Library of Clean Reads

Circuits of the Wind by Michael Stutz (Review and Giveaway)

2012-01-27T07:53:00.002-05:00

Circuits of the Wind: A Legend of the Net Age by Michael Stutz
ISBN: 978-0-9838558-0-4
Confiteor Media
Published: November 2011
Paperback, 270 pages

This is volume 1 of a trilogy about Raymond Valentino growing up in the mythic city of Clifton, USA in the 70’s. Ray is mesmerized by technology. At an early age he is fascinated by mechanical things, first the telephone, that wonder so complex and technological and so suggestive of another world; then household appliances, like a Sunbeam electric blender with its tantalizing buttons; a mixer “parked up upon the counter sleek and white as a moon rocket” ; an automatic coffee pot “that would stare down at him in bold authority”; the console record player with its robotic arm; and, of course, the television set , “a complex robotic box whose outer limits were unknown” All of these wonders enthrall young Ray and set him on the road toward what would become the focus of his life, computers, early “chat rooms”, and hacker boards.

“Raymond learned all the details of what it meant to be a hacker, someone who was a master at manipulating through this hidden world of wires, who knew all about telephones and computers and technology. They were the ones who could open all the doors, who traversed the secret corridors, who connected and who wandered far – which had been the very thing that Raymond had always been after.” And so Raymond becomes a wanderer on the wires.

In some respects the book is a retrospective of technology as seen through the eyes of a young boy. It’s the kind of life that one imagines Bill Gates or Steve Jobs living. I found it a little sad as Ray becomes increasingly addicted to hacking and to contact with unseen people, always with the idea of reaching for something “out there” that is beyond him, so convinced that everywhere else is better than where he is, everyone else’s life is better than his. Meanwhile, a widening gulf exists between him and his real-life friends.

The descriptive passages in the book are funny, true to life and quite lyrical. Michael Stutz has an amazing ability with words, despite his liberal use of conjunctions such as I’d, there’d, she’d.

Read this book to learn the story of the beginning of the “net” generation. I believe Circuits of the Wind will be savored by “techies”, “geeks” and computer “nerds”.

This book is rated C = clean read.

Reviewed by Sandra

And now for the giveaway!

Entering is easy. Giveaway rules:
Mandatory:
1) Leave a comment as to why you want to win this book and include an email address.

Extra entries:
Each extra entry MUST be a separate comment or it will not count.
1) If you are a follower, new or current, leave a comment telling me so.
2) Like us on Facebook and leave a comment stating you did.
3) Follow us on Twitter and leave a comment stating you did.

*Buttons for following found on top left-hand corner of blog.
*Giveaway ends February 5, 2012.
*Giveaway open to Canada and US.
*Please read our Giveaway Policy before entering our giveaways.

Disclosure: Thanks to Renee from Confiteor Media for sending me this book for review. I was not compensated in any other way, nor told how to rate or review this product.

Dreaming of Mr. Darcy by Victoria Connelly

2012-01-25T09:40:00.000-05:00

Dreaming of Mr. Darcy by Victoria Connelly
Sourcebooks Landmark
ISBN: 978-1402251351
Published January 2012
Trade paperback, 368 pages

Kay Ashton loves everything Jane Austen including the seaside town of Lyme, the setting of Persuasion. So she purchases a bed and breakfast there and sets out to finish her book, The Illustrated Mr. Darcy. Life gets interesting when the cast of a movie adaptation of Persuasion invades her place and Kay falls head over heels for Oli, the famous and handsome actor who plays Captain Wentworth. But she is oblivious to the attentions of Adam Craig, the shy screenwriter and producer of the movie.

This was a fun and lighthearted novel. Kay is warm and honest, and her daydreaming made me reminisce of when I did that in my youth. She is somewhat like Austen's Emma who thought she was a good matchmaker. The story is filled with misunderstandings, quirky characters, and references to Austen's work, all happening in the charming setting of Lyme Regis. I liked Adam's grandmother, Nana Craig in her quaint cottage with her colorful clothes and personality.

I don't usually read chick-lit, and it was a little too fluff for me, but I still enjoyed it. Kay was a little too naive when it came to Oli, and Adam and Gemma's misunderstanding could have been cleared up rather quickly. This is a light, quick read that is good after a heavy novel, if you're looking for a funny diversion, or if you like contemporary Austen spin-off novels.

Note: This book is rated C = clean read.

Reviewed by Laura

I will count this book toward the following challenges: A -Z Book Challenge

Disclosure: Thanks to Kay Mitchell from Sourcebooks for sending me this book for review. I was not compensated in any other way, nor told how to rate or review this product.

