Paper Towns

2012-01-09T08:00:00.001-08:00

Title: Paper Towns
Author: John Green
Publisher: Speak
Publication Date: October 16th, 2008
Genre: YA, Realistic Fiction

The longest day of Q’s life begins like any other, but somehow ends with him driving his longtime crush throughout Orlando in her brilliantly planned scheme of revenge against her former friends. Margo Roth Spiegelman has lived next door to Q since he was two, and she is the most beautiful and mysterious person he knows. After a night that feels like he’s living someone else’s life, Q wakes up to find that Margo has left with no explanation. Margo has been known to disappear, leaving cryptic clues to her parents, but this time it seems like the clues are for Q. As Q spends his last weeks of high school trying to find Margo, he finds that everyone has a different idea of Margo in their heads. As Q chases clue after clue, he has to wonder who Margo Roth Spiegelman really is.

Looking for Alaska is probably John Green’s most popular novel, but for a long time I claimed that I preferred Paper Towns. After rereading each, I’ve changed my mind completely and have hopped on the Alaska bandwagon. But I still love Paper Towns, which is John Green’s third novel. This week, a lot of people have been preparing for the release of The Fault in Our Stars by rereading his earlier books. I wish I had time to read them all, but I only had time to speed through Paper Towns. While rereading Looking for Alaska changed my perspective on it entirely, my feelings about Paper Towns haven’t changed very much. Rereading it and being familiar with the themes, pretty much every thing the characters said had deeper meaning and everything felt like a symbol. If I am ever in a book club again, I’d want to read this book first. There’s so much to discuss! This book is essentially about how we see people, and how our ideas of what a person is like stops us from really seeing them. I wish I had read this book in high school, since I often felt like people had this idea of how I should be that I could never live up to. While I felt strongly about the themes, I also loved the pacing and well thought out plot. The story pulled me in, and was both moving and hilarious at times. I loved all the characters, especially the secondary characters who could be easy to overlook. I might be one of the few who genuinely liked the real Margo, not just the mysterious miracle that Q sees. The biggest criticism of this book would be that Margo and Q are too much like Miles and Alaska. Of course, this book was intended to be a sort of response to Looking for Alaska. While summarizing each of these four characters would make them sound very similar, they were still there own people. I cannot see Q going to boarding school looking for ‘the great perhaps,’ at least as the book begins. Or smoking and drinking like Miles does. I thought that the characters were realistic, although maybe a little too witty. I would love to be able to build a time machine and hand this book to myself at sixteen. I think I could have gained a lot from the overall message, and from reading about these intelligent characters. In the days leading up to The Fault in Our Stars hitting shelves, rereading Paper Towns had left me feeling even more optimistic about John Green’s next book.

5/5

“The fundamental mistake I had always made—and that she had, in fairness, always led me to make—was this: Margo was not a miracle. She was not an adventure. She was not a fine and precious thing. She was a girl.”

In My Mailbox (21)

2012-01-08T06:21:00.000-08:00

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren, in which book bloggers post about the books they've bought, borrowed or received in the past week.

Only one book for me this week, and I've had it on hold for a while at the library. The Apothecary by Maile Meloy finally came in this week and I'm very excited to read it! This book first caught my interest when I was in Mabel's Fable's back in the fall, and I'm looking forward to reading it when I come back from the US next week.

What was in your mailbox this week?

Week in Review (1)

2012-01-06T19:05:00.000-08:00

It's Friday and the first week of 2012 is coming to an end. One of the things I wanted to try doing this year is a weekly review of the books I read and reviewed this past week. My first post of the year was my weekly In My Mailbox, in which I talk about the books I've recieved throughout the week. I posted a review of Daniel Handler/Lemony Snicket's Why We Broke Up and talked about Toronto's Runnymede Chapters, which was originally a theatre. Although I was a bit busy this week with planning my trip to New York on Monday, I somehow managed to read four books. I'll definitely be posting my reviews for Paper Towns and How to Save a Life next week, but my I don't yet know when I'll post my review for The Art of Fielding (I tend to hoard reviews. I still haven't posted when I wrote in November.) I also read and reviewed Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close.

Next week is a busy one for me, since I leave Sunday night for New York and arriving Monday morning. I'll be home Friday morning, but before then I'm planning to go to the Museum of Natural History, the Empire State Building, the main branch of the New York Public library, a bunch of bookstores including the Strand and Books of Wonder and to John Green's The Fault in Our Stars book signing. Unless my camera should break (knock on wood) I'll be posting a lot of photos when I return.

Review: Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

2012-01-06T05:58:00.000-08:00

Title: Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
Author: Jonathan Safran Foer
Publisher: Mariner Books
Publication Date: March 7th, 2005
Genre: Fiction, Contemporary

Oskar Schell is a nine-year-old boy living in Manhattan’s Upper West Side with his mother and his Grandma. His father died a year ago on September 11th, and Oskar's family is still overwhelmed with grief. When Oskar finds an old key among his father’s possessions, he sets out to find the owner of the key that is his last connection with his father. Oskar has one clue, and finding the key owner will take him through all five boroughs of New York over an eight-month period. As Oskar looks for answers about they key and its connection to his father, he meets many different people with only their last names in common. Oskar is inquisitive and creative, and his mind is always filled with questions. What if we could hear people’s heartbeats? Or if the ambulance automatically flashed a sign telling you whether the person inside was someone you already know? As Oskar’s quest comes to an end, he grapples with the biggest question of all: will the world ever be the same?

I read this book last January, and I loved it. I am leaving on a trip to New York City in a few days and I wanted to read a book about the city before I left. In retrospect, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close was a strange choice, since it focuses on the city’s greatest tragedy. At the same time, Foer also captured so many of the wonderful things about New York. When I thought about the city, this was the first modern book that came to mind. This is one of my favourite books, and Oskar is one of my favourite characters. Oskar is a gifted inventor, and I loved being inside his thoughts. While Oskar is not like the average nine-year-old, Foer still managed to create a believable, yet completely unique, young boy. The first time I read this book, I loved the Oskar sections and felt the sections devoted to his Grandparent’s dragged on. This time, I thought their narrative was tragic and moving. I appreciated them much more than I did when I hurriedly read this the first time. Due to the format and the writing style, it’s a given that people are going to call this book too ‘gimmicky.’ I never found this book to be a gimmick, just unique. Foer wrote in a way that matched each character, and all the pictures found randomly through out the book made sense in the context and added a lot to the story. This book focuses on 9/11 and the bombing of Dresden, so it’s bound to be a tearjerker. Perhaps because I was alive during one of these events, I found this book to be one of the saddest I’ve ever read. Poignant and heart-rending, its one of those books that can make you feel like you’re reliving 9/11. I read Everything is Illuminated before I read Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, and I preferred the latter. I found myself preferring the characters, and the plot was more engrossing. I’m glad my upcoming trip gave me the kick I needed to reread this captivating novel about loss. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close is a book I won’t soon forget, that shows both the tragedy and the beauty of New York.

5/5

“Sometimes I can hear my bones straining under the weight of all the lives I'm not living.”

Runnymede Chapters, Toronto

2012-01-04T05:28:00.000-08:00

The majority of the books I buy are from Chapters, which is a chain of bookstores in Canada. While these stores are big and spacious, they are all essentially the same and not very interesting after you've been to one. The Runnymede Chapters is the only exception I know about. Located on Bloor St. West, the bookstore was originally a theatre that opened in the 1920's.

The theatre shut down in 1999 and eventually became a Chapters. Fortunately, the theatre was restored and it has become one of the prettiest bookstores I've ever been to. A few of the old theatre style seats are scattered throughout the store for shoppers. This was a bit out of the way for me, but it was worth going over to the West End just to check out this exceptionally pretty bookstore.

Review: Why We Broke Up

2012-01-02T05:56:00.000-08:00

Title: Why We Broke Up
Author: Daniel Handler
Illustrator: Maira Kalman
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: December 27th, 2011
Genre: YA, Realistic Fiction

Min and Ed are breaking up. When Min is finally ready to part with all the things that remind her of Ed, she does so by dropping off a box with a letter explaining that the items in the box are why they broke up. As Min recounts their doomed relationships in this letter, we are brought back to when she first met Ed at her friend’s bitter sixteen party. Co-captain of the basketball team, everyone knows Ed but no one ever imagined that he would date someone like Min, who is obsessed with old films and described as arty. Ed tells Min that she’s unlike any girl he’s ever dated, and Ed is certainly different from anyone else Min knows. As the two fall in love, they forget their differences and feel like anything is possible. A trip to the movies can turn into the two following the film’s star. A secluded area in a park can be a magical place of their own. In the end, Min wasn’t so different from the other girls Ed has been with; she’s left only with a broken heart and a box full of memories.

I bought this book on a whim with my Christmas money on Boxing Day, since hardcover books were discounted. Why We Broke Up is by Daniel Handler, who also wrote A Series of Unfortunate Events under the name Lemony Snicket. This story, as the title indicates, is about a couple breaking up and all the events that lead up to that, beginning when they first meet. At the beginning I was concerned with the narrator’s voice. Min is supposed to be writing her heart out in a letter to her ex, so there are quite a few run on sentences. I was soon able to look past this and get caught up in the story. I was also initially worried that this book would be too angst ridden, but that didn’t end up bothering me at all. The best thing about Why We Broke Up is how it seemed to perfectly capture high school relationships. Ed and Min felt very real, especially since we were shown the good and bad of their relationship. While there are many reasons why Min and Ed broke up, we also get to see the reasons they are together. Handler wrote a teenage relationship that rings true, although I wonder if this book is better for the cynical, rather than the idealistic. While the relationship at the centre of the novel felt accurate, Min didn’t read like a teenage girl. Despite this, I still enjoyed her narration overall. While the plot is simple and focuses entirely on Min and Ed, it still managed to be engaging and interesting. The illustrations by Maira Kalman have an important role in this book, since each chapter begins with a picture of the corresponding item. Who was it exactly who decided that illustrations are mainly for children’s books? I love pictures in books, especially ones as pretty as Kalman’s. I especially like the roses on the book’s cover when jacketless. While the premise for this book might sound rather simple, it was actually a creative and enjoyable read. Why We Broke Up is not only intimate and poignant look at Min’s first major breakup; it is also a coming of age story. Even though anyone who has read the title knows how this one is going to end, I enjoyed being taken through Ed and Min’s ill fated relationship.

4/5

“There are no stars in my life."

In My Mailbox (20)

2012-01-01T09:19:00.000-08:00

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren, in which book bloggers post about the books they've bought, borrowed or received in the past week.

New year, new books! This week my hold on The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach came in at the library. I have no idea what it's about, but I heard it's one of the best books of the year. From Chapters I bought Why We Broke Up by Daniel Handler (aka Lemony Snicket.) I will probably post my review tomorrow. I also bought Dash & Lily's Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan. I've already read it, but I loved it so much I had to buy it. At check out I found out that I had some free money on my plum card from buying so many books in the past, so I decided to get An Abundance of Katherines by John Green. This will make me sound insane, but it's been driving me crazy that my copy doesn't match the rest of my John Green books. I'm really anal about books. From Homesense I found Let's Go Paris for $2. I love travel books, even if I'm not actually going to Paris anytime soon.

That's it for me- what was in your mailbox this past week?

Happy New Year!

2011-12-31T09:29:00.000-08:00

2011 was a good year for me, since I got a cat, read a lot of books and graduated from university. This year was also the only year I kept a New Year's Resolution! I wanted to read 50 books, which I definitely did. This year I'm going to have a few more goals, and hopefully I'll be just as good at achieving them as I was last year.

1. Read 50 books I want to read a bit less this year, so I'm going to start with 50 books. I'm likely going back to my old job in the summer, which will leave me with very little time for reading anyways.

2. Read more of the books I already own I'm not ambitious enough to say I should read all of them, but I definitely should read a good chunk. Some of these books were given to me, but I should definitely read all of the ones I bought myself.

3. Shop at more independent bookshops After I finish my Chapters gift certificates, I should start buying from independent shops more often.

4. Read more adult fiction It's funny because as a teen I really only read adult fiction. Now I'm 21 and I seem to be reading YA the majority of the time.

5. Write More I have so many empty journals. I definitely need to pick up a pencil more often.

I hope everyone has an awesome New Year's Eve and an even better 2012!

A Year in Books

2011-12-29T10:53:00.000-08:00

Today is December 29th, which marks one year since I started the 50 book challenge. I ended up reading 210 books, although that number would have been much lower if I hadn't been out of school/work for so long. You can see the list of all the books I read here. I probably read something like 20 books in 2010, and having this blog definitely helped me read more. Earlier, someone asked me if I was going to post a picture of all the books I read this year. I can't do this since a) a number of them were from the library and b) there are too many to photograph without difficulty. Instead, I decided to list and photograph some of my favourites. Ones listed but not in the photograph are from the good ol' library. I didn't include rereads because if I reread a book it's one of my favourites anyways. So, if you look at my book challenge and wondered why I didn't list The Book Thief or The Hunger Games as a favourite, that's why.

Favourite Junior Fiction Books
The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman
Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie
The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick
The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart
Ballet Shoes by Noel Streatfeild
The Little Prince by Antoine De Saint-Exupery
The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place: The Mysterious Howling by Maryrose Wood

Favourite YA Books
Looking for Alaska by John Green
The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson
Delirium by Lauren Oliver
Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins
The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart
Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
I am the Messenger by Markus Zusak
It's Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini
Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Life by Bryan Lee O'Malley

Dash & Lily's Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan

A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness

Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys

Favourite Adult Fiction

Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer

Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro

A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

The Guernsey Literary Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Anne Shaffer and Annie Barrows

The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

Sarah's Key by Tatiana De Rosnay

The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

Top Ten Tuesday (3)

2011-12-27T06:55:00.000-08:00

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. This week's topic is top ten favourite books of 2011. If I did my favourite books I read in 2011, I could probably list 100 books. Instead, I'm listing my favourite books released in the past year. Doing this made me realize how few books I read that were actually published in 2011.

