BOOK REVIEW: Deception Point

Deception Point by Dan Brown

I have read all of Dan Brown's novels. My favorite by him was either this one or Digital Fortress--I can't remember for sure right now!

All of his novels are interesting and good. I read his first four books right after each other. I don't recommend doing that. He has a definite pattern to who the "bad guy" is and when you read a couple in a row, you can spot the bad guy in the first few pages. His books are more fun when it takes you by surprise. I recommend any of his novels.

BOOK REVIEW: Lord of the Rings Trilogy

The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien
including The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and The Return of the King

First of all, this "trilogy" is actually supposed to be one book, so with that said, this is one of the best books ever written.

There is a lot of description in this book. There is a lot of history and a lot of information that can bog people down. If you can push through the history lesson in The Fellowship of the Ring, you will be hooked! You cannot rely on the movies to give you the story here--the characters are far more noble than the movies portray.

BOOK REVIEW: The Princess Bride

The Princess Bride by William Goldman

This is one of my favorite books I have ever read. It has a little of everything (are you kidding me?! Fencing, fighting, true love!). It is funny, too.

If you liked the movie, you will love the book.

Book Review: Henry VIII's Wives: History in an Hour

Henry VIII's Wives: History in an Hour by Julie Wheeler

This is a very fast read (as the title would imply). I found it very informative and interesting. Definitely worth the time investment if you have in interest in British history.

From Amazon: Love history? Know your stuff with History in an Hour.

In his ambition to provide a male heir to the throne, Henry VIII married six times. Divorce from his first wife, Catherine of Aragon, caused England’s break from the Catholic church in Rome. He went on to divorce Anne of Cleves and behead Anne Boleyn and Katherine Howard for infidelities. Jane Seymour died and Catherine Parr survived Henry.

Henry VIII’s Wives in an Hour will introduce you to these six entirely diverse and captivating personalities and the events that propelled them to their individual fates. You will learn which wife had what impact on Henry and England and understand why Henry and his six wives form the most popular period of Tudor history.

Know your stuff: read about Henry VIII’s wives in just one hour.

BOOK REVIEW: The Book Thief

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

This is a book set in Nazi Germany during WWII. I really enjoyed this book. It is told from the point of view of "death"--essentially the "grim reaper." This book does a great job of telling the story of life in Germany at the time without the focus being on the war, fighting, or concentration camps. It is also the tale of a young girl falling in love with reading, which is something I love.

Review From School Library Journal

Starred Review. Grade 9 Up–Zusak has created a work that deserves the attention of sophisticated teen and adult readers. Death himself narrates the World War II-era story of Liesel Meminger from the time she is taken, at age nine, to live in Molching, Germany, with a foster family in a working-class neighborhood of tough kids, acid-tongued mothers, and loving fathers who earn their living by the work of their hands. The child arrives having just stolen her first book–although she has not yet learned how to read–and her foster father uses it, The Gravediggers Handbook, to lull her to sleep when shes roused by regular nightmares about her younger brothers death. Across the ensuing years of the late 1930s and into the 1940s, Liesel collects more stolen books as well as a peculiar set of friends: the boy Rudy, the Jewish refugee Max, the mayors reclusive wife (who has a whole library from which she allows Liesel to steal), and especially her foster parents. Zusak not only creates a mesmerizing and original story but also writes with poetic syntax, causing readers to deliberate over phrases and lines, even as the action impels them forward. Death is not a sentimental storyteller, but he does attend to an array of satisfying details, giving Liesels story all the nuances of chance, folly, and fulfilled expectation that it deserves. An extraordinary narrative.–Francisca Goldsmith, Berkeley Public Library, CA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

BOOK REVIEW: The Time Traveler's Wife

The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

This book was recommended to me by more than one person in the church.  They said it was fabulous.  So I bought the book before I read it.  Big mistake.  The whole idea of the book was really cool.  Being able to time travel and interact with your past and future self   But it had horrible language and some very inappropriate behavior.  I quit reading it after the first chapter because I couldn't take anymore.  So this is definitely a book to avoid.  Sorry Audrey.

