YA fiction – Page 5 – Peaceful Reader

Teaser Tuesday

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give
                                            too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
              • Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your
                        teasers

Here’s my teasers:

“What are you two?”
“Goddesses!” grinned Aurelia.
“Can I be a goddess as well?” Rebecca asked.
p. 38 of Paula Morris’ Ruined, a fabulous New Orleans ghost story!

One might think I could have produced this TT a little earlier in the morning since it is a snow day here but I read this book until my eyes could no longer stay open a moment longer and so waking up was a bit difficult!! What a problem:) I plan on finishing the book today!!! Yeah, for snow day even though it means we will be going to school until something like July!
Whatever your doing today…Happy Reading!

Dreamland by Sarah Dessen

Dreamland

by Sarah Dessen

(2000)

This is my third finished book for 2010 and like The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo it was not an easy read. I love Dessen’s writing but the topic of this one made it very difficult.

Synopsis:

Ever since she started going out with Rogerson Biscoe, Caitlin seems to have fallen into a semiconscious dreamland where nothing is quite real. Rogerson is different from anyone Caitlin has ever known. He’s magnetic. He’s compelling. He’s dangerous. Being with him makes Caitlin forget about everything else-her missing sister, her withdrawn mother, her lackluster life. But what happens when being with Rogerson becomes a larger problem than being without him?

You see, I read all that on the back when I purchased the book six months ago-I knew from that description the boyfriend, Rogerson was bad news but reading it was so powerful, so real, so right on-I was shocked and shaky at points while reading it. I made little gurgly, grunty noises of fear for Caitlin. It was powerful reading particularly because I had one boyfriend who had some snarky resemblence to Rogerson.

My “Rogerson” was Joey and he was gorgeous; curly, wild hair (hmm, like Rogerson), funny, sweeter-than-sweet smile, and a happy, no worries-kind-of attitude. All good until his vivid green stripes started showing and I don’t mean his environmental tendencies, either. Then he became wicked controlling within one weekend and his severe temper reared up and out and toward me. It was completely unexpected for me-he drove a VW Bus and worked by day as a talented carpenter for heaven’s sake!! For me, this situation only lasted one weekend and then I said “see ya” to sweet Joey. It doesn’t ever really end that easy and it doesn’t for Caitlin but having lived through an abusive situation I was amazed at how perfect Dessen’s writing was on this topic and crushed because this wasn’t going to be a love story where I could secretly love the young male character! Statistically, I know high school young women are so vulnerable (I was a little older-out of college) and I knew, as soon as I heard Rogerson controlling her, which road we were heading down.

Intermixed with the abusive relationship are flashbacks and thoughts about Caitlin’s sister, Cassandra, who disappears with her boyfriend, Adam instead of heading off to Harvard. This is the event which throws Caitlin into a tailspin. I enjoyed her family story and thought it related to so many together families…nothing really wrong-more right than wrong but somehow kids don’t go down the projected path. The hippie/neighbor/best friends were wonderful characters as well.
I wish all teenage girls would read a book like this and learn the signs of someone who does not have their best interests at heart. It hurt to read the book but I’ve never written anything out about Joey, so maybe the light shines through! Sarah Dessen writes this with such vivid descriptions it makes me wonder if she too has a Joey in her past??
As part of Bibliophile By The Sea’s Reading from my shelves project I am passing this on to my stepdaughter Kaylee.

Click here- for Sarah Dessen’s website.

Highly Recommended YA/ 4/5 peaceful stars

Happy Reading!!

2010…and I'm freezing!!

I feel like I’ve been playing hooky but really I’ve been scattered. I lost my phone for a day (left it at church-in the nursery) and my house is freezing, which makes my fingers too numb to type-Yes, it is that cold! I spent the weekend (except when I had to go out…to church) hunkered down on my sofa, wrapped in a sleeping bag, watching movies or playing Jeopardy on the new PS3 game system. What fun!!

Monday brought the first day of school, which is dreadful usually, but students were coming to the new school and that made the first day back from break very exciting and tolerable! It is pure joy to walk into my new library!! Classes have been going very smoothly and it is a fantastic to have seven working computers!!!

I finished one last book in 2009 and have yet to review it. I give it to you here:

The Blind Faith Hotel

by Pamela Todd

2008

I picked this up off the YA library shelf at random-something about the cover struck me as interesting.