10. Divergent by Veronica Roth I was originally going to not include Divergent in this list, but I had a change of heart. While I was unhappy with the pacing at the end, I was loving this book until that point. I loved the main character and the plot, and I couldn't believe that the author isn't much older than I am. This book would probably be at the top of a lot of people's list, so maybe I should eventually reread it. I'm really looking forward to the sequel, Insurgent.

9. Withering Tights by Louise Rennison From the author of the Georgia Nicolson series, this book was just a lot of fun. While it didn't top Angus, Thongs and Full Frontal Snogging, Withering Tights was full of laughs at the eccentric collection of characters attending an arts college in Yorkshire. Talulah Casey originally signed up for summer courses at Dother Hall just to find some freedom from her family, but in the end she can't imagine leaving.

8. Shine by Lauren Myracle This book was involved in a bit of controversy this year, from Meghan Cox Gurdon’s infamous article, “Darkness Too Visible,” to the National Book Awards mixup. I was actually surprised by how much I liked this book. Shine centres around a small town in North Carolina, where seventeen-year-old Patrick was found beaten. The attack was clearly a hate crime, and Patrick's former friend Cat sets out to find out the truth about what happened.

7. Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor I loved this book for its originality and the wonderful world I was able to explore in its pages. If you think you are tired with paranormal fantasy, I would recommend reading just one more book from the genre, if it's Daughter of Smoke and Bone. While Karou might seem like an average Prague art student, she lives a double life doing errands for creatures from another world.

6. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern This book is the only non-YA novel in this list, a sure sign that I need to read a bit more adult fiction. This book has been said to be the best book of 2011, and it is certainly one of my favourite. While The Night Circus won't be loved by everyone, I found a special magic in this book, and I won't soon forget how I felt while reading it.

5. A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness This is probably the most poignant book of the year, for me. While I loved all of the books on this list, I know that they are not for everyone. However, I honestly feel that A Monster Calls is the one exception; everyone should read this book. With amazing writing, illustrations and characters and a captivating plot, I would recommend this book to all.

4. Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs While this was one of my favourites of the year, I almost didn't read it. I was put off by the creepy cover and the 'horror' label at my library. I ended up loving Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, which tells the story of Jacob Portman, whose grandfather was always telling him about the children he grew up with. These children could do impossible things, and his grandfather has pictures as proof.

3. The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson This was nothing like the other books I've read by Maureen Johnson. Rory leaves Louisiana to attend a boarding school in London's East End, but her arrival coincides with the first murder mimicking Jack the Ripper. I really loved this book, perhaps partially because who isn't interested Jack the Ripper? In school, the teacher/prof would usually bring up the White Chapel murders just as everyone was getting bored with the course, and then we'd discuss all the ridiculous theories (the strangest being that Lewis Carroll was the murderer, and he left clues in Alice in Wonderland.)

2. Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys This book was so wonderful! In 1941, Lina is a fifteen-year old girl living in Lithuania, and her life changes forever when Soviet officers take her family from their home. Lina and her mother and brother are separated from her father, and they embark on a long journey on train to a work camp in Siberia. As Lina tries to send messages to her father through her drawings, she experiences love and loss while struggling to understand why this happened to her family.

1. Delirium by Lauren Oliver Originally I was unimpressed by the premise, but the beautiful writing captured my interest and lead me to fall in love with Delirium. Lena cannot wait until she turns eighteen so that she can receive the cure for deliria. In Lena’s world, deliria, or love, is a life threatening disease. It was deliria that killed her mother when she was a child, and Lena fears that the same disease runs through her blood as well. When American citizens turn eighteen, it is safe for them to receive the procedure that protects them from the disease. This makes them safe and content and prevents them from ever being unhappy. As her high school graduation approaches, Lena has to prepare for the evaluation that will determine who she will marry. But things begin to change when Lena meets Alex.

What are your favourite books of 2011?

Review: The Whole Truth

2011-12-27T05:17:00.000-08:00

Title: The Whole Truth
Author: Kit Pearson
Publisher: Harper Trophy
Publication Date: August 16th, 2011
Genre: Junior Fiction, Historical Fiction

During the depression, nine-year-old Polly’s life is turned upside down when her father is reported dead. Polly and her fifteen-year-old sister Maud leave Winnipeg to go live with the Grandmother they can’t even remember who lives on an island outside of Victoria. Leaving everything they know behind, the girls move to the small island with the family they don’t even know. While Maud is sent to a girl’s school in Victoria, Polly goes to the local school on the island and adapts to her new life. But Polly’s secrets are becoming difficult to keep, not to mention her family seems to be keeping secrets from her. As Polly grows up on the island, she learns that the truth really can set you free.

I was a really big fan of Kit Pearson when I was younger, so when I saw this book in the bookstore I knew I had to find it at my library. The Whole Truth begins in 1932 during the depression. While Maud and Polly lived in poverty in Winnipeg, their Grandmother is quite well off and the family hunts, fishes and grows their own vegetables so they never have to worry about food. This book is mainly about Polly growing up, dealing with losing someone and struggling with secrets. Polly also learns that the people in her life are neither good nor bad, but often somewhere in-between. While I enjoyed the setting and the themes, this book didn’t live up to my expectations. While there are many children’s books that can be loved by anyone, I’m not sure that this is one of them. I felt like this was written specifically for children Polly’s age and the writing style was too young for my taste. The plot dragged a bit mid way through and sometimes the pacing didn’t feel right. However, I thought the characters were realistic and I liked how the reader was shown the good and bad sides of many of them. I felt a lot of what Polly was feeling, especially her frustrations with Maud and her sadness upon hearing about her Grandmother’s flaws. While it was an interesting story with a beautiful setting, nothing lived up to my memories of how wonderful Kit Pearson’s other books are. This made me want to re-read some of Pearson’s books (specifically The Sky is Falling) to see if they are as good as I remember or if they are more for younger children and won’t be as appealing to me now. If you are interested in Kit Pearson’s books, I’d recommend starting with The Guests of War trilogy and skipping this one for now. However, I think The Whole Truth would be most enjoyed by young girls, especially if they are interested in historical fiction (like I was.)

3/5

In My Mailbox (19)

2011-12-25T10:22:00.000-08:00

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren, in which book bloggers post about the books they've bought, borrowed or received in the past week.

Merry Christmas! I got exactly what I wanted this Christmas: books! I recieved A Game of Thrones by George R. Martin, Lonely Planet's guide to New York City, The Solitude of Prime Numbers by Paolo Giordano, Emma by Jane Austen, The Invention of Huge Cabret by Brian Selznick and How to Be an Explorer of the World by Keri Smith.

I was lucky enough to not only get Harry Potter: Page to Screen, but I also found a perfect place for it! I was afraid for a moment I'd have nowhere to put this beautiful (and very big) book, but there is just enough room on top of one of my shelves. I'm really looking forward to reading and reviewing this monstrous book!

These magnetic bookmarks from my stocking are perfect for me! I also got a Deathly Hallows bookmark, Harry Potter Ultimate Edition DVD's for 4 and 5, a Keep Calm and Carry On mug, chocolates, a wallet, a memory card, a lock for my suitcase and some gift certificates.

I hope everyone is having a wonderful Christmas, and feel free to post the link to you own IMM in the comments.

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-24T09:41:00.000-08:00

It's Christmas Eve and I decided to do my first non-book related post! As it's Christmas, I thought it would be fun to blog about what my family does for Christmas and hopefully others can comment with their Christmas plans. I really wish my family had some sort of book-related Christmas tradition, like reading A Christmas Carol together, but no such luck. Today is mostly filled with cleaning and cooking and getting ready for tomorrow. Tonight we'll eat appetizers for dinner (mini quiches, cheese tray, finger foods, etc) and then we'll go for a walk and watch It's a Wonderful Life. Tomorrow we get up early and open presents. Then we go to church and afterwards we'll probably spend most of the day relaxing and straightening up a bit. My grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins will come in the mid-afternoon. There are 21 of us in total, which is much smaller than my mom's family. For dinner we have turkey, salmon, stuffing, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, brusselsprouts, a broccoli casserole, cabage salad, beet salad and rolls. Dessert is mincemeat tarts, cheesecake brownies, Christmas pudding, my aunt's cheesecake and some of my assorted candies and cookies. I'm really hoping to be able to post my IMM tomorrow, but who knows.

I hope everyone has a great day tomorrow, whether you celebrate Christmas or not, and hopefully there will be a lot of book shaped packages under our trees!

Review: Knit the Season

2011-12-23T06:41:00.000-08:00

Title: Knit the Season

Author: Kate Jacobs

Publisher: Putnam Adult

Publication Date: November 3rd, 2009
Genre: Fiction, Contemporary

This review contains spoilers for the previous books in the series.

Tis the season to knit and be merry! The Friday Night Knitting Club are back for this festive third instalment. Dakota Walker, the co-owner of the Walker and Daughter knitting store, is now twenty and in school working towards becoming a pastry chef. Christmas is the time for family to come together, but Dakota is offered a prestigious Christmas internship that would mean missing family Christmas in Scotland. While Anita is trying to plan a New Year’s Eve wedding, Catherine is blissfully in love with an Italian widow. KC is enjoying the single life, while Lucie and Darwin struggle with raising their growing families. As the very different members of the knitting club struggle with the many changes occurring as Christmas approaches, they will never forget Georgia Walker, the woman who started everything and brought them all together.

I never wrote a proper review for The Friday Night Knitting Club, which I read a few months ago. I was drawn to the premise, since I like to knit and I enjoy books about people coming together. I also like to fantasise about owning my own shop (books not knitting,) so I was drawn to a novel about a young mother starting a business based on her passion. I thought that it was filled with too many life lessons and heart to heart conversations, and the writing had some flaws. Overall, I would rate it at 2.5 out of 5 stars. I bought the third book in the series (thinking it was the second) because it was on discount and I was looking for a holiday book to read. As Christmas approached, I kept putting off reading Knit the Season. I finally got to it today (December 22nd) and I enjoyed it more than the first book. While I probably should have read Knit Two before reading the third book, it was easy enough to understand what was going on. There was considerably less knitting in this book, and I think we only saw one of the club’s meetings. This book focused mainly on Dakota, with very little focus on KC, Lucie and Dawin. In the first book, Dakota was only 12. While I thought she was spoilt, she was quite young so I felt I couldn’t hold it against her. Now Dakota is 20; only a year younger than me and the same age as my brother. While I might forget what 12 year olds are like, I know what the average 20 year old is like and I thought Dakota was a bit immature and very selfish. Everything had to be about her, and the other characters helped encourage this. The Friday Night Knitting Club is made of several very different women, bonding over a shared passion. Strangely, I didn’t connect to any of the characters. There were ‘Georgia flashbacks’ throughout the book, and they felt awkward and unnecessary. All of that aside, this was a quick read that kept me engaged and wanting to keep reading until the last page. It was fun and I think fans of the series will enjoy this addition. It would actually make a good end to the series, although I’m not sure if the author intends to keep writing about the Walker and Daughter knitting shop or not. As a Christmas book, Knit the Season doesn’t offer anything special, although I did like that it also showed Chanukah celebrations. Knit the Season shows Christmas both in New York and Scotland, which was interesting. Fans of the series will enjoy this festive novel, which shows these friends trying to make the most of their lives, one stitch at a time.

3/5

Review: Home for the Holidays (Mother-Daughter Book Club)

2011-12-22T03:59:00.000-08:00

Title: Home for the Holidays (Mother Daughter Book Club)
Author: Heather Vogel Frederick
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing
Publication Date: October 4th, 2011
Genre: Junior Fiction, Realistic Fiction

As the Christmas season begins in Concord, snowflakes and magic are in the air for the mother-daughter book club. The girls are sophomores in high school and have now been friends for what feels like forever. For the first half of the school year, the club is reading the Betsy-Tacy series by Maud Hart Lovelace. They’ve managed to do the impossible: find a series that Emma hasn’t read! This Christmas is bittersweet: none of the girls are going to be home for the holidays this year. Megan and Becca are going on a cruise with their families. Becca’s father has just lost his job, but her family’s pride is stopping them from sharing their troubles with their friends. Cassidy is going back to California, where her family is considering moving. Jess’ ski trip to Switzerland was canceled when she broke her leg, but her and Emma are going to a German lodge in New Hampshire instead. The girls have pledged to always put friends before boys, but they still find themselves feuding due to boy related drama. Becca is jealous of the fact that her longtime crush Zach likes tomboy Cassidy. Megan and Becca turn their efforts to gain the attention of a handsome crewmember into a feud that ruins their Christmas. Emma finds herself distrusting Jess when she seems to get along too well with another boy, despite the fact that she’s dating Emma’s brother. And a secret Santa fiasco does nothing to help their friendships. When many of the girls wish they had stayed home for the holidays, they will have to do their best to try and have the sort of friendship that Betsy and Tacy have.

When I heard that there was going to be a Mother-Daughter Book Club for the holidays, I assumed they would be reading A Christmas Carroll by Charles Dickens. I was completely wrong: the girls are actually reading the ten books in the Betsy-Tacy series. Before reading this, I had only heard of the series from the movie You’ve Got Mail. I’d been meaning to read them, but this book gave me the push I needed to go directly to the library and take out Betsy-Tacy. I read Home for the Holidays with no knowledge of the books they were reading, but that didn’t lessen my enjoyment of the novel. They book club discussion isn’t too sophisticated, so you can follow it with no prior knowledge of Betsy-Tacy. While in Pies & Prejudice it could be annoying to be told these facts about Jane Austen that I already knew, this time around it was entirely new information and I ate it up. This book starts at Thanksgiving and ends at New Year’s. It is the first book in the series to be told from Becca’s perspective as well. Becca is the newest member of the book club and a former queen bee. She bullied Emma in middle school, but their relationship has improved since then, although the girls still call her their frenemy. One of the discussion questions at the end of the book is whether Becca being one of the narrators changed your opinion of her. To be honest, I’ve only read Pies & Prejudice and Becca didn’t have a large role in that book. However, I knew a lot of girls like Becca when I was fifteen or so, and I thought she was realistic, if a bit unlikable at times. The other girls are much the same as ever. What I like most about this group of girls as that instead of sitting by passively they make things happen, especially when a friend is going through a tough time. They are all very driven girls who have found their passions, despite how young they are. These books are mainly character driven and don’t have a plot that’s easy to describe: the story is mainly about their relationships with each other, with boys and with their families. Although you wouldn’t guess it from reading the description, I find these books hard to put down and I practically devour them. Home for the Holidays captured the holidays perfectly, with help from references to the Betsy-Tacy books. I love the holiday traditions the girls start based on the books. It was a great addition to the series and I wish more than ever that these books were around in my younger years. I need to read the earlier books in the series. Nothing is better than reading about girls who love books as much as I do!

