Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac by Gabrielle Zevin

Title: Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac
Author: Gabrielle Zevin
Reviewer: Karen
Genre: YA Fiction
Rating: Love
Alerts/Warnings: Reference to previous teen sex, mild language, secondary characters in same-sex relationship
Premise: "If Naomi had picked tails, she would have won the coin toss. She wouldn't have had to go back for the yearbook camera, and she wouldn't have hit her head. She wouldn't have woken up in the ambulance with amnesia. She would have remembered her boyfriend, Ace. She might have even remembered why she fell in love with him. She would understand why her best friend, Will, keeps calling her "Chief." She'd know her mom's new family. She'd know about her dad's fiancée. She never would have met James, the boy with the questionable past and the even fuzzier future. But ... Naomi picked heads. -- After a nasty fall, Naomi realizes that she has no memory of the last four years and finds herself reassessing every aspect of her life" (King County Library System).
Opinions: This was a book I picked up from my library when I was in a totally random mood. I went into the YA section and picked the first book in the letter A's and the last book in the letter Z's.  From the moment I picked up this book I was pulled in. The premise was fascinating and the characters compelling and relatable for me.  I was intrigued by the idea of how a personality can change if your memory had been wiped clean for the last four years.  I felt drawn into Naomi's personal emotional/physical struggle with all aspects that the amnesia affect her.The decisions a teen makes based on the need to feel accepted, successful, etc. might totally change.  Then having to re-deal (or in some cases deal for the first time) with a parent's divorce and remarriage could totally be up in the air.


For those of you concerned about what your teens read this book does talk about serious depressions, friends thinking of suicide, friends with same-sex relations, divorce, drugs, teen sex, etc.  In spite of that, or maybe because I've had friends/family go through some similar instances, I found them personal and made the story more relatable to me. I maybe not have made some of the same choices as Naomi if I were in her shoes, but I was drawn in by her willingness to change even though she remembered less.  I would recommend though that parents who are uncomfortable with how these topics might impact their children read the book for themselves first.


As for me, once I started reading Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac I couldn't put it down and was up until almost midnight (even after taking two Tylenol PM) finishing the story. 

Character Sympathy by Jordan McCollum

Title: Character Sympathy: Creating Characters Your Readers Have to Root For
Author: Jordan McCollum
Reviewer: Karen
Genre: Non-Fiction
Rating: Like
Alerts/Warnings: None
Premise: "IS YOUR CHARACTER WORTHY OF YOUR READER? CHARACTER SYMPATHY hooks your readers and gets them on your character's side from the very start. Often we think of sympathetic characters as those we love or envy or pity, but character sympathy runs deeper than simply liking or feeling sorry for a character. Sympathy in this sense is truly feeling what the character feels, worrying over the same things he worries about, and wanting him to succeed against all odds. If we can get our readers to fully sympathize and identify with our character, our readers will enjoy that journey with our character and then clamor for more. CHARACTER SYMPATHY will help you: Learn what events, actions and characteristics create true sympathy for a character. Engineer your character's motivations and goals to maximize her sympathy. Avoid cliched methods for creating reader identification. Foster sympathy for heroes, antiheroes, villains and everyone in between. Observe and analyze master storytellers' techniques to create character identification. Character sympathy isn't automatic or easy, but it's necessary for readable fiction. Applying these principles can strengthen any story and any character. Hook your readers with a character they can really root for!" (GoodReads.com)
Opinions: For the last month I've been reviewing feedback from my beta readers on my current writing work in progress. I've then spent the rest of the time studying various authors lectures and books on different techniques for improving my writing and fixing my weak areas. I just finished reading this book yesterday. It's a quick read, but I recommend keeping a pen handy. I frequently underlined tips and ideas that will help make my story tighter and increase my characters connection to the reader. So if you are a writer and are looking for information on how to improve your story I recommend this book.  It also references a lot of other books, blogs, and authors with great advice.  I'm looking forward to going through the additional reading section and learning more.