It is the story of three siblings, Nelia, Zoe, the narrator and Oliver. Dad works on a fishing boat off the coast of Alaska and Mom is ready to find her own path, away from Dad. She is busy packing up from their rental home, getting ready to move everybody to her family home someplace in the Midwest. The crisis through most of the book is Zoe and Oliver missing their dad and we are never quite sure why the mom chooses to take the kids and run. Through Zoe’s memories we get a general understanding of an unstable family existence with dad missing often to chase the fish. Zoe is mad at her mom for moving them to this tiny town where her mother has a history-this is the town where her mother grew up and Zoe doesn’t want her mother to be happy away from her father. There are a few hidden family mysteries along the way and Zoe gets in to some trouble. She ends up working at a local prairie preserve with Hub, a grizzled old man whose own story ends up connecting him to Zoe as well. At the preserve she also meets an intriguing, young man, Ivy, who runs wild and helps Hub out. Through Ivy’s family story Zoe learns to face her own life with clearer vision. I did really enjoy the prairie information and thought that added a very interesting and different twist to the story. Understanding how the grasslands are affected by urban sprawl and Zoe’s newfound passion for the natural world around her did enhance her character, for me.

My thoughts: While I liked the story line and Zoe’s voice was strong, I didn’t fall in love with any character. They seemed fairly wooden and since we don’t find out the true issues behind her mom’s choices to abandon dad until 3/4 of the way through the book-it made me wonder “why” too frequently. Zoe’s anger at her mother seems unfounded without having that good reason earlier on.

Pamela Todd’s website-click here.

Another review can be find by clicking here.

Splendor on Christmas

Splendor; The Luxe #4

Anna Godbersen

Alloy Entertainment, 2010

I’m overjoyed to have read this lovely tale and yet sad, sad, sad to have completed it! I tried hard to finish reading it last night while I was waiting for Santa but my eyes grew way too weary and I had to close the book. After we finished unwrapping all of our wonderful gifts I finished reading while everyone else was playing new PS3 games and I was drinking my traditional Christmas Bloody Mary.
The book, written by Anna Godbersen and the drink, concocted by my husband=both delicious!

(Subtle spoilers Beware)

Godbersen’s conclusion to the Luxe series brings resolution in some way to each and every character-some good, some bad. Elizabeth is happily setting up her new house purchased for her by her husband, Mr. Cairns and dealing with her pregnancy. She makes some startling discoveries about her husband and I cheered her as she connected the dots! Her sister, Diana, is tripping around Cuba, working and searching for Henry Schoonmaker. Henry is in Cuba not seeing the war as he planned but helping his Colonel with sailboat racing. He feels like a failure until he finds Diana again. Penelope Schoonmaker, Elizabeth’s diabolical “best friend” and Henry’s wife has found something to keep her occupied while Henry is off “battling” the enemy. A prince has come to town and Penelope sets her sights on wearing this particular crown, even with her husband heading back to town. Carolina Broad, maid turned heiress, learns some valuable lessons as well and her story, while interesting does not turn out how she expects it at all.

My thoughts: I really loved this series and am sad to have finished reading it. I liked the closure this final book brought to these characters I love. While not a Hollywood ending the book does a great job of showing us in what direction each character will head and each character proves to be a survivor in one way or another. I am excited to see what other topics or time periods Anna Godbersen will take on. This series is so well-thought out, the plot intertwining us with such great details from this glittering era.

Highly Recommend-YA fiction

4/5 peaceful stars

Click here to read my stepdaughter’s review of the second Luxe novel.

Dress Envy

Envy

#3 Luxe Novel

by Anna Godbersen

2009

I just put Splendor(the 4th and last Luxe novel) on hold at my local library and I hope the patron who has it right now reads really, really fast. I am so intrigued by the ending of this one-I want to find out how everyone turns out, especially Diana!

It’s been two months since Will’s death and Elizabeth is struggling to get back out into society. Her younger sister, Diana, is torn between hating and loving Henry Schoonmaker. While Henry loves Diana he married Penelope, Elizabeth’s conniving best friend, to save Diana’s reputation. Then there is the maid-turned-socialite, Carolina Broud, who has to find how she fits into this back-stabbing world. It sounds oh, so soap opera-ish except Godberson crafts the story well, layer upon layer. Instead you find yourself trying to finish the book all in one night just to know how everything clicks together.

The entire entourage heads off to Palm Beach, Florida, which is a perfect change of venue. Penelope spends her time worrying about Diana while Diana shifts between taking care of Elizabeth and finding moments with Henry. There are some amazing powers at work here as several characters grow stronger. I especially appreciate Henry as he learns to make decisions on his own.

