Life

Rating: 5/5

Review: Have you ever driven around at night, seen the lit up windows of houses you drive by, and wondered about the lives going on inside? Well, this book is like taking a glimpse into those lives. One constant in each story, is the formidable Olive Kitteridge. She is a no-nonsense kind of gal, with a nasty temper, big mouth, and very little patience. She has a big heart, though, and genuinely cares when a neighbour is in trouble or dealing with a terrible loss. Each chapter is a story, a glimpse, as I said, of everyday life. Only, the majority of them deal with the hard part of life. The heartache, loss, sickness, forbidden love, and infidelity. There are uplifting moments, too, though. It's not all dreary. It's interesting, engaging, and touching. I'm so glad that I read it.

Book Description: At the edge of the continent, Crosby, Maine, may seem like nowhere, but seen through this brilliant writer’s eyes, it’s in essence the whole world, and the lives that are lived there are filled with all of the grand human drama - desire, despair, jealousy, hope, and love.

At times stern, at other times patient, at times perceptive, at other times in sad denial, Olive Kitteridge, a retired schoolteacher, deplores the changes in her little town and in the world at large, but she doesn’t always recognize the changes in those around her: a former student who has lost the will to live; Olive’s own adult child, who feels tyrannized by her irrational sensitivities; and her husband, Henry, who finds his loyalty to his marriage both a blessing and a curse.

As the townspeople grapple with their problems, mild and dire, Olive is brought to a deeper understanding of herself and her life – sometimes painfully, but always with ruthless honesty. Olive Kitteridge offers profound insights into the human condition - its conflicts, its tragedies and joys, and the endurance it requires.

Tragedy on the Cape

Rating: 3.5/5

Review: It started out a bit slow, and I wasn't too fond of the flash backs at first, but it soon caught my interest enough to keep me reading. The story is told by Henry Griswald, who was a boy at the time of the "affair". He was a student at Chatham school, as well as, the headmaster's son. He didn't have friends, he didn't have much respect for his father, and he is destined to do something he would never be able to forgive himself for. One fateful evening, tragedy will strike, people's lives will change forever, and young Henry would be there to see it all. He's the only one who knows the whole truth, and he's kept it to himself for a long long time. He takes a long long time to get to it, too, of course. The story drags a bit here and there, and there wasn't much suspense to it at all. There's always a feeling of doom, but I was never on the edge of my seat. The ending is a little shocking, especially the final truth that's revealed. So, even though it wasn't exciting. Even though it didn't have me biting my nails and frantically turning pages. I have to say, that reaching the shocking ending is worth the effort it takes to get there.

Book Description: Attorney Henry Griswald has a secret: the truth behind the tragic events the world knew as the Chatham School Affair, the controversial tragedy that destroyed five lives, shattered a quiet community, and forever scarred the young boy. Layer by layer, in The Chatham School Affair, Cook paints a stunning portrait of a woman, a school, and a town in which passionate violence seems impossible...and inevitable.

Forever Can Be Anything

Rating: 4/5

My Review: I didn't think that I was going to like this one at all when I first starting reading it. In fact, I had myself all set up to hate it, when I suddenly wanted to know more. I became curious about this girl, Macy, and the new friends she was making at Wish Catering. There's the scatter-brained, and very pregnant, Delia. The quiet and slow Monica with a very limited vocabulary, but ever faithful to those she cares about. There's Kristy, the flashy one that doesn't take anyone's crap for nothing. There's Bert, the goofball doomsday specialist with a bad sense of humor. And then, of course, there's Wes, the laid back artist with an aura of mystery about him that draws Macy in like a moth to a burning lamp. They are all intriguing in their own ways, and it was fun getting to know them through Macy's eyes. There is also the fact that Macy has lost her father, and has been hiding away from her grief instead of facing it. Her mother has been doing the same. So, there is the issue of how to deal with the lost of a loved one. I think Dessen handled it quite accurately, though I can't relate fully to the circumstances. Thankfully. I have to admit that at times I felt like I was reading some teenager's diary, which was long and a little tedious at times. Overall, however, I liked Macy's story, and I am perfectly willing to read another book by Dessen.

Book Description: Macy's summer stretches before her, carefully planned and outlined. She will spend her days sitting at the library information desk. She will spend her evenings studying for the SATs. Spare time will be used to help her obsessive mother prepare for the big opening of the townhouse section of her luxury development.

But Macy's plans don't anticipate a surprising and chaotic job with Wish Catering, a motley crew of new friends, or . . . Wes. Tattooed, artistic, anything-but-expected Wes. He doesn't fit Macy's life at all&150so why does she feel so comfortable with him? So . . . happy? What is it about him that makes her let down her guard and finally talk about how much she misses her father, who died before her eyes the year before?

Princess in Disguise

Rating: 5/5

Review: This was such a beautiful retelling of the Grimm Brothers fairytale about a princess that becomes a goose girl. I was enchanted from the beginning and, though I did take a break to read another novel, I was completely consumed once I got back to it. I loved the way Ani was able to communicate with the animals, especially her loyal horse, Falada. The princess is sent off to marry a prince after her sixteenth birthday, and things don't go quite as planned. All of a sudden, Ani is fleeing for her life and ends up becoming someone else to stay safe. It is an adventure, as well as, a learning experience for her. She finds herself, and what she can truly achieve with her powers. There is some unexpected sadness I must warn, but there is love and excitement as well. I can't wait to delve into Hale's other books featuring the same characters.

Book Description: On her way to marry a prince she has never met, Princess Anidori is betrayed by her guards and her lady-in-waiting and must become a goose girl to survive until she can reveal her true identity and reclaim the crown that is rightfully hers.

Young Ladies and Zombies

Rating: 2.5/5

My Review: I was so thrilled to receive this through the Goodreads Giveaway section. I didn't even know I'd won, and when I got the package, I had to read it immediately. I loved Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, since it was shockingly funny and wonderfully unexpected. This one didn't quite come up to par, though, I'm sorry to say. I wanted to like it, but I never had a real connection to the story. I didn't think that the author was quite true to the characters, and there was a lot less action. I wonder if it would have been better if the story took place back when the wars first started, and Lady Catherine De Bourgh and Mr. Bennet were young warriors. In any case, the book did make me want to read the original again. By the way, the ending was very disturbing, which I'm sure the author intended. I will be thinking about the box and it's contents for some time, and having an occasional shiver all the while.

Book Description: With more than one million copies in print, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies was the surprise publishing phenomenon of 2009. A best seller on three continents, PPZ has been translated into 21 languages and optioned to become a major motion picture.

In this terrifying and hilarious prequel, we witness the genesis of the zombie plague in early-nineteenth-century England. We watch Elizabeth Bennet evolve from a naïve young teenager into a savage slayer of the undead. We laugh as she begins her first clumsy training with nunchucks and katana swords and cry when her first blush with romance goes tragically awry. Written by acclaimed novelist (and Edgar Award nominee) Steve Hockensmith, Dawn of the Dreadfuls invites Austen fans to step back into Regency England, Land of the Undead!