Mr. Darcy, Vampyre

This is another Austenian book that picks up during and after Elizabeth and Darcy' wedding. I liked it, but i wished that things had happened in a little bit different order. I really did like the idea of Darcy being a vampyre. I mean, seriously, we DO have a bit of a vampire craze going on right now if you know what I mean! If you're into a vampire romance, definitely read this one!

Leviathan

This book by Scott Westerfield (author of the Uglies series) is excellent. I thought that this book was so interesting! It takes place in Europe at the start of World War I; however, this is a war between the Clankers and the Darwinists. (Which is what I found to be such an interesting idea.) Although it takes place when and where it does, it seems timeless due to the creation of a different type of world. I would recommend this book. The only problem: it's the first in the series and I have no idea when the next will be out!

Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters

Now, I've read a lot of books that are offshoots of the classic Jane Austen novels (Mr. Darcy's Daughters, The Jane Austen Book Club, Fitzwilliam Darcy, Gentleman, etc.) There are so many Austenian novels these days. I have read many and enjoyed some. This one was the most original that I have come across. I saw Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (which I plan to read as soon as I come up, #13, on reserve at the library) a while back at the bookstore. I immediately wanted to read it. What a funny idea! Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters was really pretty funny. I can't even fathom how the idea came to the author, Ben H. Winters. I really did appreciate the twist on the story. I just really liked that it's the same story, but different. Read it, and you'll know what I mean.

Rapunzel's Revenge

I really liked this story. It's (obviously) a take on Rapunzel - and it's pretty funny. It's written by Shannon and Dean Hale (she's the author of The Goose Girl and Princess Academy.) BUT, it's a comic book - that's what makes it so entertaining! The illustrator is Nathan Hale. Anyway, I thought that it was pretty good, plus it was different from your usual girly story. Creative!

Sorcery and Cecilia, or, the Enchanted Chocolate Pot:

being the correspondence of two young ladies of quality regarding various magical scandals in London and the country.

I thought that this was a pretty interesting book. I really enjoyed reading it. It's a Regency era story containing wizards and magic. What better combination of story can there be?

After reading it, I found out that the two authors started this as a game; they actually wrote it as a correspondence and neither ever discussed the plot, but it developed throughout their letters. (Does that make sense?) Anyway, I thought that was an interesting way to write a book!

This is a series, and I think that I'll read the following two books as well.

Adam of the Road

I just finished this book. It was okay. I read some other books in the meantime. It's about the son of a minstrel, with a love of minstrelry (is that a word?), that is separated from his dad and his dog. It just moved a little too slowly for me.

The Twenty-one Balloons

I thought that this was a really fun story. After leaving on a ballooning journey across the Pacific Ocean, Professor Waterman is found in the Atlantic Ocean. It's a great mystery to everyone how this happened and the professor won't tell his story to anyone until he's recounted it to his traveling society. It is quite a story full of adventure and riches!

Thimble Summer

Thimble Summer was a sweet story told from Garnet's perspective. Many great things happen for her during the summer after she finds a silver thimble. I thought that this was a fun story about some of the hard times that Garnet's family experiences, but the good times too.

The Matchlock Gun

I read this book in under an hour. It's about a young boy that asks his father about his grandpa's matchlock gun. He wonders why his father doesn't use it. He, however, has to use the gun in order to save his family from an Indian attack. It's a fun story and a quick read!

Hitty: Her First Hundred Years

I just finished Hitty after about three months and 4 library renewals! I did like it, but it just took me forever to read/ get into/ etc. It's a story written by a doll made in the 19th century. She talks about all of the different owners that she's had and how she has transferred from place to place. It's a fun story!

Savvy

Savvy was a pretty entertaining book about a family that has special talents, or "savvy," which they recieve on their thirteenth birthday. It's a pretty funny book and each of the kids' savvy is pretty interesting - one has electricity and another can manipulate the weather. Well, it's the 13th birthday of the next to get her savvy and quite the adventure unfolds!

Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers

Wow! This was a really interesting and funny book. I think I saw that Alicia read it and then I saw that mom had it checked out from the library. When I saw that the author was Mary Roach, the author of the "My Planet" column in Reader's Digest, I just knew I had to read it. I found this book (about different uses/testing/etc. for cadavers) was really interesting AND funny. If you like the dry humor, I'd recommend it. I also found that she's written two other books, Bonk and Spook. I just might read them too.