4/5

Bookish Gifts For the Lover of Everything Christmas

2011-12-21T05:32:00.000-08:00

Jingle bells, mistletoe, Santa Claus and snow.... Some people are crazy about Christmas. While they might have more ornaments and ceramic Santas than one person can ever need, there's still something you can give your holiday loving friend that will make them merry and bright.

1. Dash & Lily's Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan
Dash just isn’t a Christmas person. This year, he’s managed to take advantage of his parents’ divorce by telling each of them he’s spending the holidays with the other, so he can be alone. Among the bookshelves of the Strand in New York, Dash finds a red moleskine notebook challenging him to a series of dares. Lily, the owner of the notebook, loves everything Christmas and even organized her own choir group. The notebook was her brother’s idea, in efforts to find her the perfect guy. As Dash and Lily get to know each other through writing in the notebook, they embark on an adventure throughout Manhattan. Although there is undeniably a special magic between the two of them on paper, what will happen when they actually meet? Is meeting worth the risk, or should they keep things on the page? Full review here.

2. Let it Snow by John Green, Maureen Johnson and Lauren Myracle

It’s the night before Christmas and Gracetown is hit by a snowstorm. Jubilee is sent to her Grandparent’s house in Florida when her parents are arrested at a sale for pieces of a Christmas village. When the snowstorm causes Jubilee’s train to break down, she takes refuge at a waffle house with other passengers, and ends up spending Christmas with the perfect stranger. Tobin and his friends intended to spend Christmas Eve watching James Bond movies, but instead rush to the waffle house for the chance to spend the snowstorm with some stranded cheerleaders. Meanwhile, Addie just wants to get back together with her ex-boyfriend Jeb and finds herself searching town for a friend’s teacup pig. When the world becomes a winter wonderland, new love and second chances seem to be in the air. Full review here.

3. The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook: Holidays by Joshua Piven and David Borgenicht

You better watch out, because Santa Claus is coming to town and there are a million things that could go wrong. What if the tree falls down or someone gets mistletoe poisoning? And what are you supposed to do if there's no one to kiss on New Year's Eve? This is the book to help get you through the holidays scar free! From extinguishing a burnt turkey to stopping a runaway one-horse sleigh, The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook will help you know what to do no matter what happens.

4. Letters From Father Christmas by J.R.R. Tolkien

Most children write letters to Father Christmas, but John, Michael, Christopher and Priscilla Tolkien were fortunate enough to receive many letters in return. Between 1920 and 1943, J.R.R. Tolkien would write letters to his children from Father Christmas. Father Christmas recounts stories to the children, including the misadventures of the North Polar Bear. From falling through Father Christmas’ roof, to setting off the Northern Lights that shatter the moon into four pieces, the North Polar Bear is always getting into trouble. Throughout the years, the North Pole goes through a goblin war and experiences some wartime difficulties all while preparing presents for children everywhere. Full review here.

5. Dave Cooks the Turkey by Stuart McLean
When Dave promises his wife Morley that he will take care of the Christmas turkey that year, he doesn't fully understand what that entails. It's not until he's in bed on Christmas Eve that Dave realizes taking care of the turkey meant buying it as well. From one disaster to another, Dave barely manages to put a grade B turkey on the table for his family. This is a very funny short story by CBC radio's Stuart McLean which is told every year on his radio show, The Vinyl Cafe. It is his most popular story, and even a Christmas tradition for some families.

Review: A Christmas Carol

2011-12-20T05:04:00.000-08:00

Title: A Christmas Carol
Author: Charles Dickens
Publisher: Puffin Classics
Publication Date: 1843
Genre: Fiction, Fantasy

Ebenezer Scrooge only loves one thing, and that’s money. He hates anything that brings cheer and happiness to others, so he naturally despises the whole Christmas season. One Christmas Eve, Scrooge is visited by his dead partner, Jacob Marley. Marley has been dead for years and was just as selfish as Scrooge. His spirit is now forced to wander the earth in chains, and has come to warn Scrooge that the same fate awaits him if he continues living the way he has been. Three spirits are going to visit Scrooge: the ghosts of Christmas Past, Christmas Present and Christmas Yet to Come. As Scrooge is given the chance to wander through his past and future, he comes to see himself in the same way that others see him.

If you’re going to read one holiday related book this Christmas, then make it A Christmas Carol. I’m quite certain that everyone is familiar with this story. Even if you haven’t seen the film, so many TV shows have done A Christmas Carol themed episodes that everyone knows the tale of Scrooge and the three ghosts. Like most people, I am very familiar with the plot and have seen many adaptations, from Mickey Mouse to Doctor Who. Because of this, it didn’t hit me until midway through how original and genius the idea behind this story is. I’ve seen so many retellings that I momentarily forgot that someone actually dreamed this story up. I love the style of narration, the plot, the overall message and how the story presents the festivity of Christmas. This novella is an allegory about poverty in Victorian London, with the infamous Scrooge representing the greed of the rich. A Christmas Carol is very short and could be a good introduction to Charles Dickens. While it’s not his best work, it does capture a lot of the great things about his writing, while being short and easy to understand. As a Christmas story, this is as good as it gets. There are so many retellings for a reason: A Christmas Carol is a timeless story that captures the spirit of the holidays. No matter how many movie adaptations you’ve seen, the book has a special magic that will make you feel like you’re learning of Scrooge’s redemption for the first time.

5/5

“There is nothing in the world so irresistibly contagious as laughter and good humor.”

Review: Dash & Lily’s Book of Dares

2011-12-19T04:39:00.000-08:00

Title: Dash and Lily’s Book of Dares
Author: Rachel Cohn and David Levithan
Publisher: Ember
Publication Date: October 26th, 2010
Genre: YA, Realistic Fiction

Dash just isn’t a Christmas person. This year, he’s managed to take advantage of his parents’ divorce by telling each of them he’s spending the holidays with the other, so he can be alone. Among the bookshelves of the Strand in New York, Dash finds a red moleskine notebook challenging him to a series of dares. Lily, the owner of the notebook, loves everything Christmas and even organized her own choir group. The notebook was her brother’s idea, in efforts to find her the perfect guy. As Dash and Lily get to know each other through writing in the notebook, they embark on an adventure throughout Manhattan. Although there is undeniably a special magic between the two of them on paper, what will happen when they actually meet? Is meeting worth the risk, or should they keep things on the page?

I love Christmas so much and there doesn’t seem to be enough YA books about the winter holidays. Dash and Lily’s Book of Dares is a YA Christmas book, and that was what lead me to picking it up. This is Rachel Cohn and David Levithan’s third book together. I loved Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist but wasn’t so keen on Naomi and Ely’s No Kiss List. All of their three books share a New York setting and feature alternating narrators. I wasn’t sure what to expect with Dash and Lily, since Naomi and Ely was a let down for me. At first, I couldn’t stand Dash’s pretentious narration. However, the interesting concept kept me reading. I’m not sure if I got used to Dash’s snobbery or if it was toned down later, but he stopped bothering me as I kept reading. Midway through, I thought Dash was alright, and while Lily would be perfect for him, I didn’t think he’d be perfect for her. By the end, I could look past his snarly demeanor and love him for his loyalty. I liked Lily from the start, but had this nagging feeling that she was exactly like someone I used to know. Someone who also likes Salinger, singing Christmas carols and wearing beat up chucks and thick black glasses. Someone who acts just like her…. Then it hit me: Lily reminds me of me at sixteen. For this reason, I really took to her and loved the chapters from her perspective. The story was fun and original. While Lily originally leaves the notebook beside a copy of Franny and Zooey with a scavenger hunt for the finder, later Dash and Lily pass the notebook back and forth while giving clues to where the other person should leave it. Their dares take them throughout New York City, and I thought the writers fully utilized an amazing setting. It made me want to visit New York at Christmas (and the Strand!) The plot may not sound that interesting, but the way it was carried out was perfect. There were times when I actually laughed out loud (code crimson) and there were so many adorable parts. This book captured the magic of Christmas and made me forget that it was still fall when I read it.

Christmas festiveness? Check. Great setting? Check. An entertaining and engaging plot? Check. Adventure, fun characters and some mild flirtation through a notebook? Check, check, check. Despite a few minor annoyances in the beginning, I loved this book. Dash and Lily’s Book of Dares was an amazing holiday read that left me smiling.

4.5/5

“It's only a game if there is an absence of meaning. And we've already gone too far for that.”

Bookish Stocking Stuffers

2011-12-19T04:36:00.000-08:00

Any book lover will be happy to find any of these gifts in their stocking Christmas morning, or to receive them as a Secret Santa gift.

1. Magnetic Poetry I'm not going to lie, I stole this idea right out of The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky. In the book, Charlie and his friends do the version of Secret Santa where you receive a small gift every day for a week. Charlie receives a number of things, including magnetic poetry. Fun for writers and readers alike! They also have magnetic poetry for early readers, Shakespeare lovers, romantics and cat lovers. The romance version was very popular in residence when I was in school.

2. Wooden Cat Bookmark Bookmarks are probably the most obvious small present for readers. You can never have too many, they're useful and (usually) very cute!

3. Desktop Notepad This very cute notepad will make your work desk neat and nice looking.

4. Moustache Paperclips Is it just me or are moustaches very popular lately? These paperclips are cute and practical!

5. Magnetic Bookmarks There are enough of these little clip on magnetic bookmarks that it will be difficult to lose them all. There is also a different version here.

6. Thumb Thing for Reading This handy little thumb thing helps you read more comfortably, and hold your book with one hand.

7. Pocket Moleskines I love these! I carry one with me wherever I go, just in case I think of something clever on the bus. They come with two in slightly different shades in the same colour.

In My Mailbox (18)

2011-12-18T07:31:00.000-08:00

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren, in which book bloggers post about the books they've bought, borrowed or received in the past week.

This week all the books I have are travel books from my library! I'm going to New York the week of January 9th. I'm planning to go to The Strand, Books of Wonder and John Green's book signing, as well as all the normal tourist things. I have Frommer's New York City 2012, Let's Go New York City on a Budget, The Rough Guide to New York City and Fodor's New York City 2012. I'm really nervous, since I get lost very easily and I've never traveled alone.

What was in your mailbox this week?

Bookish Gifts For the Pre-Teen

2011-12-18T05:39:00.000-08:00

Kids who are middle school age can be tricky to buy for. Here are some books for the ones who love to read and for the ones that (usually) don't.

1. The Mysterious Benedict Society Box-set by Trenton Lee Stewart
When Reynie Muldroon sees a newspaper advertisement looking for gifted children, he is one of the many children who take a series of challenging tests to determine if they have what it takes. In the end, Reynie is one of the four children selected, along with Sticky, Kate and Constance. Mr. Benedict created the tests to find capable children who are willing to help him save the world. The foursome will have to go under cover at The Learning Institute for the Very Enlightened to stop the scheming Mr. Curtain. As the four children encounter the unimaginable evil taking place at The Leaning Institute, they will have to rely on one another and their own special talents to save the day. Thus begins The Mysterious Benedict Society series. The series is told in three books: The Mysterious Benedict Society, The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey and The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Prisoner's Dilemma.

2. The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick

Read the book than watch the movie! From Goodreads: "Orphan Hugo Cabret lives in a wall. His secret home is etched out in the crevices of a busy Paris train station. Part-time clock keeper, part-time thief, he leads a life of quiet routine until he gets involved with an eccentric, bookish young girl and an angry old man who runs a toy booth in the station. The Invention of Hugo Cabret unfolds its cryptic, magical story in a format that blends elements of picture book, novel, graphic novel, and film. Caldecott Honor-winning author-illustrator Brian Selznick has fashioned an intricate puzzle story that binds the reader like a mesmerist's spell."

3. The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place: The Mysterious Howling by Maryrose Wood

When Miss Penelope Lumley graduates from Swanburne Academy for Poor Bright Females, she immediately applies for a position as a governess at Ashton Place. When the advertisement specifies that “experience with animals is strongly preferred,” Penelope assumes that the children have ponies, or another sort of animal. Instead, she is greeted by the three children that Lord Ashton found in the forest. The children appear to have been raised by wolves, and are now the Ashton foster children. Named Alexander, Beowulf and Cassiopeia Incorrigible, the children enjoy chasing squirrels, baying at the moon and climbing trees. Though Miss Lumley knows she has her work set out for her, she sets out at once to teach the children language, poetry, etiquette and mathematics. After considerable improvement, the children must prepare for Lady Constance’s Christmas dinner party. How will children who act like animals be able to act maturely at a respectable gathering? As Miss Lumley attempts to raise the three Incorrigible children, she also tries to understand the many mysteries of Ashton Place. Full review here.

4. Liesl & Po by Lauren Oliver

Liesl has been locked in her attic bedroom by her stepmother ever since her father became ill months ago. A few days after his death, Liesl encounters a ghost in her bedroom. The ghost, Po, is neither male nor female and both at the same time. When Po goes to the Other Side to look for Liesl’s father, he learns that he doesn’t feel he will be able to move to the Beyond until his ashes are scattered with his wife’s. Liesl and Po set out to bring the box holding his ashes to the house where Liesl grew up. Meanwhile, Will, the Alchemist’s apprentice, is making an important delivery and accidentally misplaces the most important magic in the world. The Alchemist has created a complicated spell that involved bottling the sun. Due to his magic, the whole world is a dull grey colour. Will’s mistake leads him to join Liesl and Po in their quest. As the children and the ghost set out to help Liesl’s father move on, they inadvertently bring colour back to their world. Full review here.