I loved this third installment and felt like Godbersen is taking her characters to new heights. Elizabeth’s decisions prove her natural strength. Sadly, the more Elizabeth makes good decisions for herself and her family, Penelope makes bad decisions, tumbling her down a path of no redemption.
If you haven’t picked up the Luxe and you enjoy historical fiction-give yourself this gift!!
Visit Anna Godbersen’s site here.

4/5 peaceful stars

recommended high school and above

Journey of Dreams/Picnic_Basket Request

Journey of Dreams by Marge Pellegrino is set in Guatemala during the 1980’s political upheaval . It is the story of Tomasa and her family’s decision to leave their tiny village and head north, walking toward first the border of Mexico and then to the U.S. border. Tomasa’s mother leaves with the oldest son, Carlos because young boys have been captured in the village and forced to serve as soldiers. It becomes obvious within a short time that it is time for the rest of the family to go as soldiers take over their village during a festival.

Their entire journey is filled with risk and mishaps, especially trying to cross the river between Guatemala and Mexico. Once in Mexico, Tomasa, her brother Manuel and the baby Maria live temporarily in a park while the father goes off to work everyday. Eventually they are lead to a “safe convent” where they can stay in one room. A visitor from the U.S. brings news of Mother and Carlos and within a few monthes the family is together again in Phoenix. While they endure many hardships there is hope along the way. Because the author has such a close connection to Central American refuges I felt a real sense of loss for Tomasa’s character. She loved her life, as “poor” as they were, they were rich in culture, the beauty of the land and their own family strength. While still in their village Tomasa describes her home:

“Through the open door, the late afternoon sun deepens the blue of the sky. At this moment of the day, the green of the field and pine trees beyond glow. The blue and green next to each other look magical. The green crops grow from the gifts of the sky and earth. And we, the people of the corn, grew from those crops. Maybe that is why I often weave blue and green next to each other.” p. 23

I also greatly appreciated the father’s story-telling abilities and that they had these rituals every night when together. If you enjoy reading about other cultures or refuge experiences this book is well-worth it. It is a hope-filled and satisfying journey.

Marge Pellegrino’s blog
Click here for a map of Guatemala-it would have been a very long journey from Guatemala City!
Politics and Prose provides a synopsis here.

Liar by Justine Larbalestier

Micah is one of the strongest characters I’ve ever met in a book. In Liar she explains her life in before and after segments; before Zach died and after Zach died. Zach is the boyfriend killed in an extreme and mysterious manner; the catalyst to help us meet Micah. It seems easier as a grieving person to remember the before as amazing and the after as without reason. There is a second major part to this brutal tale but I’m not going to tell it here because its just worth it to read it and find out the mystery yourself. Zach’s death is enough of a crisis to deal with for most. Add that to the fact Micah lies, lies, lies-she doesn’t know how to not lie but it’s a defense mechanism; a way to keep alive and sane. She keeps thinking she wants to stop lying as if it is something she has chosen but she really has no choice but to continue to spin lies!! The love story between Zach and Micah is deep and I loved reading their together moments:

“He brushed his lips gently along my cheek. I didn’t move. The shock of it froze me. Why had he done that? He’d never looked at me that way. He’d never really looked at me any kind of way.
His lips were dry and warm. No other part of us touched. Blood moved faster through my veins and capillaries. Without willing them to, my lips parted slightly. An “oh” escaped from me.” p 52

This is just a really incredible story of a young woman dealing with so much and you feel for her no matter what-no matter what!! Here is Justine Larbalestier’s site to learn more. The controversy over the cover was well worth it and the second one works for my mental images. The second girl is the character that would have pretended to be a boy!
Recommended for high school- 5/5 peaceful stars.
Other reviews of Liar:

The Ya Ya’s
Lauren’s crammed bookshelf
Kidliterate
The Book Smuggler’s

Dialogue about 13 reason why by Jay Asher

A few weeks ago I read Jay Asher’s 13 reasons why (2007). I bought the book after reading several dynamic reviews about it and when my friend V sent me money to buy a birthday book (thanks V) I chose this one. I like psychoanalyzing and 13 reasons why is one of those perfect books to scrutinize the who, what, and why of the characters. After I read the book I slipped it into a manila envelope and sent it off to V for her to read and then pass on, in the same method, to our friend A. Then we set up a wiki-space account and had a chat about the book. The wiki space was not a good communication tool but I was able to record our collective thoughts.