The Haunting of Derek Stone: City of the Dead by Tony Abbott

Title: City of the Dead (The Haunting of Derek Stone #1)
Author: Tony Abbott
Reviewer: Karen
Genre: Mid-Grade Horror/Paranormal
Rating: Like
Alerts/Warnings: Intense scary moments
Premise: "Derek Stone just turned fourteen. He's lived in New Orleans with his dad and older brother, Ronny, his whole life. He's a little overweight and can't hear well out of his left ear. And he's on the run from the dead" (King County Library System).
Opinions: I was in a weird mood when I went to the library yesterday. In between chasing after my escaping kids I grabbed the first book in YA in the A's and the last one in the Z's. The Haunting of Derek Stone by Tony Abbott was what I got. At first I had difficulty getting used to the narrative voice as its in first person and feels a bit disjointed as the character's thoughts bounce around. But soon I found that I couldn't put the book down and read it straight through in just a few hours.  I was intrigued by the concept, but the train accident was intense and scary though surprisingly clean for what it could have been.


Overall, I was freaked out, spooked out, and crept out, but since its a horror/paranormal book I would say that's great. It might be a bit intense for younger readers so I recommend that parents read it first to make sure it will not give your particular kid nightmares. As for me I went to sleep to a nice happy movie and singing kids' songs in my head.

The Inventor's Secret by Chad Morris

Title: The Inventor's Secret (Cragbridge Hall #1)
Author: Chad Morris
Reviewer: Karen
Genre: Mid-Grade Fiction/Sci Fi/Fantasy
Rating: Love
Alerts/Warnings: None
Premise: "When twins Abby and Derick start junior high at the prestigious academy their grandfather founded, Cragbridge Hall, they discover firsthand the dangers of time travel and must find a way to save their parents, who have been sent to the Titanic the night it sank" (King County Library System).
Opinions: This was an absolutely fun book to read. I loved Abby and her journey to believe in herself.  Her roommate Carol was a hoot and interesting to read. There were times I felt like smacking Derick, but I'm pretty sure that was intentional. The inventions used through out this story are creative and come with believable consequences.  Overall it was an intriguing way to make history come alive for kids. I look forward to reading the sequel that just came out in March, The Avatar Battle.

Baked Alaska by Josi Kilpack

To read my reviews of the other books in this series, click here: Lemon Tart, English Trifle, Devil's Food Cake, Key Lime Pie, Blackberry Crumble, Pumpkin Roll, Banana Split and Tres Leches Cupcakes.











Title: Baked Alaska (Culinary Mystery #9)
Author: Josi S. Kilpack
Reviewer: Karen
Genre: Adult Mystery
Rating: Love
Alerts/Warnings: Murder
Premise: "Sadie Hoffmiller has gathered her family together to enjoy an Alaskan cruise and to help plan her daughter's wedding. But when her son's birthmother shows up on the ship, relationships become complicated. And once the dead bodies start appearing, Sadie realizes more than one person on the cruise is keeping secrets" (King County Library System).
Opinions: I love this book. Sadie is thrust into several emotional experiences surrounding her family that would tear at any mother's heart if they went through it. I was pulled into her internal struggles, her guilt, fears, and uncertainties. I enjoyed getting to see her with her kids again and the relationship that they were building with Pete. I loved the mystery surrounding their cruise. And oh my gosh there are so many recipes that I want to try from this book, including the Baked Alaska Cupcakes and the Salmon Potato Chowder. My mouth is already watering. I also can't wait to read the next installment of this series, Rocky Road.

The Girl in the Clockwork Collar by Kady Cross

To read my review of the first book in this series, click here: The Girl in the Steel Corset.





Title:  The Girl in the Clockwork Collar (The Steampunk Chronicles #2)
Author:  Kady Cross
Reviewer:  Karen
Genre: YA Steam-punk
Rating: Like
Alerts/Warnings:  Mild swearing and violence
Premise: "Sixteen-year-old Finley Jayne and her "straynge band of mysfits" have journeyed from London to America to rescue their friend Jasper, hauled off by bounty hunters. But Jasper is in the clutches of a devious former friend demanding a trade ; the dangerous device Jasper stole from him for the life of the girl Jasper loves. One false move from Jasper and the strange clockwork collar around Mei's neck tightens. And tightens. From the rough streets of lower Manhattan to elegant Fifth Avenue, the motley crew of teens with supernatural abilities is on Jasper's elusive trail. And they're about to discover how far they'll go for friendship" (King County Library System).