AUTHOR REVIEW: Shannon Hale

I love Shannon Hale books.  They are awesome.  The first one I read was Princess Academy.  It was so cute.  I then read the 4-book Goose Girl Series, I have read Book of a Thousand Days, Austenland, and The Actor and the Housewife.  I really liked them all.  I have most of them. :)  They are fun books about princesses or people with magical powers.  Austenland and The Actor and the Housewife are geared more towards the older crowd.  They were a little more mature but still good.  I remember there was kissing in Austenland, but nothing raunchy.  The Actor and the Housewife also has had mixed reviews.  It's all about a Mormon housewife who runs into her celebrity crush and they become best friends.  You either love it or you hate it.   All in all, they are very fun books.  I am excited to read her new ones that have come out.  Here is her website.

http://www.squeetus.com/stage/books.html

You can get online and read the first chapter in each of her books.  She also has other fun tidbits about each book.  Anyway, you can't go wrong with a Shannon Hale book for a good, fun, quick read.

BOOK REVIEW: The Mitford Series

The Mitford Series: by Jan Karon

This has been one of my all time favorite reads.  A few ladies in Morgantown recommended the series and I fell in love with them.  If I remember right it took a little while for the story to get going.  But once you learned about all the people you just fell in love with them and just really enjoyed reading about their lives.  Nothing fancy here, just a feel good series.  I loved them.

Amazon Review of the first book: "It's easy to feel at home in Mitford, North Carolina. In these high, green hills, the air is pure, the village is charming, and the people are friendly. Yet, Father Tim, the bachelor rector, wants something more. Enter a dog the size of a sofa who moves in and won't go away. Add an attractive neighbor who begins wearing a path through the hedge. Now, stir in a lovable but unloved boy, a mystifying jewel theft, and a secret that's sixty years old. Suddenly, Father Tim gets more than he bargained for. And readers get a rich comedy about ordinary people and their ordinary lives."

BOOK REVIEW: Miss Peregrine's School for Peculiar Children

Miss Peregrine's School for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

This book has interesting facets. I didn't LOVE it. There wasn't anything objectionable in it. It is set up for a sequel, and when I got to the end and realized that I was disappointed--I would have been happy with it just being wrapped up. Not a bad read, but there are definitely better reads out there.

BOOK REVIEW: Lorien Legacies

Lorien Legacies series (by Pttacus Lore)

I really enjoy this series. I have read the three main and there are more coming. It is about a small group of members of an alien race hiding on Earth until they can be strong enough to go back and fight for their planet again. This is one of my favorites I have read this year.

BOOK REVIEW: Graceling

Graceling (by Kristin Cashore)

This is a series--the first is Graceling.

This book is a young adult fantasy book. The premise is original and quite interesting. It is set in a mid-evil type of a world where some people are born with certain graces--extra power to do things well. Some can read minds, some can use swords well, some are strong, some are good with animals, etc.

I do not, however, recommend this book. It alludes to adult themes and the characters have standards that are definitely not my own. I won't write out what it is because it can give things away, but if you want more details, you can ask me. It is a small very part of the book, which is too bad because the idea of the book is a good one.

BOOK REVIEW: Hunger Games Series

The Hunger Games Series (by Suzanne Collins): .

The Hunger Games

Catching Fire

Mockingjay

My review: Loved it! I won't summarize it since most people know the basic storyline. There is violence (obviously) but I don't remember it being graphic or descriptive. A lot of people are killed though. I don't remember any other questionable content like language or adult themes

BOOK REVIEW: The Matt Cruse

The Matt Cruze Series (by Kenneth Oppel): 

Airborn

Skybreaker

Starclimber

My review: I really enjoyed this series as well. It is young adult, fantasy and a lot of fun. There was some violence and suspense but I don't remember any notable graphic content, language, or adult themes.

Here is the Amazon description. Matt Cruse is a cabin boy on the Aurora, a huge airship that sails hundreds of feet above the ocean, ferrying wealthy passengers from city to city. It is the life Matt's always wanted; convinced he's lighter than air, he imagines himself as buoyant as the hydrium gas that powers his ship. One night he meets a dying balloonist who speaks of beautiful creatures drifting through the skies. It is only after Matt meets the balloonist's granddaughter that he realizes that the man's ravings may, in fact, have been true, and that the creatures are completely real and utterly mysterious.