5. Clothbound Children's Classics

These beautiful clothbound hardcovers are a great addition to a growing library. These editions are available for Peter Pan, Anne of Green Gables, The Adventures of Robin Hood, The Wind in the Willows, The Secret Garden, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Black Beauty and The Call of the Wild.

Bookish Gifts For Nerds, Geeks, Fanboys and Fangirls

2011-12-17T05:24:00.000-08:00

Whether you know a full time or casual nerd, there’s always something for their geeky soul.

1. Geek Wisdom: The Sacred Teachings of Nerd Culture edited by Stephen H. Segal This book features clever explanations of popular quotes loved by nerds everywhere. From Goodreads: "Geek Wisdom takes as gospel some 200 of the most powerful and oft-cited quotes from movies (“Where we’re going, we don’t need roads”), television (“Now we know—and knowing is half the battle”), literature (“All that is gold does not glitter”), games, science, the Internet, and more. Now these beloved pearls of modern-day culture have been painstakingly interpreted by a diverse team of hardcore nerds with their imaginations turned up to 11. Yes, this collection of mini-essays is by, for, and about geeks—but it’s just so surprisingly profound, the rest of us would have to be dorks not to read it. So say we all."

2. An Abundance of Katherines by John Green This is John Green's most often overlooked book, and also the nerdiest. With math equations, tons of interesting facts and a boy genius as the protagonist, An Abundance of Katherines is a must read for anyone slightly geeky. Colin Singleton has only ever dated girls named Katherine. And he has always been dumped by each Katherine he dated, nineteen times in total. After graduation and his nineteenth breakup, Colin and his best friend embark on a roadtrip where they go on a detour to see the grave of Franz Ferdinand and end up finding jobs. Colin is trying to make a theorem that will predict the outcome of any relationship. Can romantic relationships be broken down into a mathematical formula and is Colin destined to always be the dumpee?

3. The Geek’s Guide to World Domination by Garth Sundam Written for lovers of trivia. From Goodreads: "Finally, here’s the book no self-respecting geek can live without–a guide jam-packed with 314.1516 short entries both useful and fun. Science, pop-culture trivia, paper airplanes, and pure geekish nostalgia coexist as happily in these pages as they do in their natural habitat of the geek brain."

4. Geektastic: Stories from the Nerd Herd edited by Holly Black and Cecil Castellucci Illustrated by Bryan Lee O’Malley, this book includes short stories written by Cassandra Clare, John Green, Libba Bray, Scott Westerfeld and David Levithan. From Goodreads: "Acclaimed authors Holly Black (Ironside) and Cecil Castellucci (Boy Proof) have united in geekdom to edit short stories from some of the best selling and most promising geeks in young adult literature: M.T. Anderson, Libba Bray, Cassandra Clare, John Green, Tracy Lynn, Cynthia and Greg Leitich Smith, David Levithan, Kelly Link, Barry Lyga, Wendy Mass, Garth Nix, Scott Westerfield, Lisa Yee, and Sara Zarr.With illustrated interstitials from comic book artists Hope Larson and Bryan Lee O'Malley, Geektastic covers all things geeky, from Klingons and Jedi Knights to fan fiction, theater geeks, and cosplayers. Whether you're a former, current, or future geek, or if you just want to get in touch with your inner geek, Geektastic will help you get your geek on!"

4. The Scott Pilgrim Series by Bryan Lee O'Malley Videogame and comic references galore! Plus, lots of epic battles. You can buy the first book, Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Life, here or splurge on the full series here. As the series starts, twenty-three year old Scott Pilgrim’s life is pretty awesome. He lives in Toronto with his roommate, Wallace Wells, and he’s currently in-between jobs. Scott spends his time playing bass in his band, shopping at goodwill, playing video games and listening to music. Scott is also dating Knives Chau, who is only seventeen. Things become complicated when he meets Ramona Flowers, who is literally the girl of his dreams. Cool and mysterious, Ramona is the opposite of Knives, and Scott can’t stay away. Unfortunately, if Scott wants to date Ramona he will have to defeat her seven evil ex-boyfriends. Will Scott, the ultimate slacker, be able to fight to be with the girl he loves? Full reviews for volume one, volume two, volume three, volume four, volume five and volume six.

5. Star Wars Moleskines From Chapters.ca: "The Star Wars saga has furnished Moleskine with fantastic material to commemorate both sides of the Force: memorable quotes, Space-scapes, and battle scenes."

Review: Scott Pilgrim's Finest Hour

2011-12-17T05:23:00.000-08:00

Title: Scott Pilgrim’s Finest Hour
Author: Bryan Lee O’Malley
Publisher: Oni Press
Publication Date: July 20th, 2010
Genre: YA, Graphic Novel

It’s been four months since Ramona left Scott, and all he’s done since then is play video games and sleep all day. As Scott tries to move on and get over Ramona, he learns that Gideon, the man behind the league of evil exes, is in Toronto. Even though Scott and Ramona aren’t technically together anymore, Scott might still have to fight Gideon. Who exactly is Gideon and why did he create the league? And what happened to Ramona? As Scott makes amends with his other ex-girlfriends, it seems that there are things he’s just forgotten. How could that be? Ever since Scott first started Ramona, everything has been building up to the moment Scott fights Gideon. Gideon is the mastermind behind all the evil exes, and defeating him will be the biggest test Scott has yet to face. Will he rise up to the challenge, or could this be game over for Scott Pilgrim?

When I was in grade twelve the word ‘epic’ was very popular. I mean, nearly everyone who signed my yearbook wrote something like ‘These last four years were epic’ or ‘Next year’s going to be epic,’ or ‘Remember that project you did on Oedipus? That was epic.’ Since then, I’ve kind of been hesitant to use the word. It’s used too often, even in times when it’s not applicable. For example, high school was not epic. Now was my project on Oedipus. But Scott Pilgrim’s Finest Hour is worthy of the word. As the book begins, Scott is doing nothing with his life and moping over Ramona. As he tries to move on by looking for a casual hook-up, he decides that he has to fight for Ramona to earn her back. Thus begins the best fight in the series. The whole fight takes place in Toronto’s new Chaos Theatre (care of Gideon,) although there are different stages to the fight. A lot of answers are revealed about mysteries in the series. As a side note, my copy from the library was stabbed with pencils and had about a dozen pages torn out. I feel like I missed some important things, which was a bummer. I’m pretty sure this was not the volume to miss parts of, but I managed to piece things together with some help from Wikipedia.

The best thing about the book (aside from the final battle) was seeing how some of the characters have grown so much over the past six books. Mainly Knives, who is now 18 and shows more wisdom than Scott. Kim Pine, who has been my favourite from the beginning, is brilliant in this book. She sums up one of the themes of the novel: you can’t simply forget about your mistakes and the things that have hurt you, because how will you ever grow? Ramona has also grown a lot and apologizes for ditching Scott. I would have liked Scott to apologize to Knives, since she was the person he hurt the most. Just dating her in the first place was wrong; it was kind of like he was using her just to have something simple and easy. And of course she was the one who ended up getting hurt. I hope she goes to UBC and forgets all about him. In the past five reviews, I don’t think I’ve touched much on Scott. He’s the hero, but he’s also lazy and self absorbed. He hurt Knives and Kim and he takes advantage of Wallace. While he was very flawed, I still thought he was an overall loveable guy who just needs to grow up. I think that having a guy like Scott as the main character worked well for this series. His cluelessness provided a lot of comic relief and I can’t really imagine Scott being any other way.

Now that I’ve finished the series, I thought it would be a good time to talk about the movie, Scott Pilgrim Vs The World. This movie was my first introduction to the series, and after I finished volume six I re-watched the movie. Is it possible that it’s even better now that I’ve read all the books? The casting was spot on, especially for Kim, Knives, Envy and Julie. I’ve mentioned this before, but I prefer Ramona in the books. This isn’t due to the actress; it’s just that I never got the impression in the film that Ramona really liked Scott. She was too aloof. The movie didn’t quite capture how truly evil Gideon is. Scott Pilgrim Vs the World is an adaptation of all six of the Scott Pilgrim books. While it follows volume one very closely, the other volumes are obviously condensed. The series takes place over a year, while the movie occurs in a few weeks. Things are simplified, but probably for the better. What works in a book doesn’t necessarily work in a movie. I think some of the things they left out would have been confusing in the film, or just outright outrageous. For example, the cryogenically frozen girlfriends would have looked ridiculous in the film. I’ve heard this movie called a ‘hipster film,’ and to be honest, I don’t really know what that means. I think of it as more of a film for nerds. While I loved this movie, it’s not for everyone. I saw it with some friends, and they all thought it was the worst movie they had ever seen. And I saw it again with my brother and his girlfriend, and she fell asleep. I went to see this movie because it takes place in Toronto and Metric did some of the music, but I fell in love with this movie, despite its weirdness. Maybe I’m biased since I saw the movie first, but I thought it was an excellent adaptation.

The final volume of the Scott Pilgrim series was everything I hoped for. It was exciting, funny and full of action and character development. Artistically, this is the best book in the series. Scott Pilgrim’s Finest Hour is everything that is awesome and nerdy in this world. It truly is an epic of epicness.

5/5

“I feel like I’m in this river just getting swept along... And if I hold on to anyone, if I'm holding on for dear life, I'm not getting anywhere. I'm stuck...I never wanted to get stuck.”

Bookish Gifts For Young Readers

2011-12-16T05:18:00.000-08:00

While you can have too many toys or stuffed animals, you can never have enough books! And unlike clothes, picture books are harder to outgrow.

1. Little Miss Austen: Pride and Prejudice by Jennifer Adams This counting book is so cute that I want one! Jennifer Adams has also written Little Master Shakespeare, Little Miss Bronte and the upcoming Little Master Carroll. From Goodreads: "With the perennial popularity of classic writers like Jane Austen and William Shakespeare, Baby Lit™ is a fashionable way to introduce your toddler to the world of classic literature. With clever, simple counting text by Jennifer Adams, paired with stylish design and illustrations by Sugar’s Alison Oliver, Little Miss Austen and Little Master Shakespeare are a must for every savvy parent’s nursery library."

2. The Elephants and Piggie Books by Mo Willems
I read at my library with kids ages six to nine, and they all love Elephant and Piggie. Gerald and Piggie couldn't be more different but they're best friends all the same! I love Happy Pig Day the most. It's Pig day and Piggie couldn't be more excited, but Gerald is feeling left out. Luckily, he discovers that Pig Day is for everyone! These books are simple but fun and sweet as well. Mo Willems is also the writer of Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!, which I'd also recommend.

3. Home for Christmas by Jan Brett
Rollo is a wild troll who hates doing his tedious chore work. When Rollo decides to run away, he spends time with families of owls, bears, moose and otters. However, nothing can compare to his own family, so Rollo decides to return home for Christmas and learns that nothing is better than family. This book is beautifully illustrated, with a great deal of attention put into the small details. Jan Brett is also the author of The Mitten, Gingerbread Baby, The Wild Christmas Reindeer and (my favourite) Trouble with Trolls.

4. The Bippolo Seed and Other Lost Stories by Dr. Seuss
Seuss scholar Charles Cohen found a buried treasure when he uncovered several lost stories by Dr. Seuss. While some of these stories influenced his later works, they all are unique and witty in a away you can only find in Dr. Seuss' books. These seven stories were written for magazines, so they are all very short. They use the zany rhymes that Seuss is known for. While you may have thought you had read all of Dr. Seuss's books, there is one more that you won't want to miss!

5. The Balloon Tree by Phoebe Gilman
When Princess Leora's father leaves for a tournament in a neighbouring kingdom, he tells her to send balloons into the air if anything goes wrong. When the evil Archduke takes over the kingdom, he locks Leora in a tower and pops all the balloons in the kingdom. When she escapes, she meets a wizard that tells her a spell that will fill the kingdom with balloons if she can find just one. They only problem is, there doesn't seem to be a single balloon left in the entire kingdom! Will Leora be able to find the last balloon so that she can make a balloon tree and save the kingdom?

6. A Porcupine in a Pine Tree: A Canadian 12 Days of Christmas by Helaine Becker
This one is likely only for Canuck kids, I'm afraid. This is the Twelve Days of Christmas with a Canadian twist. From Mounties to the Toronto Maples Leaves, this book captures everything Canadian. With cute illustrations, this is a very funny book and great for the holidays. Alas, I'm not sure if non-Canadians will find this worthwhile.

Review: A Jane Austen Education

2011-12-16T05:05:00.000-08:00

Title: A Jane Austen Education: How Six Novels Taught Me About Love, Friendship, and the Things That Really Matter
Author: William Deresiewicz
Publisher: Penguin Press
Publication Date: April 28th, 2011
Genre: Non- Fiction, Memoir

William Deresiewicz was twenty-six when he first was introduced to the woman who would change his life. Jane Austen has taught William everything he knows about everything important and has made him the person he is today. But before he was an Austen scholar, William was a guy who looked down on Austen’s ‘chick lit’ and dreaded reading Emma in grad school. He was surprised to find wisdom in Austen’s words, and find a bit of himself in Emma. As he immerses himself in the world of Austen’s six novels, he finds that they share lessons that are relevant to his life. As he reflects on his life as he first discovered Jane Austen and how the books affected him, William explains how the important truths of life are explained between the covers of Jane Austen’s novels.

