The Wednesday Wars by Gary D. Schmidt

Title: The Wednesday Wars
Author: Gary D. Schmidt
Reviewer: Karen
Genre: YA Fiction
Rating: Fabulous
Alerts/Warnings: None
Premise: "During the 1967 school year, on Wednesday afternoons when all his classmates go to either Catechism or Hebrew school, seventh-grader Holling Hoodhood stays in Mrs. Baker's classroom where they read the plays of William Shakespeare and Holling learns much of value about the world he lives in." (King County Library System)
Opinions: We just read this book this week for book club and I have to say that I LOVED IT!!!! I love the humor and the emotion that comes from Holling, a seventh grader on Long Island, as he learns to deal with the struggles of life, along with the impacts of the Vietnam War on those around him, through studying the works of Shakespeare. I love his English teacher Mrs. Baker - she is one of my favorite characters of all time. I love the relationship that she and Holling build over the school year and the strength they gain from each other. I just have to say that personally I did not like Holling's father at all, but I think that was intentionally written that way by the author. All of the characters feel so real, like you would have known them personally. The storyline is fascinating and it was really hard to put the book down when I got into it. I especially love Holling's comments on Shakespeare and the characters within his plays. In my opinion, this book is a definite MUST READ.

Pirate King by Laurie R. King

To read my review of the first book in the Mary Russell series please click here: The Beekeeper's Apprentice.

Title: Pirate King (Book 11 Mary Russell series)
Author: Laurie R. King
Reviewer: Karen
Genre: Adult Mystery
Rating: Like
Alerts/Warnings: None
Premise: Sent to Lisbon and Morocco, where a British studio is creating a silent film version of "The Pirates of Penzance," Mary Russell investigates a series of crimes targeting the production and confronts a high-stakes situation when actual pirates orchestrate a hostage situation. "As Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes embark on their 11th adventure together, they find themselves immersed in the world of silent filmmaking. Here, the pirates are real-- and unlike the shooting done with a camera, this sort can be deadly" -- from publisher's web site.
Opinions: I LOVE/ADORE the Mary Russell series by Laurie King. So I was ecstatic to find that a new book was released last month. As soon as I could I went ahead and purchased it, eager to delve into its pages as soon as possible. At first I was confused by the concept of this story, but the longer I remained reading the more I fell into the fun of it. This was not quite typical to the rest of the series (even Mary Russell admits to this in the beginning of the book). But I love seeing Mary challenged in new areas and stretched in new ways as she works within a moving picture company to investigate some suspicious actions and the disappearance of the company's original assistant. I also love the intrigue of a story set in Portugal and Morocco and the idea of crossing paths with pirates. So as an ardent lover of this series I highly recommend that if you love Sherlock Holmes and mystery books than please rush to your nearest library or book store and begin the fun journey as your follow Mary Russell from one mystery to another.

Scumble by Ingrid Law

To read my review of Savvy please click here: Savvy.
To read Stephanie's review of Scumble please click here: Scumble.


Title: Scumble (Companion to Savvy)
Author: Ingrid Law
Reviewer: Karen
Genre: Junior/MidGrade Fiction
Rating: Adore
Alerts/Warnings: None
Premise: "Mibs's cousin Ledge is disappointed to discover that his "savvy"--the magical power unique to each member of their family--is to make things fall apart, which endangers his uncle Autry's ranch and reveals the family secret to future reporter Sarah." (King County Library System)
Opinions: I LOVE this book. I loved the first one, Savvy, and the joy continues on in this companion book. I guess it is considered a "companion" book rather than a sequel as it deals with a cousin of Mibs from the first book and the struggle he undergoes trying to learn how to control his savvy. This book also takes place a good 9+ years after the first one does. I loved that we still get to see some of the same characters from the first one as side characters in Scumble.

I really loved Ledger and what he learns about himself and how he grows along the way. I found Sarah Jane (SJ) to be a quirky character that added some intrigue. As much as I loved Ledger, I think my overall favorite character has to be Rocket (Mib's brother) and how he grows by watching the struggles that Ledger undergoes. Overall, I found Scumble a highly satisfying and fun read. You should really check it out (but first read Savvy so that things make sense).

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

Title: Frankenstein
Author: Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley
Reviewer: Karen
Genre: Adult Horror
Rating: Like
Alerts/Warnings: Murder
Premise: "Tells the story of a scientist who discovers the secret of generating life from lifeless matter, and puts this knowledge to use by creating a monster being." (King County Library System)
Opinions: We read this book for the book club I'm in this month to celebrate Halloween. Let me tell you, the story of Frankenstein is not like what most people think it is. It is much more interesting. If you want to read a clean horror book, then this is the book for you. Bad stuff definitely happens in this book (and most often by choice), but the descriptions are clean and not overly gruesome. The narrative voice doesn't vary much between Walton, Frankenstein, nor the creature, but the imagery is incredible and the story alluring. The creature is articulate, Frankenstein is intriguing, and even Walton (the person Frankenstein is telling his story to) has a major purpose in the story.

This turned out to be a fantastic book for our book club, creating lots of discussion about character, choices, and ethics. Be aware that our book club did notice that there are some minor differences between releases of this book (for example, depending on what release you read the character Elizabeth has a slightly different relationship to Frankenstein). Keep in mind, though, that if you have an active imagination like I do that this book may still be too scary for your taste (I made sure to lock all my doors and check under the bed when I was done reading).