The Invisible Ones by Stef Penney

2012-01-23T07:50:00.001-05:00

The Invisible Ones by Stef Penney
ISBN: 978-0-670-06631-5
Penguin Group
Published: January 2012
Trade Paperback, 401 pages

The story is set in the Gypsy community circa 1980. Ray is a half Romany or Gypsy private investigator hired to find a missing Gypsy woman, Rose Janko. He begins his search with the Janko family, the in-laws of Rose, who are very resistant to questions about her. They all declare that she ran away 7 years previously following the birth of her son, Christo, born with a hereditary familial blood disease.

The family is dogged by tragedy as a mysterious blood disease has taken the lives of several male members of their family. Only Ivo, the baby’s father has been cured of the disease, it seems. Ray finds the Janko family were and are curiously unmoved by Rose’s disappearance – why? Secrets abound. Ray is more determined than ever to find Rose, solve the growing mystery about her, the Janko family, and “pure” Gypsy blood. Then Ivo disappears and the mystery deepens.

There are two narrators – Ray Lovell and JJ Janko. The author is a woman who writes convincingly as the “voice” of 40-something, Ray, and JJ, a teenage boy in the Janko family.

I can usually tell by the first sentence and/or the first paragraph of a book whether or not I’m going to like it. The introductory paragraph of this book describes a sexual encounter in a hospital bed. Was it real or the result of a hallucinatory herb given to Ray? In either case, it was, in my opinion, completely unnecessary to the development of the story. Expletives (f-words) are used throughout the book, again a technique wholly unnecessary to the telling of a good story.

I love a book that not only entertains but also informs. The Invisible Ones does both. Apart from the mystery, it gives the reader a glimpse into Gypsy life in Britain, for that is where the story takes place. They move from site to site, decidedly preferring trailers to homes. There are half-blood and full-blood Gypsies, the latter having a certain status in the community. Their grapevine is very effective and they somehow know typical Gypsy family names. Their origins in Britain go back about 500 years when the first exotic dark-skinned Travelers arrived there. The leader of the group called himself the King of Little Egypt and though they were not actually from Egypt, (more likely from Eastern Europe) the name stuck – Egyptians/Gypsies. There are gypsy words sprinkled throughout the novel that add authenticity.

This book has a very unusual story line and keeps the reader intrigued almost to the end. It’s worth reading.

Note: This book is rated S = Sex and P = profanity

Reviewed by Sandra

Disclosure: Thanks to Bronwyn Kienapple from Penguin Group Canada for sending me this book for review. I was not compensated in any other way, nor told how to rate or review this product.

Mailbox Monday for January 23

2012-01-22T10:31:00.000-05:00

I was so excited to get these new books!

Mailbox Monday was created by Marcia at A Girl and Her Books. It is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their house last week. Alyce will be hosting for the month of January on At Home With Books. You can also view the touring blog list at Mailbox Monday blog for the upcoming months.

Guitar Zero: The New Musician and the Science of Learning by Gary Marcus (for review for TLC Book Tour)

On the eve of his fortieth birthday, Gary Marcus, an internationally renowned scientist with no discernible musical talent, becomes his own guinea pig to look at how human beings become musical- and how anyone of any age can master something new. Guitar Zero traces his journey, what he learned, and how you can learn, too. In addition to being a groundbreaking look at the origins and allure of music, Marcus's journey is also an empowering tale of the mind's plasticity.

In a quest that takes him from Suzuki classes to guitar gods, Marcus investigates the most effective ways to train your brain and body to learn to play an instrument. How can you make your practice more deliberate and effective? How can you find the best music teacher for you or your child? Does talent really exist? Or is hard work all you need?

Guitar Zero stands the science of music on its head, debunking the popular theory of an innate musical instinct and many other commonly held fallacies. At the same time, it raises new questions about the science of human pleasure and brings new insight into humankind's most basic question: what counts as a life well lived? Does one have to become the next Jimi Hendrix to make a passionate pursuit worthwhile? Or can the journey itself bring the brain lasting satisfaction?

Gillespie and I by Jane Harris (for review for TLC Book Tour)

As she sits in her Bloomsbury home, with her two birds for company, elderly Harriet Baxter sets out to relate the story of her acquaintance, nearly four decades previously, with Ned Gillespie, a talented artist who never achieved the fame she maintains he deserved. Back in 1888, the young, art-loving Harriet arrives in Glasgow at the time of the International Exhibition. After a chance encounter she befriends the Gillespie family and soon becomes a fixture in all of their lives. But when tragedy strikes - leading to a notorious criminal trial - the promise and certainties of this world all too rapidly disintegrate into mystery and deception...