This is the first non-fiction book I’ve read for fun in a while. I was drawn to the cover as well as the topic. This is probably a book about Jane Austen’s works for people who enjoy them, but are not English majors. The author ties in the books with his life as he was reading them as a grad student at Columbia. As he reads each book, he reflects on a certain area of his life that is relevant to the novel and how it helped him grow as a person. If you’re only interested in reading about Jane Austen and don’t care to hear about the author’s life, then skip this book. I, however, mostly enjoyed the parts about his life. I know a lot of people who are like the author who, as the book begins, is arrogant and confident in his opinions. To be honest, the author still seems to be arrogant but I liked him overall. It was interesting to see Austen from the perspective of someone who was prejudiced against her, and even didn’t like her work at first. Sometimes (especially towards the end) it felt like he was stretching things when tying each book with his life. While this is a simplified literary criticism, I enjoyed some of the author’s insights. The author is a professor, but you could tell that he wrote this book for people who don’t think like English majors. I found some of his ideas interesting, but he doesn’t offer a very broad analysis. He focuses more on the lesson leant rather than going into depth on other aspects. If you haven’t read all of Jane Austen’s novels, then do not fear, for the author writes as if you haven’t. Of course, if you haven’t read any of Jane Austen’s novels, I’m not sure if this book will be of much interest to you. However, it does a good job of explaining what people love about Jane Austen, so it could convince someone to finally pick up her books. All the same, I just don’t think it would be as appealing for people who aren’t Janeites. While sometimes it was nice to have a refresher on some of Austen’s novels, I didn’t like how the author wrote as if the reader was completely clueless, like when he wouldn’t tell right away which man Jane described as “just what a young man ought to be.” While things like this bothered me at times, the writing was very good and the author offered an interesting perspective that made me think. Overall, I’d recommend this to fans of Jane Austen who are interested in a lighter literacy criticism that is part memoir. A Jane Austen Education was entertaining and enjoyable, and reminded me why I love Jane Austen.

3.5/5

Bookish Gifts For the 2012 High School Graduate

2011-12-15T06:33:00.000-08:00

If you know an upcoming graduate then you’re in luck! It might seem to early to get them college themed gifts, but me and my friends got tons of things like this for Christmas that year. Gifts are easier to find if they intend to go to university or college, but some of these gifts are good for anyone living on their own for the first time.

1. The College Humour Guide to College A friend of mine found this book in her dorm room while packing up after our first year. It was very funny- probably would have been helpful to have at the beginning of the year though, not the end. From Goodreads: "From beer pong to final exams, from instant messaging to hooking up with people whose last names are a complete mystery, The CollegeHumor Guide to College is the bible to getting through college with minimum work and maximum fun. The authors, six recent graduates from colleges around the country, fill readers in on how to do their own laundry, how to pick the best (easiest) professors, and how to tell if someone has an STD just by looking at them. From the creators of the smash-hit website, The CollegeHumor Guide to College is perfect for anybody who can make it past twelfth grade, and an incredibly mean gift for those who can't."

2. The Naked Roommate: And 107 Other Issues You Might Run Into In College by Harlan Cohen This was given to me for my eighteenth birthday and it’s the best guide to college I’ve ever come across. It's helpful and hilarious. This book touches on practically any and every problem you might encounter while at school. From what to expect, dealing with homesickness, roommates, making friends, joining clubs, handling your classes, studying, college relationships, financial problems and the things they don't tell you in the brochure, this book covers it all.

3. The Worst Case Scenario Survival Handbook: College by Joshua Piven, David Borgenicht and Jennifer Worick From Goodreads: "The college years are a time of noble pursuit of knowledge, self-betterment—and unending peril! Students are at risk from the moment they receive their acceptance letters. Fortunately, the authors of the phenomenally best-selling Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbookseries have come to the rescue, offering all-new, hands-on, step-by-step instructions for surviving the worst that higher education has to offer, on campus and off. Learn how to identify a party school, engineer a hookup, survive "the spins," and escape a stadium riot. Discover the best way to sleep in class, pass a test you haven't studied for, avoid the "freshman fifteen," and pull an all-nighter. With practical advice for avoiding laundry and identifying unsafe institutional food, along with an appendix of excuses for missed deadlines and a back-up diploma, this is truly required reading for all college students—and a perfect high school graduation present."

4. College Cooking: Feed Yourself and Yours Friends by Megan and Jill Carle From Goodreads: "You have a midterm tomorrow and a fierce growl in your stomach. Your roommate just nabbed your last cup o' ramen. Do you: (A) Ignore your stomach and brew another pot of coffee? (B) Break out the PB&J? (C) Order pizza—again? (D) Make a quick trip to the grocery store? The answer's D, and College Cooking is the only study guide you'll need.Sisters Megan and Jill Carle know all about leaving a well-stocked kitchen to face an empty apartment fridge with little time to cook and very little money. They practically grew up in their parents' kitchen, but even that didn't prepare them for braving the supermarket aisles on their own. That's why they wrote COLLEGE COOKING—to share the tips and tricks they've learned while feeding themselves between late-night studying, papers, parties, and other distractions."

5. The Ultimate Student Cookbook: From Chicken to Chilli by Tiffany Goodall From Goodreads: "More than 100 easy recipes for terrific food on a student's budget. Written by a chef who lived away from home on a limited budget while she was a culinary arts student, The Ultimate Student Cookbook enables college and university students to enjoy fresh and healthy food every day.Recognizing the pressures and realities of student life, these more than 100 delicious recipes."

6. U Chic: College Girls Guide to Everything by Christie Garton From Chapters.ca: "From the day you set food on campus until the day you wear a cap and gown, get advice from a source you can trust: the expert team of all-star college students and recent grads behind U Chic. This indispensible college resource has everything you need to know.

Review: Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict

2011-12-15T06:24:00.000-08:00

Title: Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict
Author: Laurie Viera Rigler
Publisher: Dutton Adult
Publication Date: August 2nd, 2007
Genre: Fiction, Romance, Historical Fiction, Fantasy

It is a truth universally acknowledged that a modern lover of Jane Austen's novels fantasizes about living in the world she reads about. Courtney Stone is no exception, and after a stressful day she sits down to read her favourite book, Pride and Prejudice. When she wakes up, she finds herself in someone else’s body. Jane Mansfield is a thirty-year old woman in Regency England and unless Courtney wants to be sent to an asylum, she will have to play the part of Jane. That means dealing with over bearing mothers, gossiping cousins, unsanitary conditions, class issues and potential spinsterhood. When Courtney starts to remember some of Jane’s memories, she begins having difficulty differentiating between herself and Jane. Will she ever be able to get back to her own life?

As the book begins, we are thrown into the world of Jane Mansfield, just like Courtney Stone is. Starting this book kind of felt like reading a story from the middle, since so much is going on in Jane’s life as the story begins. I know a lot of movies that were like this book; they’re entertaining and fun, but they have many flaws. I think my main problem with this book was the main character. She was selfish and clueless about Regency England, despite the fact that she is apparently a Jane Austen addict. When Courtney connected Jane’s life to Jane Austen’s novels or the transitioned into memories of her own life, it did not flow very well. The scene in which Courtney encounters her hero Jane Austen was cringe-worthy and strange; I know she was intimidated, but why would she bring up films? Although all those things bothered me, the premise was interesting and I read this book very quickly and found it difficult to put down. Seeing a realistic portrayal of Regency England was interesting, especially since so many people have a very romanticized view of that time period. I kept reading because I had so many questions, although in the end I was left feeling unsatisfied. Overall, this book was just fun. I’m going to (eventually) read the sequel, which is from Jane’s perspective. I’ve heard that it’s better than the original, and I think seeing things from Jane’s point of view would be refreshing, especially since one of the main things I didn’t like about this book was Courtney. If you like chick lit, then you might like this book. Is it a must read for Jane Austen fans? Definitely not. It doesn’t offer any new insights on her books or time period. But it is a quick, light read that I did have fun reading.

3/5

“I cannot imagine a world in which one can read Jane Austen only once.”

Review: The Jane Austen Handbook by Margaret C. Sullivan

2011-12-14T06:03:00.000-08:00

Title: The Jane Austen Handbook: A Sensible Yet Elegant Guide to Her World

Author: Margaret C. Sullivan
Publisher: Quirk Books
Publication Date: April 1st, 2007
Genre: Non-Fiction, History

If you’ve ever read a Jane Austen novel and were curious about why Mr. Collins inherited Longbourn or why everyone assumed Marianne and Mr. Willoughby were engaged, then The Jane Austen Handbook is for you. This is a straightforward look at Regency England, focusing mainly on topics that are relevant to Jane Austen’s novels. The Jane Austen Handbook is a simple guide that tells you everything you need to know. While focusing on topics that are relevant to the novels, such as how to marry off your daughters, secretly elope or politely turn down a marriage proposal, the author also focuses on the daily life of men and women and what kind of jobs they had. The ending includes a good (but brief) biography of Jane Austen, and then summaries of each book and a list of the film adaptations and resources. I’m used to reading my history textbooks, which can be longwinded and slightly tedious, so this was a refreshing change for me. This book was fun and informative, and perfect for anyone with a casual interest in history. I loved how the author described some topics with wit and sarcasm, and that combined with the illustrations livened each page. If you are interested in the background behind Jane Austen’s six novels, then I would recommend checking out The Jane Austen Handbook. And if you do not usually like non-fiction or history books, then this might be a good choice, since it’s frank and interesting. Overall, this is a cute little book that’s filled with a lot of information. If I ever travel back in time, I would like to have this book on my person.

4/5

Review: The Dashwood Sisters' Secrets of Love

2011-12-13T05:43:00.000-08:00

Title: The Dashwood Sisters’s Secrets of Love
Author: Rosie Rushton
Publisher: Hyperion
Publication Date: 2005
Genre: YA, Romance, Realistic Fiction

Ellie, Abbie and Georgie Dashwood are three sisters who couldn’t be more different from each other. Ellie is the responsible goody-goody, Abbie is the boy-crazy drama queen and Georgie is the adventurous adrenaline junkie. A year ago, everything changed for the girls when their parents divorced and their dad married a younger woman named Pandora. The girls and their mother kept the house in Brighton, while their dad lives in London with his new wife. Pandora is self-involved and a nightmare of a stepmother, and the girls notice that their father seems more stressed than usual now that he’s with her. When the unthinkable happens and their father dies, the girls find themselves fatherless as well as homeless. The girls and their mother move to a small cottage in Norfolk, and try to adapt to their new lives while mourning their father. As the girls try to make the best of their situation, their romantic exploits help them learn the many secrets of love.

I first read this book in high school, and I found it again while doing shelving at my library and decided to re-read it. The Dashwood Sisters’ Secrets of Love is a modern take on Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen. While there are a lot of modern versions of Pride and Prejudice, a retelling of Sense and Sensibility is rather rare, so I thought this would be a good choice for Jane Austen related reviews on my blog. The Dashwood Sisters follows Jane Austen’s version, with Ellie as Elinor, Abbie as Marianne and Georgie as Margaret. This book spends more time than the original building up to the main plot, and I liked that the time was taken to establish the characters before everything changed for them. One of the other big differences between this book and Sense and Sensibility is that the youngest Dashwood sister is a main character as well. The characters were slightly stereotypical and naturally didn’t live up to the originals. I did like them overall, although they felt a bit superficial. Some of the dialogue between the sisters was very witty and humorous. Partly due to the fact that the plot was based on a Jane Austen novel, it was well paced and interesting. As an adaptation, it was moderately good. It’s a retelling of Sense and Sensibility in a similar way that Clueless is to Emma. If you read The Dashwood Sisters looking for a great adaptation of Sense and Sensibility, then you probably won’t end up liking it. However, it is a fun and entertaining book about love, and I enjoyed it because I started reading it without any expectations. While I can see fans of Sense and Sensibility being disappointed with this book, I think it could be a good introduction to Jane Austen for teenagers. It’s light and quick chick-lit, and it could make readers curious enough about the original to read it. Overall, The Dashwood Sisters’ Secrets of Love is a cute new take on an old favourite.

3/5

Bookish Gifts For the Artist

2011-12-13T05:41:00.000-08:00

Help encourage their creative flare with these gifts!

1. The Guerilla Art Kit: Everything You Need To Put Your Message Out Into The World by Keri Smith By the author of Wreck this Journal and How to Be an Explorer of the World. From Goodreads: "The Guerilla Art Kit shows how small artistic acts can start a revolution. Keri Smith, noted author of Living Out Loud and the blog Wish Jar Journal, uses her unique drawing and handwriting style to help anyone find and release their inner artist or activist. This visually exciting activity book full of step-by-step exercises, cut-out projects, sticker ideas, and more has both fun assignments and handy tips to help you unleash your creative energy into the streets, where you can really make an impact. From the quick exercises leaving books for strangers to find, chalking quotes on the sidewalk to the more involved making a 'wish tree,' guerilla gardening, or making your own stencils The Guerilla Art Kit contains everything you need to put your message out into the world."

2. A Sketchbook Sometimes the obvious gift is still the right one. You can go with this simple one, or you could find a sketchbook that suits their taste here.

3. Moleskine Professional Portfolio This portfolio is durable and has large pockets and is made of acid free cardboard. It is high quality and is a professional portfolio for the serious artist. You can also find moleskine sketchbooks, which are based on the notebooks used by artists such as Vincent Van Gogh and Pablo Picasso.

4. Let’s Make Some Great Art by Marion Deuchars From Goodreads: "In this interactive coloring and activity book, Marion Deuchars takes the broad canvas of art and fills it with drawings and activities that engage with what art can be, how it can be made, what it can mean for you and what it has meant for people through the ages. Aimed at children aged eight and older, the emphasis is on fun and making the creation of art an integral part of the way you express yourself."

5. The Louvre: All the Paintings, photographed by Erich Lessing From Goodreads: "An historic publishing event! Endorsed by the Louvre and for the first time ever, every painting from the world's most popular museum is available in one stunning book. All 2,981 paintings on display in the permanent painting collection of the Louvre are presented in full color in this striking, slipcased book. Comes with an enclosed, supportive DVD-ROM." Or, you could get Treasures of the Louvre by Michel Laclotte, which is a cheaper alternative.