The Penderwicks on Gardam Street

Just finished The Penderwicks on Gardam Street. I now realize that this is the second book about these characters. I really liked this book. It was a really fun story about four sisters and some of their experiences. These girls learn some great life lessons through their actions. Each has her own struggles to face throughout the story, and each manages to get through it in a fun way. I can't wait to read the previous book now!

The Black Circle

I'm not really sure what The 39 Clues series is all about. I just read the fifth book in the series and I liked it rather well. From what I understand, each book is written by a different author and each leads two kids, Amy and he brother Dan Cahill through many adventures as they race to find the 39 clues (which will eventually lead to great power?) These seem like some fun books. Each one comes with cards that have clues on them, which is kind of fun. I think that kids can probable learn a lot about history and geography from these. I think I'll try to read some more and figure out what might lead me to find great power! (I guess I'll have to backtrack a little to find the previous 4 clues they've already got on me!)

Catching Fire

I just finished Catching Fire, the second book in the Hunger Games trilogy. This was a great second book. Many times, the middle book simply exists to get you to the third book, but isn't very good or entertaining. This one was both good and entertaining. It brought a lot more plot than most seconds do. It was gripping and now I can't wait until the third!

The Hunger Games

The Hunger Games was such a good book! It gets five stars from me! This story was so gripping that I couldn't put it down. I was in the hospital when I started it and frankly I didn't care if I had a visitor. I just wanted to read! A lot of the time, when a book is recommended to me, I prefer to NOT know what it's about. I'm so glad that I didn't read the dust jacket on this one. (I think that it would have ruined it for me.) I can't wait to start the second book (which just came out on the 1st.) I'm going to make Jed read this for sure.

The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey

While in the hospital for the second time, I finished The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey. I actually liked this one better than the first. This was a fun story of mystery and adventure! The characters in these are really fun and creative. Each one is so unique and fun! I would surely recommend it!

The Mysterious Benedict Society

I just finished this one the other day. At first I was listening to it on CD, but it was going a little bit too slow, so I finished the book. It was a pretty creative story. The main characters all have very entertaining talents and skills that, when working together, they can accomplish anything. I have already started the second book and will keep you updated on that one soon!

Alcatraz Verses the Evil Librarians

This book was recommended to me by my sister-in-law, Danielle. I thought that it was a fun book. There are a lot of really creative things that this author had come up with for this story. How creative! I love reading books that introduce a new way to look at the world around us. This was definitely a fun one and I look forward to the books to come from this series!

Whirligig

Alicia also recommended this book. I had read Joyful Noise by the same author. I liked this book. It really shows how our actions - no matter how big or small - can have an affect others all along the way. I think that any teen would appreciate this one!

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

Alicia recommended this book to me. I immediately put it on hold at the library (and was number 11 or 12 on the list!) Surprisingly, I got a call and my book was in for me. It was excellent! I would recommend it to anyone. I read it so quickly because I just couldn't put the dang thing down! I had never even heard of Guernsey (it's an Island in the English Channel - by the way) and now I just want to go check it out. Guernsey, anyone?

The Door in the Wall

The Door in the Wall was a sweet story that takes place in medieval England. A young boy, Robin, is left by his parents during wartime and has to travel to his uncle's to become a page. He is crippled and is helped by a priest and a family friend as he travels to meet his uncle. Robin grows as he experiences many things. I liked the story and enjoyed it a lot.

Lincoln: A Photobiography

This was a really interesting book to read. Not too long ago, I read Team of Rivals, also about Lincoln. Reading this book for a younger audience was really great because of all the pictures. (That's one of my favorite parts of biographies anyway!) Not only was it an interesting book, but also very comprehensive. I would recommend this one for sure.

Joyful Noise Poems for Two Voices

I really enjoyed these poems by Paul Fleischman. They were really fun to read. Each one is about a different insect - and they each really portray the insects so well! Again, I really liked the illustrations in this book as well. This was a really fun one to read! (From what I understand, he has another one about birds - it'd be interesting to see if he captures the birds as well as the insects.)

A Visit to William Blake's Inn Poems For Innocent and Experienced Travelers

I read this short book of poems late last night. (Jed was snoring) I liked it, however I'm not sure I ever really understand poetry. With this especially, I wondered if I'd appreciate it more if I was more familiar with William Blake's poetry. I"m not really sure. I really liked the illustrations too.

