That Funny Quimby Girl

My Rating: 4/5

Review: Ramona is such a fun character to read about. She always gets into one mess or another, and I never fail to laugh out loud at least once while reading. My son and I love these books.

Book Description: From the first day of third grade, when Ramona Quimby meets her eventual nemesis Yard Ape, life moves on at its usual wild pace--usual for the boisterous Ramona, that is. Soon she is accidentally squashing a raw egg into her hair at the school cafeteria, being forced to play Uncle Rat with her annoying young neighbor, and, worst of all, throwing up in her classroom. The responsibilities of an 8-year-old are sometimes daunting, especially in a family that is trying to squeak by while the father goes back to school. But Ramona is full of too much vim and vigor to ever be down for long.

Story Behind a Painting

My Rating: 4/5

Review: This was much like reading a classic novel, and I thouroughly enjoyed it. Greit was almost unlikeable with her saucy outlook at times, but I couldn't resist her spunk. I liked that she didn't always just let people walk all over her, especially bratty children. I also liked getting a glimpse of what it may have been like in a painter's world. It made me want to see Vermeer's works. I will definitely be checking out other books by Tracy Chevalier.

Book Description: History and fiction merge seamlessly in Tracy Chevalier's luminous novel about artistic vision and sensual awakening. Through the eyes of sixteen-year-old Griet, the world of 1660s Holland comes dazzlingly alive in this richly imagined portrait of the young woman who inspired one of Vermeer's most celebrated paintings.

Zombies, Zombies, Everywhere!

My Rating: 4/5

Review: The first three words that come to mind after finishing this book are dark, tragic, and beautiful. I was intrigued by Mary's world from beginning to end. There is so much tragedy in this poor girl's life that one could not help but feel for her. Yet, she is incredibly brave, and has such a deep unyielding faith in the stories her mother use to tell her of the world beyond their village. There is an ocean to find, a place where they can be safe from the unconsecrated, as the zombies are called. She dreams of it, becomes obsessed with it even. When a mysterious woman comes to their village one night, everything changes. Events soon hurl Mary and the people she cares about out beyond the village into the Forest of Hands and Teeth. I was gripping the book so tight during the last few chapters, I may have left a dent in the pages. I'm anxiously awaiting the next book in this series to become available at my library.

Book Description: In Mary's world there are simple truths. The Sisterhood always knows best. The Guardians will protect and serve. The Unconsecrated will never relent. And you must always mind the fence that surrounds the village; the fence that protects the village from the Forest of Hands and Teeth. But, slowly, Mary’s truths are failing her. She’s learning things she never wanted to know about the Sisterhood and its secrets, and the Guardians and their power, and about the Unconsecrated and their relentlessness. When the fence is breached and her world is thrown into chaos, she must choose between her village and her future—between the one she loves and the one who loves her. And she must face the truth about the Forest of Hands and Teeth. Could there be life outside a world surrounded in so much death?

Save the Wolves!

Book Quote: "There is no better taste than this: someone else's laughter in your mouth."

My Rating: 4/5

Review: Grace and Sam are two young lovers who only want to be together. There's just a few things standing in their way. One, Grace's parents don't approve of their relationship (even though they were pretty much non-parents before Sam came into her life). Two, Grace just so happened to turn into a wolf at the end of the last book. Sam, of course, was cured, so that pretty much puts a damper on the spending any time together thing. Three, just about everyone in Mercy Falls thinks that Sam has killed Grace. Four, Isabel Culpepper's father wants every wolf in Mercy Falls dead. He's still pretty bitter with the death of his only son. Understandable? Yes. Absolutely necessary? No. To top everything off, a certain female has turned up dead, mutilated by a very nasty werewolf that was never really in her right mind to begin with. There's plenty of suspense and intensity here, but there were plenty of horriblt drawn out chapters that kept me from getting completely drawn into the story, as well. Grace and Sam are two very endearing characters, however, so I could never give their story any less than four stars.

Book Description: In Maggie Stiefvater's SHIVER, Grace and Sam found each other. In LINGER, they fought to be together. Now, in FOREVER, the stakes are even higher than before. Wolves are being hunted. Lives are being threatened. And love is harder and harder to hold on to as death comes closing in.