Review: Sense and Sensibility

2011-12-12T05:31:00.000-08:00

Title: Sense and Sensibility
Author: Jane Austen
Publisher: Penguin Classics
Publication Date: 1811
Genre: Fiction, Romance

Marianne and Elinor Dashwood are two sisters who couldn’t be more different from one another. Elinor is sensible and reserved, while her younger sister Marianne is passionate and spontaneous. The Dashwood sisters’ lives change forever when they find themselves guests in their own home after the death of their father. Their half brother and his wife, Fanny, have inherited Norland Park and the girls and their mother struggle to find an affordable place to live. Elinor finds herself drawn to Edward, Fanny’s older brother, and thinks that her affection is mutual. After the Dashwood women move to a cottage found by Mrs. Dashwood’s cousin, Marianne is drawn to the romantic Willoughby. While Elinor keeps her true feelings hidden, Marianne makes hers known to everyone. As the Dashwood’s struggle with love and the loss of the life they had, they learn to find the balance between sense and sensibility.

Jane Austen’s 236th birthday is this Friday and I thought it would be fun to review some Austen related books all week. I wish I could have reviewed all of her six novels, but I don’t have time to read them all, and instead I’m only doing one of her books. I couldn’t decide which to read/re-read but ultimately chose Sense and Sensibility. Reviewing a classic is difficult, since they are classics for a reason. I think Jane Austen’s books are for a certain type of reader; someone who appreciates reading about everyday life. I love Austen’s wit and sarcasm, and the tongue in cheek way she describes some of the characters (like Mrs. Jennings.) I love the writing and I find her books easy to be immersed in. Of the five Jane Austen novels I have read (all but Persuasion) I think this is the best one for discussion, since it leaves you with a lot to think about, especially about love. I loved Marianne, but I related most to Elinor. In the end, Marianne and Elinor both find a balance between Elinor’s restraint and Marianne’s passion. While I loved this book, I think that there were some flaws in plotting; without giving too much away, some things happened that were too convenient. And while I was happy with both matches in the end, I had trouble believing that Marianne would fall for Colonel Brandon so easily. While I loved Brandon, I felt that Marianne’s change of heart was very abrupt. Of course, the overall charm of this book offset all of these flaws. While I loved Sense and Sensibility and would recommend it, Pride and Prejudice is a good place to start for some who has never read Austen, especially if you are cynical about her books or about romance in general. The 1995 film adaptation of Sense and Sensibility is also very good and I especially liked the acting and the changes made to the script (such as Edward and Margaret, Elinor crying in front of Edward, Edward almost telling Elinor about Lucy, and Brandon reading to Marriane.) I am fairly picky about romance novels, and this is exactly how I like mine: with well developed heroines, great writing and a great deal of wit and humour.

4.5/5

“I wish, as well as every body else, to be perfectly happy; but like every body else, it must be in my own way.”

Gifts For the Harry Potter Fan

2011-12-12T05:24:00.000-08:00

The one thing you can guarantee about a Harry Potter fan is that they will always be a Harry Potter fan.

1. Tom Riddle's Diary Voldemort's soul not included. From ThinkGeek: "Are you a lonely witch with a crush on an older wizard? And on top of that, you're a ginger? From a huge family of gingers? And you're the baby and the only girl? Yeah. We get how that goes. Well, maybe not the ginger part. If you're looking for a diary you can use to talk to the Dark Lord, or perhaps one you could stab with that basilisk fang in your underwear drawer, we have the diary for you! This replica of Tom Marvolo Riddle's diary looks like the one from Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets. The inside is blank, so you can start your own relationship with Voldemort."

2. Gryffindor, Slytherin, Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff scarves Whatever your house, you can show your house (and school) pride with one of these scarves. Or, you could make your own.

3. Dear Mr. Potter, edited by Lily Zolan A collection of letters from fans to the boy wizard. Featured writers include Evanna Lynch, John Green, Melissa Anelli, Andrew Sims and Eric Scull.

4. Make a personalized Hogwarts acceptance letter You could simply type it in green ink and age the paper by dipping it in tea. I’ve done this for a friend and I melted red crayon for the envelope seal. I also happened to have an ‘H’ stamp.

5. Harry Potter Page to Screen: The Complete Filmmaking Journey by Bob McCabe From Goodreads: "Harry Potter: Page to Screen opens the doors to Hogwarts castle and the wizarding world of Harry Potter to reveal the complete behind-the-scenes secrets, techniques, and over-the-top artistry that brought J.K. Rowling’s acclaimed novels to cinematic life. Developed in collaboration with the creative team behind the celebrated movie series, this deluxe, 500-plus page compendium features exclusive stories from the cast and crew, hundreds of never-before-seen photographs and concept illustrations sourced from the closed film sets, and rare memorabilia. As the definitive look at the magic that made cinematic history, Page to Screen is the ultimate collectible, perfect for Muggles everywhere."

6. Harry Potter: Film Wizardry by Brian Sibley I own this and I love it! It includes letters by Emma Watson, Daniel Radcliffe, and Rupert Grint, never before seen pictures and stories, your own Maurader’s Map, Educational Decrees, an issue of the Quibbler, your own letter to Hogwarts and more. I highly recommend this book, especially if you can't afford Harry Potter Page to Screen.

5. A Time Turner You can buy the plastic one I have here, or you can splurge here.

8. Harry Potter Merchandise Share your love for your favourite house or character with one of these Harry Potter T-Shirts from Hot Topic, or from the Wb Shop. The Wb Store has everything, from ornaments to iPhone cases. You can also find a huge selection of toys, wands and anything you can think of at Barnes and Noble.

In My Mailbox (17)

2011-12-11T07:12:00.000-08:00

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren, in which book bloggers post about the books they've bought, borrowed or received in the past week.

I won The Promise by Lesley Pearse from Goodreads! I also got a nice bookmark from Penguin, which is awesome because I'm always losing bookmarks.

From the library, my copies of Holidays on Ice by David Sedaris and This Dark Endeavour by Kenneth Oppel came in this week. I'm really excited about both!

As a gift, my Grandparents gave me The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami. I've already read Sputnik Sweetheart and Norwegian Wood, and I enjoyed them both.

What was in your mailbox this week?

Review: The Bad Beginning

2011-12-10T05:08:00.000-08:00

Title: The Bad Beginning (A Series of Unfortunate Events)
Author: Lemony Snicket
Publisher: Scholastic Inc.
Publication Date: September 30th, 1999
Genre: Junior Fiction, Fantasy

When Violet, Klaus and Sunny Baudelaire decide to spend the day at Brimy Beach, they have no idea that they will never return to their home or see their parents again. Mr and Mrs Baudelaire were killed in a fire while the children were out, and the Baudelaire children become the Baudelaire orphans. They are sent to live with Count Olaf, who is an actor that they’ve never met. Olaf is a distant cousin of the Baudelaire’s, but geographically he is their closest relative. It soon becomes clear to the orphans that their new guardian is evil and is looking to steal their fortune. Fortunately, the Baudelaire’s do not have access to their inheritance until Violet turns eighteen, in four years. While Olaf might be rude, smelly, selfish and a horrible actor, unfortunately for the Baudelaire’s he is also very clever. Olaf’s plan to take their considerable fortune seems fool proof, and he will certainly dispose of the children once he gets what he wants. Will the orphans be able to prevail?

In a month it will have been eleven years since I first read this book, and I just re-read it today. It’s still wonderful, although books are never quite as magical as they were when I was younger. Oddly enough, I was first interested in this book when I saw one of the illustrations, which shows a baby captured in a hanging birdcage. Ten-year-old me was asking a friend what they were reading, and they let me flip through their book. I thought that it looked interesting and unlike anything I ever saw before, saw I decided to ask for it for Christmas. In retrospect, it’s a bit strange that I thought hanging babies equals a good book, but whatever. Years later, I told this friend how she was the one who got me into the series, and she told me that she actually hated those books. Reading reviews, a lot of people have wondered how kids could possibly have liked The Bad Beginning. I can honestly say that I loved this series and continued with it until the last book, which came out when I was sixteen. I also had a lot of friends who were big fans as well. As promised in the opening paragraph, this series is full of unhappiness and misery. But I appreciated Snicket’s dark humour from the start, which is essential if you are going to enjoy this series. I liked how Snicket addressed the reader and I enjoyed his humorous explanations of words. As it becomes clear later in the series, Lemony Snicket is actually connected to the Baudelaires and their world, although the reader doesn’t fully understand exactly how he is connected until the final volume. This was one of the things that made this book feel very original and unlike anything I’d ever read at the time. At the time, I was in elementary school and wasn’t good at any of the things that were ‘important’ at my school. Mainly sports, art, public speaking and math. At my grade school, being good at English wasn’t seen as important, so I loved reading about kids who get out of sticky situations through reading and using their heads. I liked the references to poetry (which is seen in the names of many characters, but the references are more apparent in the later books.) This series taught me about anagrams and how to send secret messages using poems. I thought all of this was fun and even refreshing, compared to what I usually read. Throughout the series, Snicket often provides explanations of bigger words. For example, “The money is an incentive - the word ‘incentive’ here means ‘an offered reward to persuade you to do something you don't want to do - to read long, dull, and difficult books.’” Reading The Bad Beginning as a young adult, I could see why some children would feel like they are being talked down to with these definitions. However, I feel that now that I’m older I’m always underestimating child readers and assuming they won’t ‘get’ certain things. Since I read this book first as a child I can tell you that I understood that these definitions were intended to be humorous and were often meant to be ridiculous. If you find something like this annoying, then don’t read these books. Snicket does a lot of telling and not a lot of showing, and the series starts stronger than it ends. If you don’t want to read a book where bad things happen to good people, then listen to the warnings the author gives and don’t read this book. That being said, I think these books are very clever and unique. They attract a certain type of person, but The Bad Beginning is a short book that’s worth reading. This is the book where all the trouble begins, and is perfect for anyone who enjoys quirky stories about intelligent children.

5/5

“They didn't understand it, but like so many unfortunate events in life, just because you don't understand it doesn't mean it isn't so.”

Bookish Homemade Gift Ideas

2011-12-10T05:07:00.000-08:00

Homemade gifts are easier on your wallet and are often more thoughtful than store bought gifts. Plus, they can be fun to make!

1. A Bookish Clock. Unfortunately, to do this you have to be comfortable partially destroying a book. You could try and find a journal, if you're concerned.

2. A tote bag for books. You could simply buy a tote bay and iron on transfer paper at a craft store. You can also find iron on letters, if you wanted to put something like “Read More Books” on it. Martha Stewart offers templates and instructions here.

3. A Cover for an e-reader. If you’re uncomfortable with ruining a book, you could use a journal instead. You can also see some pretty homemade examples here.

4. A Hogwarts scarf! My Mom knitted me a Gryffindor scarf for Christmas last year and I loved it! Turns out I'm in Ravenclaw, but I wear it anyways. You can see a sewn version here, or the knit pattern my Mom used here.

Review: Letters from Father Christmas by J.R.R. Tolkien

2011-12-09T04:55:00.000-08:00

Title: Letters from Father Christmas

Author: J.R.R. Tolkien
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
Publication Date: 1976
Genre: Children’s Fiction, Christmas, Fantasy

Most children write letters to Father Christmas, but John, Michael, Christopher and Priscilla Tolkien were fortunate enough to receive many letters in return. Between 1920 and 1943, J.R.R. Tolkien would write letters to his children from Father Christmas. Father Christmas recounts stories to the children, including the misadventures of the North Polar Bear. From falling through Father Christmas’ roof, to setting off the Northern Lights that shatter the moon into four pieces, the North Polar Bear is always getting into trouble. Throughout the years, the North Pole goes through a goblin war and experiences some wartime difficulties all while preparing presents for children everywhere.

Tolkien was clearly a wonderful father as well as a genius. This book is a compilation of the letters he wrote over 23 years to his four children from Father Christmas, beginning when the eldest was 3. The letters and the artwork are creative and beautifully done. The stories and the characters Tolkien created were perfectly charming, especially the North Polar Bear. These letters captured the magic of Christmas and made me feel like I was nine again. I think this is a wonderful read for all ages at Christmas time. I loved hearing the different tales and mishaps that occurred that year at the North Pole, and reading the side notes from the Polar Bear. The drawings were lovely- I’m so jealous of the Tolkien children for receiving these letters in the mail. I wish I had read this book sooner; I don’t know how I didn’t hear about it before now. Letters from Father Christmas made me love Tolkien even more than I already did, which I didn’t think was possible.

5/5

Review: Scott Pilgrim Vs The Universe

2011-12-07T05:35:00.000-08:00

Title: Scott Pilgrim Vs. The Universe
Author: Bryan Lee O’Malley
Publisher: Oni Press
Publication Date: February 18th, 2009
Genre: YA, Graphic Novel

It’s Scott’s birthday and before he blows out the candles he vows to be the best 24 year-old ever. But things are just as difficult as when he was twenty-three. Scott has to defeat the twins Kyle and Ken Katayanagi, two of Ramona’s evil exes. While fighting two people at once is difficult as it is, Scott has to get past the twins’ fighting robots before he can even fight them. Although Scott won’t stop fighting for her, things with Ramona are difficult as well. Scott and Ramona both find out about the other’s wrong doings in the past, which causes problems in their relationship. Not to mention Scott finds out that she doesn’t even like his band Sex Bob-Omb. While Ramona being mysterious was one of the things Scott initially liked about her, he learns about the downside to all that mystery. Things might be difficult now, but Scott will just defeat the twins and Gideon and everything will be perfect. Won’t it?

This is the penultimate book in the series and has a much darker tone than the previous books. This book was mainly building up to the final volume, and it definitely left me wanting to read the next (and last) book in the series. Of course, at the same time I don’t want to read it, since I don’t want this series to end! Once again this book starts off with a short recap explaining the different characters and their connection with one another. I like the artwork in the first pages a lot: the first page shows a picture of Ramona walking in the fall, and the next two pages show the title with a dragon around it. Overall, artistically I liked this book the most. Unlike the previous books in the series, Scott Pilgrim Vs The Universe wasn’t all that funny. This volume is more focused on character development, as well as Scott and Ramona slowly coming to terms with their pasts. Both Scott and Ramona have done bad things in the past and are trying to change for the better. But is that really possible? The cliffhanger ending worked well and I loved all the build up to the grand finale of the series. This book had a different mood than the previous books, and that was one of the things I liked. While it is definitely dark, I thought that was fitting for the second to last book in this series. While it is different from the first four Scott Pilgrim books, I enjoyed this one and I think it did a good job of setting things up for Scott Pilgrim’s Finest Hour.