Illusions by Aprilynne Pike

Sorry for the delay in posting this review, but I just had a baby at the start of this month and it has slowed down my ability to read and post reviews momentarily. I hope to be back in full swing shortly.

For our reviews of the first two books in this series please click here: Wings, Spells.



Title: Illusions (Wings #3)
Author: Aprilynne Pike
Reviewer: Karen
Genre: YA Fantasy/Chick Lit
Rating: Love
Alerts/Warnings: Mild Swearing
Premise: "As her senior year of high school starts, Laurel is just beginning to adjust to Tamani's absence when he suddenly reappears, telling her he must guard her against the returning threat of the trolls that pose a danger both to her and to Avalon." (King County Library System)
Opinions: I enjoyed this book much more than Spells. I was glad to see Klea was back and that she brought someone else intriguing along with her for us to get to know. I loved the idea of seeing how Tamani interacts with humans now that he tries to integrate into high school. The complications between Laurel, David and Tamani continue to build in some intricate ways that sometimes left me feeling overwhelmed and wanting to ring Laurel's neck (but that's just me). I was frustrated learning that this wasn't the end of the series and honestly said "Huh...okay" when I was done reading it. I felt this book was more about the interweaving of relationships with little glimpses of the overall story arch to heighten the intrigue. I'm REALLY curious to see where Aprilynne Pike goes with the story in book four. The good news is that Aprilynne posted on her blog last week that a name has been determined for that fourth and final novel....DESTINED....and is expected to be released late April of 2012. I look forward to seeing what (or who) Laurel is destined for.

Fall by Jennifer Hurst

Go here for information about Jennifer Hurst's giveaway for Fall.




Title: Fall
Author: Jennifer Hurst
Reviewer: Stephanie
Genre: Paranormal Fiction
Rating: Adore
Alerts/Warnings: One swearword, one incident of implied sex
Premise: "Women and construction shouldn't mix. At least, that is what the client, Mr. Blackwell, thinks when Twenty-one year old Julia D. Halstead is promoted to project manager to remodel a turn-of-the-century schoolhouse into a bed and breakfast. However, the schoolhouse contains a dark secret that has been hidden for nearly a hundred years. A secret that will unleash the furies of Hell and cause the Angels in Heaven to weep as ethereal brothers, Matthew and Nathan, battle over Julia's very soul." (Book Jacket blurb)
Opinions: So I wanted to have a fresh opinion of this book. I didn't read Karen's review, nor did I read anything about the book. I just dove in. And here's what I thought.

It took me probably 25 pages to get into the story. But once I did, I really did. I liked the pacing and I liked the characters, especially Nathan and Meagan. I have to admit that I was a bit confused at times in the first 75 pages but nothing too major. I assumed I would get it later, and I did. (Which was nice, I hate being left hanging.)

And in all honesty, this is probably not the type of book I would pick up to read. HOWEVER! I'm glad I did. I really enjoyed it. It was fun and entertaining. Quirky (and I like quirky).

My one fault is that I don't know if there is going to be a sequel. (I'll find out I'm sure.) The ending was done in such a way that it wasn't clear to me.

I love that JD is a strong and fiercely independant woman. I love that issue of choice and consequence throughout the novel. I love the way Jennifer Hurst builds her characters and tension. She is a very talented writer and I look forward to more books from her.

Overall, an enjoyable read. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. :)

Warning: For those who may be uncomfortable with sex in books there is one instance of sex. It is not described, but you know it happens and that the person is faced with consequences for those actions throughout the rest of the story. I loved that there was a balance between the choice and consequences for all of the characters' actions throughout the story.

A Red Herring Without Mustard by Alan Bradley

To read the reviews of other books in this series please click here: The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie, The Weed the Strings the Hangman's Bag.



Title: A Red Herring Without Mustard (A Flavia de Luce Novel)
Author: Alan Bradley
Reviewer: Karen
Genre: Adult Mystery
Rating: Like
Alerts/Warnings: Mild Swearing, Moderately graphic descriptions of murder scenes
Premise: "Flavia had asked the old Gypsy woman to tell her fortune, but never expected to stumble across the poor soul, bludgeoned in the wee hours in her own caravan. Was this an act of retribution by those convinced that the soothsayer had abducted a local child years ago? Certainly Flavia understands the bliss of settling scores; revenge is a delightful pastime when one has two odious older sisters. But how could this crime be connected to the missing baby? Had it something to do with the weird sect who met at the river to practice their secret rites? While still pondering the possibilities, Flavia stumbles upon another corpse, that of a notorious layabout who had been caught prowling about the de Luce's drawing room. Her investigations will reveal more of Buckshaw's secrets as well as new information about Harriet, the mother Flavia never knew." (King County Library System)
Opinions: This is the third book in the murder mystery series that stars eleven year old Flavia De Luce. Like its predecessors it is ripe with intrigue, twists, and clever solutions revolving around chemistry. It is brilliantly written, but some of the descriptions of the scenes when the dead are found bothered me a bit (granted I am nine months pregnant and that maybe part of the reason). This particular novel not only revolved around solving the reasons behind vicious attacks and murders, I was really intrigued with the struggles that Flavia deals that force her to face the struggles of adulthood at her tender-but-brilliant age and to see her father from a different view point. If you enjoy a good murder mystery I think you will love the continuation of this series.