Wanderlust

Wanderlust was actually a bit better than I expected. It is a series of emails from Kate Bogart, a travel writer, to her friends, family, and love interests. At first I thought that it was going to be a little bit dirty, but it really was pretty clean. In the end, I found that I was rooting for the love interest that I liked best. It was a fun, enjoyable book.

The Dressmaker

I just finished The Dressmaker this afternoon. I thought that it was a pretty good book. It took me forever to read it -because I started it while in the hospital (never a great place to read. I just have no desire to, you know?) The story is about a tailor from a small town in France that makes a wedding dress for a woman that eventually becomes his muse. I liked it, but would only give it maybe give it three stars?

Starclimber

Kenneth Oppel's Starclimber was a really great book. This is the third in a series - following Airborn and Skybreaker. Starclimber follows the adventures of Matt Cruse and Kate de Vries as their relationship changes and as they travel to new places and discover new things. I really enjoyed reading this book. Oppel writes about a different world but in a recognizable way. I would recommend it!

The Returning

The Returning, by Ann Tatlock, was a pretty good story. There are other books by her that I would be more likely to recommend (I'll Watch the Moon is the main one - actually, I like this one so much that I just bought it online.) Anyway, The Returning is about a family that has troubles to work through after one of the family members returns from a long absence. Each member has certain trials that they need to work on in order to come together as a strong family unit.

Kira-Kira

I really enjoyed Kira-Kira. It's about a Japanese family living in Georgia in the 50's. As a family, they have some difficulties to deal with; including illness, work, and racial problems. I liked the voice of the author - she was very enjoyable as a narrator. I would recommend this book for sure.

A Single Shard

A Single Shard was a really enjoyable book. I felt like it included a lot of history and taught a lot about some Korean history. This story is about a young orphan boy that overcomes great obstacles a learns many things. Tree-ear wants more than anything to learn to be a potter from the great Min. This story takes Tree-ear through this adventure.

M.C. Higgins the Great

It took me a long time to get through this book. The story was okay, but not my favorite so far. Nothing too exciting takes place in it, but M.C. learns and grows from the occurrences in the book. M. C. overcomes his concerns about his home and stands up to his father in regards to a friends of his.

Sounder

I liked Sounder, again, as well as I'd like any other dog story. This one really does have an enduring spirit. Sounder is a dedicated dog. This is the story of how his owner is arrested and Sounder is hurt. The owner's young son looks and looks for both his father and Sounder. He does find something great while on that search.

Julie of the Wolves

Julie of the Wolves was an interesting story that really encourages you to think about who you are and what you're really capable of. I liked how the story of Julie unfolds. I know that I could never accomplish what she is able to do. This story has a lot of very interesting Eskimo information. I like how Julie sticks to her upbringing and uses these skills to become not just Julie, but Miyax.

The Higher Power of Lucky

The Higher Power of Lucky has a really great main character. Lucky is funny, quirky, imaginative, you name it. She's a girl on a mission: to find her Higher Power. This is a funny book about a girl in search of ... something. She has a pretty great little adventure on her way to find it!

My Sister's Keeper

I really enjoyed My Sister's Keeper. This was a really interesting bioethical storyline. I had wanted to read this book for a long time and I'm glad that I did. I finally got it on hold at the library and devoured it. The story involves a 13 year-old girl that wants medical emancipation from her parents because they want her to donate a kidney to her sister. Interestingly enough, she was biologically engineered to be a perfect donor match for her sister that has leukemia. It's definitely a thought-provoking book. I would recommend it.

I'm also excited, because there is a movie of it coming out in June sometime, I think. Hopefully it's as good as the book.

Dicey's Song

For a "coming of age" book, I liked Dicey's Song. Usually for me, coming of age books end up right back where they started; or the main character goes through all of this (usually self-imposed) crap to realize something that I could have told them in the beginning. I may sound a little down on the coming of age, but they can just frustrate me sometimes. There are many that I've liked. This is one of them. This story follows a girl, Dicey, and her family through some struggles. How the family deals with these obstacles, and the outcome of strengthening her as well as her family is great.

A Year Down Yonder

I really enjoyed reading A Year Down Yonder. It's about a young girl that moves from Chicago to a small town to live with her grandma for a year during the Great Depression. This book is filled with funny stories and the grandma is a HOOT! I couldn't help but think what it'd be like for me to live a year with my own grandma! (That would probably bee a hoot too!) Anyway, I would recommend this for sure - the grandma has some really great lines; I laughed out loud many a time!

