Staff Picks

Ever the sucker for a cool book cover, it only took me one glance at this book to decide I “had” to read it.  The fact that I loved Winger, also by Andrew Smith, certainly didn’t hurt.  I have to admit, though, that I had a hard time getting into this story.  I felt myself getting lost in the beginning.  It reminded me of how I felt when I read The Marbury Lens — which makes a lot of sense, since Andrew Smith also wrote that book.  In the beginning, there were a few moments where I thought, “Wait!  Was that supposed to be the “real” Finn or the character (also named Finn) from his dad’s book?”  In hindsight, I guess it may have been written like that on purpose, since Finn often felt trapped in his father’s story, but it made me feel a little crazy not to know what was going on!  Fortunately, things got less confusing and everything fell (more or less) into place by the end of the story.

When Finn was a young boy, a dead horse on its way to a rendering factory tumbled out of a truck and fell “100 sideways miles” off a bridge to land on Finn and his mother.  (Finn frequently cited distances as a means for measuring time.)  The impact killed his mother, but Finn survived — with a broken back and a traumatic brain injury that caused him to have seizures.  Inspired by the strange scar on Finn’s back (a vertical line with two dots on either side   :|:   ), his father wrote a best-selling novel about aliens/angels who came to earth and cut off their wings to blend in with the humans.  Because the main character of the book was also named Finn, had heterochromatic eyes, and suffered from seizures, Finn sometimes wondered whether he might actually be a product of his father’s book rather than the inspiration.  I liked how Smith wove together typical teen insecurities and coming of age angst with the very outlandish circumstances of Finn’s life.  And I especially appreciated that the crazy immaturity of Finn’s best friend, Cade, was balanced out by the sweet sincerity of the new girl, Julia.  Their motley crew reminded me of some of the groupings of friends I’ve had through the years… 🙂

OK everybody… I am geeking out BIG TIME over here because Emma Watson will be playing Belle in Disney’s new [live action] Beauty & the Beast movie!  So, since I am obsessing over *that* fairy tale remake, I thought it only made sense to do a book review for *another* fairy tale remake I recently enjoyed.  I read tons of book reviews as I make purchasing decisions, so I often forget what most of the books are about before they arrive.  Even though I must have read a review for this book, I didn’t remember a thing about it.  I honestly thought it was going to be a murder mystery or an action thriller when I saw in on the shelf a few months ago.  Color me surprised when I started listening and realized it was more like Beastly than Dark Song!

Mirabelle didn’t know much about her past.  All she really knew about Beau Rivage (her birthplace), for example, was that her godmothers wanted to keep her away from there ever since her parents’ tragic death.  Mira also thought it was odd that her godmothers forbade her to use many common objects, like scissors, but figured they were probably just being overprotective.  A week before her 16th birthday, though, her curiosity got the best of her and she decided she HAD to go to Beau Rivage.  She planned to visit her parents’ graves while she was there, hoping for a little closure, but didn’t necessarily have any other plans to speak of.  Imagine her shock when she made the acquaintance of some local teens who let her in on the secret that fairy tales are real and that the strange mark on her back meant that she had been cursed!  Albeit a little predictable, this was a fun story that might even inspire readers to take another look at traditional fairy tales.

It’s always fun to escape real life in the pages of a book, and I find it somehow more satisfying to read a book about a sweltering summer heat wave when I’m living through a snow-filled winter storm.  Add that to the fact that all of Sara Zarr’s books are pretty darn amazing, and you have a fantastic reason to read this book right now!

Sam is having a really rough summer.  Not only is her mom in rehab (after hiding her alcoholism for years), but her father seems more concerned with fixing the problems facing his church’s congregation than the problems facing his own family.  When one of Sam’s friends, Jody Shaw, goes missing, Sam’s life falls even apart even further… and she’s left feeling extremely guilty for even thinking about her own problems when she could be putting all of her time and energy into the search for Jody.  Despite Sam’s mounting depression, the story doesn’t drag.  And although Zarr addresses Sam’s crisis of faith, she provides some seriously amazing insights without being didactic or preachy.  This may very well be tied (with How to Save a Life) as my favorite Sara Zarr story!