Pictures of the Past by Deby Eisenberg (for review for Pump Up Your Book Tour)

Pictures of the Past is a compelling saga sweeping through Chicago, Paris and Berlin, reliving events from pre-World War II Europe, but beginning in contemporary times. An Impressionist painting, hanging for decades in the Art Institute of Chicago and donated by the charismatic philanthropist Taylor Woodmere, is challenged by an elderly woman as a Nazi theft. Taylor’s gripping and passionate story takes us back to 1937. Sent to Paris on family business, he reluctantly leaves his girlfriend Emily, a spoiled debutante from Newport, Rhode Island. But once in Europe, he immediately falls in love – first with an Henri Lebasque painting, and then with the enchanting Sarah Berger of Berlin. After Taylor returns home, the Berger family becomes trapped in the Nazi web, and any attempts for the new lovers to be reunited are thwarted. Interwoven with this narrative is the story of Rachel Gold, a beautiful and bright Chicago girl caught up in the times of the late 1960’s. Pregnant and abandoned by her boyfriend Court Woodmere, Taylor’s son, she moves to New York to live with her aunt, a Holocaust survivor.

Years later, as the controversy surrounding the provenance of the painting becomes public, Rachel’s grown son is disturbed by his inexplicable familiarity with the work of art. And it is only Taylor Woodmere who can unravel the complicated puzzle of their lives. With a heart-grabbing ending, Pictures of the Past is historical fiction at its best, giving a personalized window to the powerful events and intriguing venues of the eras. From a world torn by the horrors of war, a love story emerges that endures through years of separation.

Ugly to Start With by John Michael Cummings (for review from author)

Jason Stevens is growing up in picturesque, historic Harpers Ferry, West Virginia in the 1970s. Back when the roads are smaller, the cars slower, the people more colorful, and Washington, D.C. is way across the mountains—a winding sixty-five miles away.

Jason dreams of going to art school in the city, but he must first survive his teenage years. He witnesses a street artist from Italy charm his mother from the backseat of the family car. He stands up to an abusive husband—and then feels sorry for the jerk. He puts up with his father’s hard-skulled backwoods ways, his grandfather’s showy younger wife, and the fist-throwing schoolmates and eccentric mountain characters that make up Harpers Ferry—all topped off by a basement art project with a girl from the poor side of town.

Ugly to Start With punctuates the exuberant highs, bewildering midpoints, and painful lows of growing up, and affirms that adolescent dreams and desires are often fulfilled in surprising ways.

Kid Konnection: Real Mermaids Don't Wear Toe Rings by Hélène Boudreau

2012-01-21T07:47:00.000-05:00

Real Mermaids Don't Wear Toe Rings by Hélène Boudreau
Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
ISBN: 978-1402244124
Published Dec 1, 2010
Trade paperback, 224 pages

My kids love the movie Aquamarine and have watched it countless times. So it was no surprise when my daughter chose this book from our shelf as our next read together. I was hoping it was a good one and I'm happy to say it exceeded our expectation! It was not only a funny story but it had great themes.

It's the summer that Jade turns fourteen, gets her period, experiences her first boy crush and wishes her mom is still alive to help her through all the conflicting emotions. But last summer Jade's mother drowned and Jade and her dad are still mourning. It's only after Jade soaks in her tub with epsom salts that she gets one more shocker. She turns into a mermaid!

This is when her dad reveals to her that her mother was also a mermaid. This only makes Jade question how it was possible for her mother to drown if that was the case.With her newfound skills, Jade makes a startling discovery about her mother all the while trying to keep her transformative ability from her best friend, Cori, who is concerned about Jade.

My daughter and I loved reading this book together. Even though Jade is fourteen, my almost 11 year-old daughter was able to relate to her. Jade's relationship with her dad is great (heartwarming) reminding me of what my own daughter has with her dad. This is very much a book about family, exploring parent and child relationships. But it also explores friendships, the changes of puberty, and finding courage in the face of helping someone you love who's in trouble. The fantastical aspect of the mermaid world was fun and Jade's quirky personality made her so likable. There's also a recipe at the end of the book for Jade's 5-minute Chocolate Mug Cake which we have already made twice. Yum!

This was a refreshingly different book and perfect for my daughter and I to read together. It drew us closer together as we sympathized with Jade's loss and how much she missed her mother. I recommend this for mother/daughter book clubs and for those who love fun coming-of-age stories.

Note: This book is rated C = clean read. There is a kissing scene at the end of the book between two fourteen year-old teens.
I will count this book toward the following challenges: A - Z Book Challenge, TBR Pile Reading Challenge

Reviewed by Laura

Disclosure: Thanks to Cindy from Cindy's Love of Books for passing this book on to me. I was not told how to rate or review this product.

Every Saturday, Booking Mama hosts a feature called Kid Konnection—a regular weekend feature about anything related to children's books. If you'd like to participate in Kid Konnection and share a post about anything related to children's books (picture, middle grade, or young adult) from the past week, visit Booking Mama.