In a swashbuckling adventure reminiscent of Jules Verne and Robert Louis Stevenson, Kenneth Oppel, author of the best-selling Silverwing trilogy, creates an imagined world in which the air is populated by transcontinental voyagers, pirates, and beings never before dreamed of by the humans who sail the skies.

BOOK REVIEW: The Giver Series

The Giver Series (by Lois Lowry):

The Giver

Messenger

Gathering Blue

Son

My review: Great Series! Great Message and it will make you think. I just really enjoyed it. Each of the books are a pretty fast read as well. I would totally recommend this to anyone. I can't think of any bad content at all. 

I don't want to give away the details but the series starts by following a boy, Jonas, that lives in a community where everything is perfectly orderly and controlled and all your decisions are made for you including what your life's work will be. Everything seems perfect until it all changes, at least for Jonas.

BOOK REVIEW: The Maze Runner Series

The Maze Runner Series (by James Dashner)

The Maze Runner

The Scorch Trials

The Death Cure

The Kill Order (Prequel)

My review: Seriously loved this series (I haven't read the prequel yet). It sucks you in and keeps you hooked. There is action, mystery, suspense, etc. There is a fair amount of fighting and violence some of which is fairly detailed. There isn't any language or adult themes. 

Here is the Amazon write-up for the first book:  

When Thomas wakes up in the lift, the only thing he can remember is his first name. His memory is blank. But he’s not alone. When the lift’s doors open, Thomas finds himself surrounded by kids who welcome him to the Glade—a large, open expanse surrounded by stone walls.

Just like Thomas, the Gladers don’t know why or how they got to the Glade. All they know is that every morning the stone doors to the maze that surrounds them have opened. Every night they’ve closed tight. And every thirty days a new boy has been delivered in the lift.

Thomas might be more important than he could ever guess. If only he could unlock the dark secrets buried within his mind.

BOOK REVIEW: The Divergent Series

The Divergent Series (by Veronica Roth)

Divergent

Insurgent

Allegiant (due to release Oct 22, 2013)

My review: Great series (so far). It has kind of the feel of Hunger Games but a totally different storyline. It is based in a dystopian world with factions based on 5 different virtues. It is well written and a lot of fun, suspense, mystery. It's just awesome. It is really intense. There is some violence, fighting, and war. Some of it is fairly descriptive. I don't remember if there is any language in it. There isn't any explicit adult themes but there is romance (kissing and gunk like that). 

Here is the Amazon write-up for the first book:  

In Beatrice Prior’s dystopian Chicago world, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue—Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is—she can’t have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.

7

During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles alongside her fellow initiates to live out the choice they have made. Together they must undergo extreme physical tests of endurance and intense psychological simulations, some with devastating consequences. As initiation transforms them all, Tris must determine who her friends really are—and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes exasperating boy fits into the life she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers unrest and growing conflict that threaten to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves . . . or it might destroy her.

BOOK REVIEW: Fablehaven

Fablehaven (by Brandon Mull)

Fablehaven

Rise of the Evening Star

Grip of the Shadow Plague

Secrets of the Dragon Sanctuary

Keys to the Demon Prison

My review: I read this series with Brayden and totally enjoyed it. There is some scary stuff and some violence but nothing I wouldn't have let Brayden be exposed to. I it similar in intensity to the Harry Potter series. The books are really well written, very imaginative, and just a lot of fun. I thought they were great! The story is compelling and doesn't have any gapping holes in the ploy that I remember. I would totally recommend this series to anyone. No language, adult themes, just a little violence but it is not detailed and quite minimal overall.

Here is the Amazon write-up for the first book:  

Kendra and her brother, Seth, have no idea that their grandfather is the current caretaker of Fablehaven. Inside the gated woods, ancient laws keep relative order among the greedy trolls, mischievous satyrs, plotting witches, spiteful imps, and jealous fairies. But when the rules get broken, powerful forces are unleashed, and Kendra and her brother face the greatest challenge of their lives. To save their family, Fablehaven, and maybe even the world, Kendra and Seth must find the courage to do what they fear most...