I remember seeing this cover, reading the title, and thinking, “That looks interesting!”  I was especially curious about the story behind the old-fashioned typewriter keys on the cover.  Yet, somehow, SEVEN years went by before I actually took the time to listen to it.  How in the world did that happen?!?  (Especially considering that I listened to, and thoroughly enjoyed, her book Elsewhere!)  I guess this is a case of “better late than never.”  I’ve always been curious about what it would be like to have amnesia and, though this wasn’t a true story, it helped me to realize just how grateful I am for my fully intact memories.  It’s terrifying to consider the sudden loss of years worth of my life and  even forgetting the people I love.

Imagine waking up in an ambulance and not knowing how you got there or who you are with — especially after hearing him tell the EMTs that he’s your boyfriend.  Naomi “lost” about four years after her head injury and was forced to re-learn a lot of facts about her life, many of which were distressing.  Being a teenager is hard enough, and Naomi had to to try to piece together several years worth of memories and re-discover who she was while simultaneously trying to move forward with her life. I can’t imagine trying to navigate the social structure of a high school without any memories/background information about my so-called friends and boyfriend.  Definitely not an enviable position!  And although I was sometimes frustrated with the way Naomi handled things, I appreciated her flaws because they made her feel more real.

If you’re looking to scare yourself into being more environmentally conscientious, this is a book you should probably read!  Not only does it provide an entirely plausible scenario for how individuals will be effected when oil starts to run out — including but not limited to gasoline shortages and electricity blackouts — but it also goes into more global ramifications, like the potential for war.

Although there were times where I felt that the dialogue was a bit unrealistic and clunky (most likely to educate readers), I don’t think it was overwhelmingly so.  Upon finishing this book, I had two major reactions: 1) I really wanted to share this book with everyone I knew to try and show them *why* they should care more about their energy consumption and its impact on the world/environment, and 2) I started thinking that stockpiling food in my basement sounded like a really good idea!  My husband has since “talked me down,” and I am doing well with just working to do what I can reasonably do to make a difference for myself and my family. 🙂

Though it’s been quite a while since I’ve watched TV on a regular basis, I have to admit that I used to be absolutely obsessed with true crime shows like Law & Order and Criminal Minds.  I could seriously binge-watch Criminal Intent.  So, I was thrilled to discover that this story was basically an extended episode of Criminal Intent with teenage trainees thrown in the mix!  This story also reminded me quite a bit of the Jasper Dent books because Cassie was so much like Jasper — she was unbelievably good at reading people AND that she was also hunting a killer.  The main difference, nevertheless, was that she was hunting the killer who murdered her mom, whereas Jasper was hunting a random killer as a way to prove (to society and himself) that he didn’t/wouldn’t take after his serial killer dad.

The basic premise of the “Naturals” program was that, although people can be trained in crime-solving methods, some people have natural gifts that are difficult, if not impossible, to replicate with training.  Some people are naturally good at reading other people’s emotions, for example, making them like human lie detectors.  Some people are naturally good at combing through and manipulating data, which aids in detecting fraudulent data and figuring out the statistical probability of certain outcomes.  Others, like Cassie, are so good at reading people (based on their behavior, clothes, actions, etc.) that they can often figure out motives for past actions and/or predict future behavior, making them natural profilers.  By finding teenage “naturals” and training them in a special program, the FBI hopes to create an elite class of detectives.  Definitely a cool concept.  (I’m looking forward to reading the second book in this series when my TBR list gets a little more manageable!)

Lex had always been a reasonably good kid, but she suddenly started to get in trouble all the time.  And not just the cutting class and hanging out with the wrong people kind of trouble, but the knocking people’s teeth out for no apparent reason kind of trouble.  When her parents reached their breaking point, Lex’s Uncle Mort offered to take her for the summer.  He said that Lex would help him with work on his farm, but he wasn’t exactly telling the truth.  In reality, Uncle Mort was planning to train Lex to be a Grim.  As in “grim reaper.”  For real!  Though there were a few unsettling descriptions of death scenes, I thought this book was pretty hilarious overall.  Plenty of snark and immature humor to feed my inner 16-year-old!