4/5

“Maybe next time let’s not date the girl with eleven evil ex-boyfriends, okay?”

Bookish Gifts For the Cook

2011-12-07T05:34:00.000-08:00

Buy your culinary friend something special to repay them for all the yummy food they make you.

1. Canadian Living Vegetarian Collection This collection of vegetarian recipes is great for anyone, even if they're not a vegetarian (or a Canadian.) From Goodreads: "Cooks across Canada are trying to eat well, incorporate more healthful foods into their menus and accommodate the dietary choices of family members. Canadian Living's new collection of vegetarian recipes caters to this trend with nourishing dishes that work every time - whether you're cooking for vegetarians, flexitarians or vegans, or just want a little something meat-free and delicious. The book is packed with helpful information on different types of vegetarian diets, advice on shopping for and preparing new and interesting ingredients, and tips that ensure success in the kitchen."

2. Kitchen Sticky Notes Perfect for marking recipes in your favourite cook books. Not exactly necessary, but a cute stocking stuffer. You can also find stick-on page flaps to identify recipes here.

3. Collapsable Book Stand I received this as a gift last Christmas and it’s perfect for cookbooks!

4. My Life in France by Julia Child and Alex Prud'Homme In this memoir, Julia Child recounts her life, beginning when she moved to France in 1948. Julia Child helped revolutionize the way Americans look at food, but she was once a middle aged woman who had never cooked anything in her life. This book shows how she found her true calling and fell in love with food and France. From her days at Cordon Bleu, to the formation of her cooking school with Simone Beck and Louisette Bertholle, Julia soon found she had a natural flare for all things culinary. The three collaborated to write a cookbook on French cooking for Americans. When her book was finally published, it changed everything and kickstarted Child's career.

5. Any of Jamie Oliver's Cookbooks My dad is a Jamie Oliver fanboy, so I have to recommend one of his books. They’re all amazing: I’m partial to Jamie’s America and Jamie at Home.

6. Collected Recipes Album A cute way to keep all of one's recipes and food photographs together. My roommate got me something similar to this one year, except it was a scrapbook recipe binder! Best present ever.

7. Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer The writer of Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close and Everything is Illuminated discusses his struggle with whether or not it's immoral to eat meat. From Goodreads: "Jonathan Safran Foer spent much of his teenage and college years oscillating between carnivore and vegetarian. As he became a husband and a father, he kept returning to two questions: Why do we eat animals? And would we eat them if we knew how they got on our dinner plates?Brilliantly synthesizing philosophy, literature, science, and his own undercover detective work, Eating Animals explores the many fictions we use to justify our eating habits-from folklore to pop culture to family traditions and national myth-and how such tales justify a brutal ignorance. Marked by Foer's profound moral ferocity and unvarying generosity, as well as the vibrant style and creativity that made his previous books, Everything is Illuminated and Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, huge bestsellers, Eating Animals is a celebration and a reckoning, a story about the stories we've told--and the stories we now need to tell."

Review: The Underdog by Markus Zusak

2011-12-06T05:55:00.000-08:00

Title: The Underdog
Author: Markus Zusak
Publisher: Ravensburger Buchverlag
Publication Date: 1999
Genre: YA, Realistic Fiction

Ruben Wolf is always thinking of ridiculous schemes that he and his brother, Cameron, never actually carry out. And setting out to rob the dentist is no exception. Cameron is fifteen and usually just goes along with whatever Ruben dreams up. The Underdog is about the things that happen to Cameron that winter: how he fell in love, got into fights, dreamt and survived. Cameron feels pathetic and hopeless, and just wants to find a girl that he will never hurt. As Cameron tries to stop disappointing his family, he wonders if he will ever be able to change.

Reading this book was kind of like seeing a photo of a friend before you met them. This is Markus Zusak’s first novel and part of the Wolf Brothers series. Until recently, it wasn’t available in North America. I was very excited to buy the trilogy when it was released together here, since I loved The Book Thief and I am the Messenger. This book has little plot and is mainly character driven. As Cameron says at the beginning of the novel, nothing much really happened. Despite this, Cameron’s story was still entertaining and often peculiar, in a good day. I never thought I’d read a book where I fell in love with the characters as they fail to rob a dentist, but it happened. Each chapter ends with one of Cameron’s dreams, which were really well written. It was interesting to read this book since you could see the early signs of Zusak’s writing becoming what it will. This book seems to have similar ideas to what we see in I am the Messenger, especially a narrator who is unhappy with his life and who he is. However, Messenger had a distinct and exciting plot. This book didn’t feel as developed as Zusak’s other books, but I liked the raw writing style and the characters. I’ve talked to people who loved The Book Thief but were disappointed by I am the Messenger, and I don’t think that they would enjoy this book. I still enjoyed The Underdog, especially since I liked seeing Zusak in the early stages of being a writer. I think he beautifully captured being a teenager and feeling pathetic and hopeless. Overall, I enjoyed Underdog and being able to see how Markus Zusak’s beginning and how he has grown as a writer.

4/5

“I dreamed a whole lot of weird, sick, perverted, sometimes beautiful dreams. And I survived.”

Top Ten Tuesday (2)

2011-12-06T05:52:00.000-08:00

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. This week's topic is Top Ten Childhood Favourites. This is going to be tricky for me since I have so many! In no particular order:

1. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by J.K. Rowling

My fourth grade teacher read this book to us just before all the hype started, in 1999. I never got a good look at the book, since she was reading it to us, so I honestly didn't know at first that this book was about a boy wizard. Before Harry even met Hagrid, I was already in love and needed a copy of my own, since reading books in class takes forever. My parents took me to Chapters, but wouldn't buy me the book and expected me to wait until Christmas, which was 2 or 3 months away. When we got home, and I swear this is true, the book was in our mailbox. A friend of my mom's wanted to thank her for something, and decided to drop a book her kids liked for us to read.

2. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis

Another book I read with my class in fourth grade! In third grade I had trouble finding books that I liked, but by fourth grade it was clear that fantasy was for me. I loved Lucy, and I even felt for Edmund. I read this book last year in children's lit, and my prof pointed out that if Edmund had read more books, he never would have eaten magical food. Everybody knows not to do that. I have one of the Barnes and Noble leather-bound copies of this book, and I love it to pieces.

3. The Gypsy Princess by Phoebe Gilman

I read this book in kindergarten and it's been my favourite picture book since. It's about a gypsy girl who dances with bears but yearns to live in a castle. When the Princess asks her to live with her, she gladly accepts. Although she is at first enchanted by the glamour of palace life, she soon finds herself missing the woods. When I first read this, you had to be in at least grade one to take books out from my school library. The librarian actually made an exception for me so I could read this.

4. The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

My Dad and I read this book together when I was 8, and although I found it difficult, I loved it!

5. The Jolly Postman: Or Other People's Letters by Janet and Allan Ahlberg

My Dad used to read this book to my brother and I, and we loved the letters you could take out and read for the fairy tale characters.

6. Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery

Another book I read in the fourth grade! When I was 18, I went to Green Gables in PEI and it was amazing. You can see my review for Anne of Green Gables here.

7. All the Blue Moons at the Wallace Hotel by Phoebe Stone

I've yet to meet anyone else who has read this book, but it's one of my favourites. It's about Fiona and her younger sister Wallace. The girls live in a decaying mansion, which used used to be grand before the death of their father. Fiona loves ballet and idolizes Eleanor Roosevelt, while Wallace spends her time dreaming of having a dog and a better name than Wallace Hopper.

8. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl

I wish I could put every one of Roald Dahl's books on this list, but this one is my very favourite. A poor boy named Charlie wins a chance to tour Willy Wonka's chocolate factory. There, he sees Oopma Loompas, a chocolate river, the rudest children in the world and things greater than anything in his imagination.

8. Charlotte's Web by E.B. White

One of the first chapter books I read on my own. This is my Mom's favourite.

10. The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket

While I admit that this series got repetitive in the later books, it started off brilliantly. The three Baudelaire children are all very clever and have a happy life with their beloved parents. When Mr and Mrs Baudelaire parish in a fire, the children are sent to live with Count Olaf, a distant relative. Not long after they meet Olaf, it becomes clear to the children that will do anything do steal their considerable fortune.

In My Mailbox (16)

2011-12-04T09:21:00.000-08:00

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren, in which book bloggers post about the books they've bought, borrowed or received in the past week.

All my books are from the library this week! I was a very big fan of Phyllis Reynolds Naylor's Alice series when I was younger, and I'm going to read the newest books in the series; Alice in Charge and Incredibly Alice. I'm pretty sure a friend recommended Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick to me- I'm hoping I didn't get the title wrong, since she didn't tell me the author. I've already read The Dashwood Sisters' Secrets of Love by Rosie Rushton and The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster. The Dashwood Sisters is a modern adaptation of Sense and Sensibility and I think I'm going to post a lot of Jane Austen related reviews for the week of her birthday. The Phantom Tollbooth was read to me by my sixth grade teacher, but I must not have been paying attention because I forget a lot of what happened.

On another note, I just bought tickets to see John Green on January 11th in New York! Which is really exciting, since a) it's John and Hank Green and b) it's New York City. I'm going to spend three nights there and hopefully my brother will be able to come with me. The only downside is that I'm not getting anything for my birthday in April. And I'll have to cancel my order for The Fault In Our Stars, since the tickets for the signing include the book. I am actually too excited to read today.

Feel free to post links to your IMM!

Gifts For the Book Lover

2011-12-03T11:42:00.000-08:00

So you have a friend who’s a lover of books. I’m jealous! It might feel like they own every book in existence, but there’s still some things you can get for your bookish friend.

1. Out of Print clothing, iPhone covers, tote bags and kindle covers. For each item sold, Out of Print donates one book to a community in need through Books for Africa.

2. An Invisible Bookshelf From Barnes & Noble: "Talk about magic — how about a stack of books clinging to the wall with nothing to support them! The secret is the ingenious Invisible Floating Bookshelf, which does its job in the most minimal sense possible."

3. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes Poster This poster is made from the text from ten of the stories in that volume. You can also find posters for Peter Pan, Alice in Wonderland, Pride and Prejudice, Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights, Anne of Green Gables, Don Quixote, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and many more.

4. Moleskine Passion Book Journal From Chapters.ca: "Discover Moleskine Passions - journals for the loves of your life. The Book Passions journal is designed for those who love reading. Each Book Passions journal features a fully-embossed cover, 3 ribbon place markers, and a double expandable inner pocket. Included in the journal are distinct areas for organization: alphabetically organized sections to fill in, 6 tabbed sections to personalize, 14 blank pages for notes and thoughts, a free customized bookmark, and a series of adhesive labels for further customization."

5. Penguin Merchandise You can find Penguin coffee mugs, journals, tote bags and water bottles.

6. Bookends These Bookends are practical and decorative. From Barnes & Noble: "Stack your tomes between smoothly crafted cutout bookends that announce their function in capital letters! Made of white wrought metal, these stunning library accents come from the design studios of Torre & Tagus, the undisputed specialists in contemporary home decor."

7. Books About Loving Books For example, you could buy The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield, The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon, The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly and The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Annie Barrows and Mary Ann Shaffer for adults; The Book Thief by Markus Zusak and The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky for teens; and Inkheart by Cornelia Funke for middle graders.

8. A New Copy of an Old Favourite Has your friend lost a favourite book or has a copy that’s in rough shape? It could be nice to get them a new copy, maybe even in special edition. For example, you could buy a Barnes & Noble leather-bound classic. You can also buy Penguin's Clothbound Classics.

9. Jane Austen Quotes on clothes, dish towels, mugs and onesies. These items are homemade by Brookish on etsy, and are all inspired by Jane Austen.

Review: Scott Pilgrim Gets It Together

2011-12-03T05:32:00.000-08:00

Title: Scott Pilgrim Gets It Together
Author: Bryan Lee O’Malley
Publisher: Oni Press
Publication Date: November 14th, 2007
Genre: YA, Graphic Novel

It’s summer in Toronto and Scott Pilgrim is finally going to get it together. He’s going to start by finally getting a job and stop freeloading off his roommate, Wallace Wells. And he may even step things up with Ramona by finally breaking out the ‘L word.’ Things are still complicated for Scott: he’s had a bit of a break from fighting Ramona’s seven evil exes, but he still has four to defeat. And who is the strange older man who has been trying to kill Scott with a samurai sword? Scott and Ramona are having a few problems in their relationship that are actually not related to someone trying to kill them. Scott’s upset that he knows next to nothing about Ramona, including how old she actually is. When Scott’s high school friend Lisa Miller is back in town, he’ll find out that even Ramona gets jealous sometimes. Will Scott be able to get it together while working to defeat Ramona’s fourth ex?

As the fourth volume begins, Scott and his friends are at a party in The Beaches. The first few pages were actually in colour, which was very cool. This volume also began with a one-page summary of the who’s who, and I liked having that refresher. Overall, this was my second favourite in the series so far (nothing beats the first.) It’s hard to say exactly what I liked about it. There was less fighting in this volume, and we aren’t introduced to Ramona’s fourth ex until towards the end. Roxie was an awesome villain, although Matthew Patel will always be my favourite due to the pirate outfit and the singing. I liked how Gets It Together focused a lot on Scott and Ramona’s relationship. In some ways, this book felt a little more mature than the others in the series, since Scott is slowly getting things together. He gets a job, learns more about Ramona and I liked how this book was focused a fair bit on that as well as the battles. Although, Scott is still self-absorbed and clueless, so nothing’s changed in some ways. I said before that I prefer book-Ramona to movie-Ramona, since she seems more like a real person. I still feel that way, although Ramona has some moments in this volume when she annoyed me. I still like her as a whole, though. I can understand why Scott is willing to fight for her.