Sixteen-year-old Finley Jayne and her "straynge band of mysfits" have journeyed from London to America to rescue their friend Jasper, hauled off by bounty hunters. But Jasper is in the clutches of a devious former friend demanding a trade ; the dangerous device Jasper stole from him for the life of the girl Jasper loves. One false move from Jasper and the strange clockwork collar around Mei's neck tightens. And tightens. From the rough streets of lower Manhattan to elegant Fifth Avenue, the motley crew of teens with supernatural abilities is on Jasper's elusive trail. And they're about to discover how far they'll go for friendship. - See more at: http://kcls.bibliocommons.com/item/show/1206418082_the_girl_in_the_clockwork_collar#sthash.KZB0Osir.dpuf

Sixteen-year-old Finley Jayne and her "straynge band of mysfits" have journeyed from London to America to rescue their friend Jasper, hauled off by bounty hunters. But Jasper is in the clutches of a devious former friend demanding a trade ; the dangerous device Jasper stole from him for the life of the girl Jasper loves. One false move from Jasper and the strange clockwork collar around Mei's neck tightens. And tightens. From the rough streets of lower Manhattan to elegant Fifth Avenue, the motley crew of teens with supernatural abilities is on Jasper's elusive trail. And they're about to discover how far they'll go for friendship. - See more at: http://kcls.bibliocommons.com/item/show/1206418082_the_girl_in_the_clockwork_collar#sthash.KZB0Osir.dpuf

Opinions: I have found that people either love steam-punk or they hate it. And if you love steam punk, you're usually pretty particular about how to should go. I noticed this a lot when reading the mixed reviews of this book on GoodReads.  So keep in mind that I can't really compare what I read against other books of this genre because I haven't read much, yet.

For me, I found it a fun read and loathed to put it down. There are certain aspects of the story that I questioned, but I couldn't determine if the author meant for the reader to question them or not. I enjoyed seeing this genre taken out of England and carried a crossed the pond to New York. I loved the new setting, and was intrigued by the unfolding of Jasper's story. I adore Emily and love Sam a lot more in this book, but I still am holding full judgment on Griffin and Finley. I did keep forgetting that they were only teenagers. To me, they act more like they're in their early twenties, but considering what the characters have been through I can kind of understand that. I'm waiting to see where they're "relationship" takes them next.

The next book in this series, The Girl With the Iron Touch, is already out and I can't wait to get my hands on it.

Dark Memories by Jeffrey S. Savage

 


Title: Dark Memories
Author: Jeffrey S. Savage
Reviewer: Karen
Genre: Adult Horror
Rating: Love/Fabulous
Alerts/Warnings: Several murders as seen from the victims point of view.
Premise: "Police Chief Cal Hunt's investigation into a recent string of bizarre murders in Twin Falls takes a chilling turn when he learns that each of the victims was a survivor of the Seven Stars Mine incident" (Pleasant Grove Library).
Opinions: I do not read horror, usually. As I've said before, I have too active an imagination and always end up staying awake, jerking at every sound, every movement after reading a horror book totally unable to sleep. But I love everything that Jeffrey S. Savage (a.k.a. J. Scott Savage) rights. And he just won the Whitney Award for this very book. So I read it. And. . . .I was scared, I was tense, I was intrigued, I was grossed out, I got the ebbie jeebies, and in the end I cried. So yep. It was good. There was no swearing, and for being a horror it was a LOT cleaner than I expected. I was fascinated by seeing the story from the different characters affected by what was going on, but I loved Chief Cal Hunt. His depth and emotion were real to me. The only reason I didn't give it a full out FABULOUS rating is because I was grossed out and got the ebbie jeebies, but since that's the point of a horror maybe it should be higher. I'll let you decide.