The synopsis: Clay Jensen returns home from school to find a mysterious box with his name on it lying on his porch. Inside he discovers several cassette tapes recorded by Hannah Baker–his classmate and crush–who committed suicide two weeks earlier. On tape, Hannah explains that there are thirteen reasons why she decided to end her life. Clay is one of them. If he listens, he’ll find out how he made the list. (from Jay Asher’s website)

Here are parts of our discussion on 13 reasons why:

A: Loved how it was sent to me (in keeping with the theme), loved the use of alternating characters to tell the story. -(all three of us loved the dual pt. of view and the map around town on the bus)
The fact that he (Asher) chose to inter-splice the two main characters to create the story added more depth and mystery. Sadly, I kept waiting for Hanna to be alive.

V: I liked how the book flowed – very easy to read. I was anxious for Clay – stressed out but relieved that he hadn’t done anything major –I was afraid that he had unknowingly blown her off or something. Clay was open, honest and trustworthy. I guess he is the one in the story to look up to

A: I thought Clay was a little hidden himself. He lied to his mother, his friends, himself about Hannah……..

V: I didn’t get the sense that he lied all the time – that’s why his mother trusted him and I think consciously gave him space. I don’t think he had true “friends” stereotypical high school boy.

PR: I agree, I don’t think he was your typical high school boy; he seemed to walk his own path, which is what we would like for our own children. He lies only to get past this moment in his life. This is not something a teenager would just share at the dinner table. I think Clay lies because he is nervous about what the tapes might reveal even though he doesn’t think he’s done wrong.

Are either of you surprised that it was written by a guy??

A: You know, I have major issues with voice and if the opposite sex can pull it off; I think he did a great job…..and yes, it felt very female throughout. I bought both Clay and Hannah completely. In a very sick way, I wanted Clay to have done something. I wanted ALL of them to have done SOMETHING to her…I felt it was all her perspective of various situations…….and if she had more of a voice or more stability in her life, she could have worked many of them out.

V: You thought these things were small??

A: Yes, some of them, in my mind were very small and based on hearsay and perspective.For example, she didn’t know for a FACT that the one chick was “using” her for her own popularity…she just thought she was…and the boy that lied about her first kiss…..she could have stood up to him, called him out. It seemed to be things that could be taken care of with self -power, self-belief, a stronger ego. She fell into a world that was based on hearsay…

PR: I thought a few of the things were hearsay but that is how easily reputations get trashed; and someone’s high school life can be ruined. I would have liked Hannah to have a stronger voice for her own good but high school students often don’t speak up when they should.

A: The things that happened to her made me mad; nobody deserves to be treated casually but at some point you do have to take a stand and she never did.

PR: She seemed to be looking for reasons to be let down. If she had confided with the counselor, or Clay, there could have been a different outcome. Why did Asher choose to have such non-entity parents?? I “micro-manage” my teenager. I pretty much want to know the where, why and with who at all times. It doesn’t work out that way but he knows we care, always.
A: I think it is a completely different world from our knowledge of teen world….i am frightened to think that such small things in such a fast paced world could cause a child to kill. It seems that everything is moving so quickly there is no time to process yourself.

PR: At what age will you want your children to experience this story?

A: great question.I am constantly thinking about that anytime i read YA books in general. I read all the twilight books and thought H***L NO not at 13, but i think i am clueless.I think this would be an amazing teaching tool for them. A great discussion book…….but i think the age would depend on the maturity of the kid.

V: It depends. I know 10 year-olds that could handle it and 12 year-olds that could not. Great for discussion with our kids though.
PR: I would love to be a bug on the wall while a group of teens discussed Clay and Hannah. Would this be an accurate description? Would they feel Hannah coped out or would they empathize with her? Asher, for me, did a great job of portraying the difficulties of high school.

We concluded with the hopes that my 14-year-old would be our teenage trial-he is going to read 13 reasons why and give us his thoughts. He is finishing an alternate history book and then he’ll begin. Our next long distance book conversation will be about Liar by Justine Larbalestier.

Teaser Tuesday-Liar

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

Grab your current read
Open to a random page
Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

My teasers:

“I know how to hunt with a knife. Grandmother’s taught me how to use a slingshot and bows and arrows.” p. 72 Liar by Justine Larbalestier

I’m not lying really-there were so many good lines to choose from on those two pages!

Teaser Tuesday

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

* Grab your current read
* Open to a random page
* Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
* BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
* Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!
My teasers:

Henry crossed his legs and shifted in the wooden rocker that was positioned so as to casually access a view into the long main room of the Schoonmaker greenhouse. He was wearing trousers with whisper-thin pinstripes and a cream shirt fastened at the wrist with cuff links that bore his initials. (p. 250)

~from Rumors by Anna Godbersen