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This review is for the Gilmore Girl’s Mini Challenge being hosted by BookJourney

How have I never seen this movie before?!  One of the reasons I decided to participate in this challenge was so that I would have incentive to finally see those movies I’ve always heard about but never actually sat down to watch.  Tonight I was in the mood for fun so I chose Footloose.  And.. boy did it provide fun for me!

I don’t need to sum the movie up.  It’s been out since 1984 and I’m fairly sure I’m one of the few people that hadn’t seen it before.  My thoughts about the movie are as follows: Sparkles! Big hair! Funny dresses! Music I haven’t heard in forever!   I had a blast watching it and giggling my way through it.

Silver Phoenix: Beyond The Kingdom of Xia by Cindy Pon


My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Silver Phoenix is the story of 17 year old girl, Ai Ling, and her quest to free her father. Throughout the story she meets a cast of characters that are interesting, in their own way.

First of all, the cover on this book is absolutely stunning. I put this book on my “to-read” list without even reading the description – just for the cover art. Unfortunately, while the cover art deserves 5 stars, the story doesn’t justify it.

Don’t get me wrong – it was an okay story. There were bits of action, romantic tension and magic woven throughout it. But the real strength of the book is in its descriptions. I could picture the scenery described and taste the food as it was laid out on the page. Every meal was detailed, every home described well. Unfortunately, the characters development didn’t merit the same attention to detail.

I couldn’t quite figure out Ai Ling. At times, it seemed as if she was going to be this strong heroine, but then it seemed as if all of her courage was based on a single pendant around her neck. I was disappointed in the character and think there could have been much more.

The same goes for the other characters introduced in the book. It seemed as if the author just skimmed over each character without giving them an actual voice. Even the main characters in the book were difficult to really figure out.

Overall, it was an okay read. It was interesting enough for me to want to finish it, but I wasn’t grabbing it every chance I could get.

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Winnie-the-Pooh by A.A. Milne

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I’ve just finished reading this book aloud to my 4 year old niece. It’s provided some quality aunt/niece time and given us more than a few giggles.

One of the things that makes these story so precious is the simple, pure innocence that each story has. I remember reading these stories as a child and playing “Winnie-the-Pooh” (I was always Eeyore). My cousins used to play “Pooh sticks” in a stream that was close to their home.

My favorite story out of the tales included in this book is In Which Piglet Is Entirely Surrounded by Water. There’s a short passage in the middle of the story that brings tears to my eyes because of how precious it is. And as I read this out loud and experienced my niece’s eyes widening and her mouth forming a small “o”, I felt my heart ache with the moment.

At this part, Pooh has already eaten all nine of his pots of honey that are keeping him company up on a branch. It has been raining for days, and everything is flooded and he is worried because he has received a note (from Piglet) in a bottle, which he believes it address to him (because P stands for Pooh). So Pooh has this bright idea that he will make his empty jar (which can float) into a boat named The Floating Bear. And he jumps onto it.

For a little while Pooh and The Floating Bear were uncertain as to which of them was meant to be on the top, but after trying one or two different positions, they settled down with The Floating Bear underneath and Pooh triumphantly astride it, paddling vigorously with his feet.

Can’t you picture it? My niece could, and I paused to listen as her giggles grew from quiet to louder while the image formed in her head.

Winnie-the-Pooh is a classic, yes. But like all books of its sort, it should be used to make memories that are even more precious then the stories held inside. That’s one that will last me a lifetime.

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The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
There are zombie stories.. and then there are zombie stories. This is one of the latter.

If you are expecting rip-roaring, shaking-your-head, can’t believe you are reading this gore type of zombies such as you’d find in Pride and Prejudice and Zombies then this isn’t the book for you. This book reminded me more of Cherie Priest’s Boneshaker
… minus the steampunk.

Well-written (and even in first person, go figure!), I felt immediately swept into the story. Carrie Ryan did a great job of crafting a bleak, horror-filled world but still managing to maintain a feeling of hope. Each character has a distinct personality – but she’s not overly protective of her characters either and does not hesitate to sacrifice them (sometimes brutally) when the story calls for it.

There are action scenes placed well throughout the book, giving it a needed boost when I felt one was needed and the love story that develops is one that isn’t that easy to pick and choose sides on. I love it when there is no real clear person for the main character to be with and when each choice would lead to an incredibly different life.

Despite reading about this world where the “unconsecrated” roam freely, at times I forgot this was even a book about zombies – so much so that paragraphs that spoke of sharpened nails and biting surprised me and brought me back to the reality of the story being told.

I’d definitely recommend this book to teens who enjoyed The Hunger Games or Boneshaker. It’s fun and an interesting read.

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The Shadowmask: Stone of Tymora, Book II by R.A. Salvatore

My rating: 3 of 5 stars
In this second book we’re told the continuation of the story began in The Stowaway. This time, Maimun is without his stone and is off to capture it again.

The story is full of characters such as Joen and Captain Deudermont which breathe life into it. Also a return is made by a character thought lost in The Stowaway, which was a pleasant surprise.