I read this book in early fall, but I felt like it would make a good January post.  You know, with people making New Year’s resolutions about living their best lives and all?  After almost losing my father in September, this book really resonated with me.  I know it sounds super cliché, but both my real life experience and this book reminded me of just how short life can be — and how often we waste our time and energy on things that don’t even truly matter.  Sometimes, you just have to say “F- IT!”

After Alex’s father died, she had a major falling out with her best friend, Becca.  The formerly inseparable friends were estranged for the entire summer, but Alex decided she was ready to forgive Becca at the start of the new school year.  The only problem?  Becca had recently been diagnosed with cancer, and their non-communication meant that Alex didn’t even know.  As they began to heal their broken friendship, the girls decided to make the best of the (potentially short) time Becca had left by working together to complete the wish list of sorts Becca had started compiling as a tween.  They don’t like the term “bucket list,” though, and decide to call it a “F- It” list instead.  Infused throughout with humor and romance, this is SO much more than a sob story.

As I did with Divergent, I waited until the third book of this trilogy was about to be released before I started to read the first book. I didn’t want to be stuck waiting (most likely impatiently) for the release of the final book of the series as I am with the Lunar Chronicles.  But, lo and behold, it seems all my planning was for naught… because there’s now a FOURTH book!  Even though the audiobook for The Selection Stories: The Prince & The Guard had a sneak peek of The One — which it touted as the “thrilling conclusion” to the trilogy — I now have to wait until MAY 2015 to get my hands on The Heir… And I have a sneaking suspicion things won’t even end there since GoodReads lists a 5th (currently unnamed) book. /sigh

So, what’s the big deal about this series?  First of all, it’s a dystopian romance.  Enough said, right?!?  OK.  OK!  I get that some of you might want to know what sets this apart from the rest of the dystopian romances out there, so I will give a little more background. 🙂  In this dystopian future, the USA no longer exists.  In its place, there is now the kingdom of Illéa.  When Illéa was formed, a rigid caste system was created — in a supposed effort to bring about order and security.  The castes, which range from one (royalty and clergy) to eight (homeless, runaways, etc.), dictate which type of jobs people can hold.  Although it is technically possible to get into a better caste by buying your way up, it’s practically impossible for the lower castes to do more than survive.  For America Singer (and the other girls participating in The Selection ), though, marrying Prince Maxon could mean being instantly transformed to a one.  So why, then, would America NOT want to participate in The Selection?  This book is like an über version of The Bachelor with a side of uprisings and war… and I just can’t get enough!

As I was reading this book, I laughed out loud so often that my son — who normally “tunes out” the rest of the world when he reads — actually found it distracting to read in the same room as me.  He kept asking me, “What’s so funny?”  And, though I explained that I didn’t want to stop to share every joke that made me laugh, I offered to start over and read the whole book aloud.  He declined the offer because he was determined to finish the book he was already reading, but I think he may go back and read it himself because he loved the passage I felt compelled to read aloud (about Henry’s wish list of weapons with which he could have protected himself).

Strongwoods Survival Camp was like an even more ridiculous version of Camp Green Lake (from Holes by Louis Sachar).  Rather than being a forced-labor juvenile detention center, though, this survival camp was advertized as a way for parents to voluntarily toughen up their “wuss” sons.  The guy who ran the camp, Max, was basically a crazy drill sergeant, and the survival activities and games he designed were way over the top.  I think a lot of parents will probably appreciate the lack of harsh language and/or sexual situations, though I feel compelled to warn sensitive readers about the actual killers who make an appearance before the end of camp.  Fast-paced action, lots of humor, and short chapters punctuated with wacky “Wilderness Survival Tips” combine to form a zany adventure story that’s appropriate for younger teens and tweens but entertaining enough for adults.