Maniac Magee

I really enjoyed the way that Jerry Spinelli wrote Maniac Magee. It's a fun book about a boy that likes to run, but he also does a lot of other surprising things - including living in the buffalo pen at the zoo and making friends with a kid named "Mars Bar." This was a fun story to read and I like the way that the author brought Maniac to life.

Good Masters! Sweet Ladies!: Voices From a Medieval Village

Good Masters! Sweet Ladies!: Voices From a Medieval Village was actually a really interesting book about life in a Medieval village. It was written by a librarian for students to perform, but also to teach a little history to as well. This book consists mostly of soliloquies by children that live in the village; from the tanner's apprentice to the lord's daughter to the pilgrim. I actually learned a lot. There are a lot of historical facts included.

Shiloh

Just finished listening to Shiloh on CD. It was a pretty good story. Maybe a little too dog-ish for me. I'm not a huge lover of dogs, so I guess that I don't get that whole relationship thing. I did like how hard Marty was willing to work for this dag and how much he loved it. I also appreciated the "change of heart" that Shiloh's previous owner had at the end of the book.

The Slave Dancer

The Slave Dancer was a really interesting historical story about a young boy that is forced to play his fife on a slave ship. I thought that this was a great way of introducing this history to a large audience. I felt like the book shared many points of view and it made me really consider those events in a way I hadn't before.

Very Valentine

I read a book by Adriana Trigiani called Very Valentine last weekend. I thought that it was pretty good! It's about an Italian-American woman (and her family) that is an apprentice in a custom shoe shop in NYC. Who wouldn't like a book that involves shoes to this extent? It obviously involves her love life, her family, shoes, and the crisis of losing the shoe shop. I would definitely read another book by this same author. I appreciated that it was pretty clean and surely entertaining.

Ginger Pye

Ginger Pye was a pretty funny book. I really liked the way that the main characters were described. I just thought that the way they talked was great - using terms like "unsavory character" to describe another character in the book cracked me up. They also had great misunderstandings that were funny to think about!

Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry

I've been listening to Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry on CD as I drive to and from work. It is a good story. I think I may need to read Let the Circle Be Unbroken, where the story continues for the Logan family. I read this book back in (probably the 4th grade.) I can't say that I remembered too much of it, but I really feel that one of the main themes, honor, is really important.

Out of the Dust

I liked Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse. It's about a family in the dust bowl of Oklahoma and the trials that they have to deal with. It is written in verse form by the main character, Billie Jo. This story really pulls at your heart strings and makes you happy with what you have. Billie Jo goes through many trials and grows stronger as the story progresses.

Catherine, Called Birdy

Last night, I finished reading Catherine, Called Birdy. It was a really interesting historical fiction book. It's written in journal-form by a young girl in medieval times. She writes about how the things that she wants in life conflict with what her father wants for her (and himself, really.) She is a fiesty character too! You really get a lot of information on what life would have been like then. This book was a Newberry Honor book by the same Newberry Medal winner, Karen Kushman (for The Midwife's Apprentice.)

Granny Torrelli Makes Soup

This was a really quick read! And I thought that it was a great story! Who better to go to for advice and reassurance and a listening ear than your grandma? This was a really sweet story about how Rosie deals with some problems and how granny Torrelli helps her through them. I would definitely recommend this one!

This isn't a Newberry medal book, but it is by the same author as Walk Two Moons, Sharon Creech. I'll definitely have to read more by her.

The Grey King

Last night I finished The Grey King. It took me a while to get through it, and I can't say that I loved it. It was okay. A little reminiscent of Lord of the Rings if you ask me. I just cant' believe that it is considered a children's book. As an adult, it took effort on my part to understand what was going on so I can't imagine anyone under twelve getting it. Another problem for me was that it is in the middle of a series - I'll admit that made me feel a little bit lost. Maybe this type of book just isn't my style?

The Midwife's Apprentice

The Midwife's Apprentice was a really good book with a great moral: don't give up on yourself. This was a really quick read and I really enjoyed it. I've just started The Grey King and am not really sure what's going on because it's (like the third book) in a series. It also seems a little bit older of a reading level. Hopefully I like it as well as the others so far!