While I still had a bit of an issue with the telling of the story in first person (being somewhat corny), it begins to work better in this book. It feels like the authors are finally getting their stride and spinning a story worth telling. Despite this being the “bridge” in a trilogy, there are adventures that begin and end in the book that gave me a satisfied feeling and didn’t make me too frustrated when it came to the, to be expected, cliffhanger ending.

Overall, a great series so far for young boys and girls. Lots of adventure, fun and easily read.

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The Stowaway by R.A. Salvatore

My rating: 3 of 5 stars
A friend of mine and I were having a conversation about fantasy novels and which I/he should read. When he dropped a mention about Drizzt and Baldur’s Gate I stopped him and asked where I’d heard that before. His expression was priceless.

I was then treated to a 20 minute lecture on how I needed to read R.A. Salvatore and how he couldn’t believe I’d gone this long without it. When I came home and checked the books I was waiting on from the library I finally figured out where I’d heard the names mentioned before and this book (and it’s sequel) were the reasons why.  I’m happy to tell that friend now that I’ve read Salvatore and liked it!

This is not a story about Drizzt and Baldur’s Gate, however. And I’m glad that my introduction to Salvatore came from this story rather than the other way around – because instead of being disappointed by the few appearances made by Drizzt, I find myself becoming more curious and interested and, as a result, will be checking out the stories of Drizzt.

A few things about this book didn’t do it for me. It was written in the first person and came off a bit cheesy, as a result. There were moments when I was reading that I could definitely tell I was reading a novel designed to interest young boys and girls into reading fantasy. It’s not a bad thing at all though, just made me roll my eyes a few times.

The battle scenes were well done and the progression of the story was great. The cliffhanger ending was a bit of a cheap trick but, again, understandable as this is a book designed to keep kids reading.

Overall, a fun and quick read and interesting enough to get me to read the second book in the series.

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The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier

My rating: 2 of 5 stars
My biggest mistake was assuming that The Chocolate War would be a humorous book, much like The Wednesday Wars by Gary Schmidt (which is, by far, the better read).

I don’t remember what prompted me to put this book on my list, but I wish I did remember so I could smack myself for thinking it. This is the story of Jerry and how he stands up against a secret society in his private, Catholic school. There’s examples of mischief and brutality spread throughout the book and it makes me wonder why anyone would actually recommend this story to a young boy (Classroom 19 anyone?).

Overall, I was disappointed by the story and it didn’t do anything for me personally.

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The Welsh Girl by Peter Ho Davies

My rating: 3 of 5 stars
The Welsh Girl is a story in three parts. There’s the story of Rotheram, the German-Jew who escaped from Germany to England and is now placed in charge of the interrogation of Hess. There’s also the story of Karsten, a young 18 year old German officer who surrenders to the British and is taken to a POW camp in Northern Wales. And then, there’s Esther – a 17 year old Welsh barmaid who lives in the sleepy Welsh town the POW camp has been built in.

The book is beautifully written. The descriptions are vivid and the dialog is interesting. Each character was fascinating, there just wasn’t enough to each of them..which takes me to what I did not like about the book.

It was too short to truly tell each persons story. Rotheram was used as more of a tool to give historical background and narrate the story of Esteher and Karsten. Because he was in the book, however, Esther and Karsten’s story was cut short and we were only given snippets of what happened in the “ever after”.

Overall, a more tragic story then I was expecting.. but not all books have a happily ever after.

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The Likeness by Tana French

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Bravo to Tana French. I read In the Woods over the Christmas break and while I appreciated the pacing and the characters (especially Cassie) in the book some of the elements left me unsatisfied. I cannot say that about The Likeness. Tana French did an incredible job making a fully believable story out of something that is unbelievable.

This book picks up (kind of) where In the Woods left off. We follow Cassie as she’s now in Domestic Violence and we watch her work through her reactions to her previous case as well as tie in some of the history she had to present day.

All of the characters just brim with life in this book. From the hardened Frank to Sam’s protective nature. Cassie’s struggles make you find yourself rooting for her and hating the situation she’s in all at once. The friends, Rafe, Justin, Daniel and Abby.. they are the perfect image (or are they?) of a group of folks you’d want to meet, hang out with and create a life together with. The house they live in is a perfect setting and the town filled with just the right amount of mystery and intrigue.

I could barely put this book down and couldn’t devour it fast enough. Brilliant mystery and what all mystery novels today should strive for. It’s possible to create a great story without having to resort to cheap tactics and French proves that with The Likeness.

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A Certain Slant of Light by Laura Whitcomb

My rating: 2 of 5 stars
I wanted to like this book. This is a story about a 130 year old ghost, Helen, who attaches herself to writers in order to keep from being sucked into the “void”. In her journeys, she meets another soul, James, and they struggle with finding a way to be together.

What I didn’t like about the book, and what ultimately earned the two star rating from me was the relationship between Jenny and Billy. For a young adult novel, this sure had some weird moments – explicit sex scene, lack of protection, rebellion, drug use. Jenny and Billy weren’t really redeemed in any way and the characters themselves feel half finished, as did Helen and James.

It felt as if Whitcomb had lost track of the story she wanted to tell. There were three stories in this short novel. That of Helen, the ghost and the literary “hosts” (which… somehow gets lost for the last half of the book). That of Helen and James in mortal form and that of Jenny and Billy.

A very strange, disjointed read over all.

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