Scott Pilgrim Gets it Together was exciting and quite funny. It made me want to read volume five very badly. These books are creative and very entertaining and I’m having a lot of fun reading them. Although a good part of this book is focusing on things aside from the main plot, you could still see it slowly building up to the penultimate book in the series. What was it that Scott saw in Ramona’s head and why did it make her so upset? Who are the next three evil exes and will Scott be able to defeat them? Who is Gideon and why did he form the league? Will Scott and Ramona be able to make it work when the whole world seems to be against them? I will definitely be reading Scott Pilgrim Vs. The Universe to find out.

4.5/5

“Scott, if your life had a face, I would punch it. I would punch your life in the face.”

Review: Unraveling Isobel

2011-12-02T05:50:00.000-08:00

Title: Unraveling Isobel
Author: Eileen Cook
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Publication Date: January 3rd, 2012
Genre: YA, Paranormal

Moving to an isolated island to live with her new stepfather was not what Isobel expected for her senior year of high school. Nor did she ever imagine that her mother would remarry, especially to someone she met on the Internet only three months ago! Instead of being in Seattle with her friends, Isobel finds herself living in a creepy old mansion and going to a school where she knows no one. Well, next to no one. There’s always Isobel’s crush-worthy stepbrother, Nathanial. While Isobel is frustrated with her life, her problems are nothing compared to Nathanial’s. His mother and sister haven’t even been dead a year and his dad has already married Isobel’s mom. But that doesn't mean he should be taking things out on Isobel. As she adjusts to her life on the island, it becomes clear that something is just not right about her new home. Either Isobel is being visited by the ghost of Nathanial’s sister or she’s going crazy. Isobel’s father suffered from schizophrenia, which went on to destroy his marriage. Isobel shares her father’s artistic abilities, but could she share his illness? As Isobel struggles with a new school, queen bees, an inappropriate crush and her new stepdad, she delves deeper into the mysteries of her new home and its former residents. Could it be possible that some of them never left?

This is my second book by Eileen Cook, the first being The Education of Hailey Kendrick (which I didn’t like, but I saw a lot of potential in the writer.) I was drawn to the title and cover of Unraveling Isobel, plus I always like a good ghost story. While my main problem with Hailey Kendrick was that I couldn’t stand the main character, I enjoyed Isobel and her sarcastic tone right from the start. Cook did a good job of making me sympathize with Isobel, who often couldn’t control the things that happened to her, mainly due to the fact that she’s still a minor. Her mother would deserve the bad parent of the year award if Isobel’s step-dad hadn’t taken it first. Perhaps the strongest aspect of this novel was that it got to my emotions; it made me so angry at Isobel’s parents and frustrated over what was happening to her. One of my favourite things about this book was Isobel’s speech to her class about mental illness, specifically schizophrenia. I loved her speech, since everything she said needed to be said to those girls. So many people have misconceptions about mental illness, and I thought this book sent out some great messages about it. As Dr. Mike points out, Isobel’s life wouldn’t end if she were schizophrenic; like her father, she’d deal with it. While I liked Isobel overall, her plan near the climax of the book was ridiculously stupid and similar to something you’d see in a cartoon. That aside, I liked her and I felt for her, especially since the things that were happening to her were so unfair. Nathanial worked well as her love interest, and I especially liked how he didn’t care what people would think about him and Isobel. All of the teen characters, Isobel especially, felt very realistic. Sure, there was a typical mean-girl, but I think that these types of characters appear so often in fiction because they are common in real life. The plot was engaging and easy to get pulled into. While the end was a bit predictable, I still thought it was an enjoyable read. Unfortunately, the ending wasn’t as strong as the majority of the book. While the beginning of the book was well paced, the pacing wasn’t as strong in the final chapters. It felt contrived and things were wrapped up too neatly in the end. There also didn’t seem to be closure with the ghost, in my opinion, and it felt like everything just ended abruptly. Despite my disappointment in the ending, I really did like this book. If there hadn’t been the paranormal aspect of the plot, I probably still would have enjoyed it. It honestly would have been a good book if it were just about Isobel struggling with moving and having a crush on her stepbrother. Adding the paranormal to the mix made this an exciting read that I didn’t want to end. Overall, Unraveling Isobel was a fun and well-written book, which was packed with romance, teen drama, a setting that seemed to have a personality of its own, ghosts and an awesome heroine.
I received this eGalley from Simon & Schuster's Galley Grab program.

3.5/5

Review: Let it Snow

2011-12-01T08:00:00.001-08:00

Title: Let it Snow
Authors: John Green, Maureen Johnson and Lauren Myracle
Publisher: Puffin
Publication Date: September 11th, 2008
Genre: YA, Holiday, Realistic Fiction, Short Stories

It’s the night before Christmas and Gracetown is hit by a snowstorm. Jubilee is sent to her Grandparent’s house in Florida when her parents are arrested at a sale for pieces of a Christmas village. When the snowstorm causes Jubilee’s train to break down, she takes refuge at a waffle house with other passengers, and ends up spending Christmas with the perfect stranger. Tobin and his friends intended to spend Christmas Eve watching James Bond movies, but instead rush to the waffle house for the chance to spend the snowstorm with some stranded cheerleaders. Meanwhile, Addie just wants to get back together with her ex-boyfriend Jeb but finds herself searching town for a friend’s teacup pig. When the world becomes a winter wonderland, new love and second chances seem to be in the air.

I read this book in March and it’s still fairly fresh in my mind, so that should tell you something. I love Maureen Johnson, John Green, Christmas and snow, so I had to check out this book. The stories were sweet and light, centring around romance and new beginnings. This book is composed of three short stories by Maureen Johnson, John Green and Lauren Myracle. Johnson’s story had all of her usual charm and sense of humour, and you have to love the quirky Jubilee. I loved the mini-adventure in John Green’s story and the romance that Tobin finds was my favourite in Let it Snow. The first two stories captured what I love about the holidays and put me in the Christmas spirit (in March.) Lauren Myracle’s story was the final part of the book, and I don’t think she did a good job of tying the three story lines together. At the time, I’d never even heard of Lauren Myracle and this story made me not want to read anything by her again. However, since then I have read Shine, which was excellent. I think Myracle is a great writer, although maybe short stories aren’t her thing. Her story is called “The Patron Saint of Pigs,” and I honestly couldn’t tolerate Addie, let alone like her. The plot wasn’t engaging at all and was easily forgettable. The book ends with all the different characters meeting in a Starbucks and it felt awkward and didn’t do credit to the rest of the book. Although it ended on a bad note, I still enjoyed Let it Snow as a whole.

If I had to describe this book in two words it would be “winter fluff.” It was a quick read full of cuteness and winter romance. If you are a fan of any of these three authors and are looking for a fun read this Christmas, then it’s worth checking out. There were some flaws, but I think it’s a nice book to read on a snowy night.

3.5/5

“Something about me has always liked the drama and inconvenience of bad weather. The worse the better, really.”

A Bookish Gift Guide

2011-12-01T08:00:00.000-08:00

Throughout the month of December I will be posting some gift ideas that are related to books and writing. Unfortunately, not all of the gifts I will be posting are available outside of North America. I thought it would be fun to do something like this, since I like buying gifts for people so much. And just buying things in general.

Some general ideas for gift giving:

1. Shopping at an independent bookshop not only helps a smaller business, but it can also make your shopping easier. Although they have a smaller selection than stores like Barnes & Noble and Indigo, you can often find things you wouldn’t find anywhere else (such as a set of Dorothy Parker martini glasses I once found.) Try specialized bookstores such as The Cook Book Store and Mabel’s Fables in Toronto or Books of Wonder in New York.

2. There is literally a moleskine for everyone.

3. If your friend is on goodreads, take advantage of that. You can look at the books they’ve read and see what they like.

4. If your friends and you are strapped for money, you could discuss exchanging used books instead of new presents. A spending limit of $5 could still buy a book or two.

5. The most frequent gift-giving mistake is to assume that because you like something your friend will like it too. I am the worst for doing this.

6. Signed books make a special gift. You can find them online, or check your bookstores for upcoming events to see if an author your friend likes is coming to your local bookstore. My bookstore still carries signed books from authors that were there in the summer.

Review: A Monster Calls

2011-11-30T05:16:00.000-08:00

Title: A Monster Calls
Author: Patrick Ness
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Publication Date: September 27th, 2011
Genre: YA, Fantasy Horror

When thirteen-year-old Conor wakes up from a nightmare at exactly 12:07 one night, he sees a monster outside his window. It’s not the monster he was expecting, the one who haunts his dreams every night. This monster is made of the yew tree outside his window, and it tells Conor that over time, it will tell him three stories. Eventually Conor will tell the story of his nightmare to the monster. Conor has difficulty believing what the monster says is true, and goes on with his life. Lately, life for Conor has been a struggle. His mother has cancer and the kids at school have been bullying him ever since they learnt about his mum. As Conor continues to meet with the monster, he fears the day when he will have to share his story with him. When stories are wild things that don’t end in the way he expected, Conor fears telling his.

I picked this book by chance at my library. I’d heard praise of A Monster Calls, but wrote it off as a book that wasn’t for me. I am so happy that I gave this book a chance. It was tragic and beautiful in every way a book can be beautiful. A Monster Calls is based on an idea by Siobhan Dowd, who had the plot and characters for this book ready before she died. Patrick Ness used her ideas to write this book and make it his own. The illustrations were drawn by Jim Kay and they were absolutely beautiful. They captured everything wonderfully and added so much to this book. A Monster Calls is difficult to describe; I wish I could write a review that just said it’s amazing and that everyone should read it. What’s interesting about this book is that the fantasy elements and the realistic part of the plot both would have worked well on their own, but combining them made this book so unforgettable. The writing and the characters were flawless, and I thought Conor was a realistic character with a great deal of depth. The monster’s stories were absorbing and share so many great ideas about humanity and life. Overall, this was a touching book about dealing with grief and loss. This book was truly breathtaking and I’d recommend it to anyone and everyone.

5/5

“Stories are wild creatures, the monster said. When you let them loose, who knows what havoc they might wreak?”

Review: Liesl & Po

2011-11-28T04:14:00.000-08:00

Title: Liesl & Po
Author: Lauren Oliver
Publisher: HarperCollins
Publication Date: October 4th, 2011
Genre: Junior Fiction, Fantasy

Liesl has been locked in her attic bedroom by her stepmother ever since her father became ill months ago. A few days after his death, Liesl encounters a ghost in her bedroom. The ghost, Po, is neither male nor female and both at the same time. When Po goes to the Other Side to look for Liesl’s father, he learns that he doesn’t feel he will be able to move to the Beyond until his ashes are scattered with his wife’s. Liesl and Po set out to bring the box holding his ashes to the house where Liesl grew up. Meanwhile, Will, the Alchemist’s apprentice, is making an important delivery and accidentally misplaces the most important magic in the world. The Alchemist has created a complicated spell that involved bottling the sun. Due to his magic, the whole world is a dull grey colour. Will’s mistake leads him to join Liesl and Po in their quest. As the children and the ghost set out to help Liesl’s father move on, they inadvertently bring colour back to their world.

I recently read an article discussing how a children’s book can become a classic. The article brought up some of the obvious things, such as great writing and characters, an interesting and creative plot and setting. The article believed that the most important quality in a book for children is that the book should be about something bigger and more meaningful than it might initially seem to be. Liesl & Po certainly qualifies, based on that. This book is about losing someone you love and having your whole world feel grey and colourless. This book shares a lot of ideas about life and death, and there were some wonderful passages. Lauren Oliver is the writer of Before I Fall and Delirium, and the one thing that these three books have in common is that they’re all beautifully written. Liesl & Po is a wonderful story about a sunless world where ghosts can appear to humans. The characters were vivid and interesting. They live in a dark world where magic is possible. The plot started with a simple idea (a girl tries to help her father be at peace by taking his ashes home) and turned that into an enchanting story that swept me away. This book is one of those examples of me guessing what was going to happen and being completely off. It seems silly now, but I thought that Po was going to turn out to be Mo’s sister, Bella. I thought that she would have gotten confused and given herself a name that rhymed with her brother’s. This turned out to be wrong, and what actually happened worked much better. The story had a fairy tale feel to it, and I loved the magical world that Oliver created. My one complaint is that parts of the ending felt silly and didn't read as smoothly as the rest of the book. The illustrations by Kei Acedera captured the story beautifully. I actually prefer the blue cover that was under the jacket for the book over the brown jacket cover. Perhaps it will be used in the paperback edition. In other reviews I’ve read, Oliver’s explanation of her reasons for writing this book were used as an introduction. In my edition, the author’s note doesn’t appear until the end. I wish I had read it before I started reading Liesl & Po, because I think knowing that this book was written as a way of coping with grief would have added to my reading experience. This book meant a lot to the writer, which was apparent in every page. Oliver created a heartfelt and touching story about coping with loss and seeing the sun again after a long winter.

4/5

“Perhaps that was how the sparrows did it too: perhaps they were looking so hard at the peaks and tips of the new rooftops coated with dew, and the vast new horizons, that they only forgot that they did not know how to fly until they were already in midair.”

In My Mailbox (15)

2011-11-27T13:13:00.000-08:00

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren, in which book bloggers post about the books they've bought, borrowed or received in the past week.

I went away for the weekend, and the nearby town happens to have a bookshop I really like. I bought How to Save a Life by Sara Zarr, which I'm really looking forward to reading. We also passed The World's Smallest Book Store and I bought Pickwick Papers by Charles Dickens and So Many Books, So Little Time by Sara Nelson. Earlier in the week, I was in the little shop in my library buying a travel book for my dad. I happened to find The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau Banks for 50 cents, which I read in September and loved (review here.) From the library, I took out Grace Williams Says It Loud by Emma Henderson.

From Simon & Schuster's eGalley program, I received Unraveling Isobel by Eileen Cook. I love the cover and the title of this book! I've read one other book by Eileen Cook (The Education of Hailey Kendrick,) and although I didn't like it, it was only because the main character drove me crazy. It was still well-written and I think I said in the review that I'd be willing to read another of Cook's books. So, that's it for me this week. Feel free to post the url to your IMM in the comments.