All the Flowers in Shanghai by Duncan Jepson (TLC Book Tour)

2012-01-19T08:42:00.000-05:00

All the Flowers in Shanghai by Duncan Jepson
ISBN 978-0-06-208160-5
William Morrow
Published: January 2012
Trade Paperback, 302 pages

When I read the dedication "for all the daughters, forgotten and unloved" I was hooked!

A friend recently told me that he would never be interested in a book about women. The author of this book is a man writing in the first-person perspective of a woman and is entirely interesting with an authentic “voice”.

Xiao Feng looks back on her life and is recording the events for her estranged daughter. As the story begins Xiao Feng is a beautiful, innocent 17-year old Chinese girl who is forced to marry the rich fiancé of her recently deceased sister. All the arrangements for the wedding are in place, the dress is ready, gifts exchanged, guests invited and the only thing missing is a bride. The marriage MUST take place. So Feng is handed over to replace her sister. The marriage will accommodate that ancient philosophy of "face". "Face is everything," says Feng's mother. "It would be considered a terrible loss of face if a marriage did not take place," she states. This is 1930's China, "old China" and daughters are expected to obey their parents and forego their own desires.

Thus Feng is thrust into a horrible family ruled by Father-in-law and his two wives who are interested in rigidly maintaining tradition and family honor. The first order of business for Feng, of course, is to produce a male heir. She extracts a promise from her maid that if a girl is born she doesn't want to see it and that the baby should be given to a peasant family to face a life of hard work. The maid begrudgingly fulfills her promise. Feng wants revenge for how she has been treated by her husband and his family.

Time passes and Feng becomes absorbed in her rich surroundings and useless, self-centered social life, but she never forgets her daughter. A second child, a son, is born, whom she adores and her position in the family is finally cemented. Years pass as her son grows into a capable young man. A new maid is hired to care for him. Then events take an unexpected, dramatic turn in the family provoking Feng to flee. She finds help and support from an old acquaintance and begins her new life working in a Communist commune sewing buttons on Mao jackets as Chinese society moves toward Mao's great revolution that will change life forever.

Essentially this is a sad story. Tradition-bound attitudes regarding the relative unimportance of girls lead to cruel and inexcusable actions. Family relationships are damaged. Adherence to philosophies like “face” can influence events so dramatically that inevitably calamity ensues. Allowing hatred and revenge to dominate in one’s life can produce irreversible results.

All the Flowers in Shanghai helps the reader to learn something about China’s traditions, recent history and will be enjoyed by people who are concerned with the plight of women in general and Chinese women in particular.

Note: This book is rated S = Sexual descriptions. There are a number of explicit sexual scenes in the book.

About the author:
Duncan Jepson is the award-winning director and producer of five feature films. He has also produced documentaries for Discovery Channel Asia and National Geographic Channel. He was the editor of the Asia-based fashion magazine West East and is a founder and managing editor of the Asia Literary Review. A lawyer by profession, he lives in Hong Kong.

Visit Duncan Jepson's website www.alltheflowersinshanghai.com.

Reviewed by Sandra

Disclosure: Thanks to HarperCollins and TLC Tours for sending me this book for review. I was not compensated in any other way, nor told how to rate or review this product.

Winner for the Dreaming of Books Giveaway

2012-01-19T07:43:00.000-05:00

Congratulations to my winner of Dreaming of Books Giveaway Hop!

# 5 Debbie has won the book The Western Lit Survival Kit: An Irreverent Guide to the Classics, from Homer to Faulkner by Sandra Newman

The winner was chosen using Random.org and has been emailed. The winner has 48 hours to claim the prize. I would like to thank Gotham Books for offering this book to give away. Also a big thank you to TLC Book Tours, all the participants, and to all my current and new followers. You rock!

Mailbox Monday for January 16

2012-01-15T22:22:00.000-05:00

Mailbox Monday was created by Marcia at A Girl and Her Books. It is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their house last week. Alyce will be hosting for the month of January on At Home With Books. You can also view the touring blog list at Mailbox Monday blog for the upcoming months.

Got lots of books in the mailbox last week!

Beyond All Measure by Dorothy Love (win from Reviews by Molly)

Ada Wentworth may be young, but she's seen enough of life to know she can only rely on herself. Everyone including God it seems, has let her down. Having lost her family, her fiance, and her fortune, Ada journeys from Boston to Hickory Ridge, Tennessee, to take a position as a lady's companion. Though initially charmed by the pretty little Southern town tucked into the foothills of the great Smokies, Ada plans to stay only until she can earn enough to establish a millinery shop.

Her employer, Wyatt Caldwell, the local lumber mill owner, is easily the kindest, most attractive man Ada has met in Hickory Ridge. He believes Providence has brought her to town and into his life. But how, after so many betrayals, can she ever trust again? Besides, Wyatt has a dream of his own. A dream that will one day take him far from Hickory Ridge.

Casey and Kyle: I'm Saving Up For a Big Brother by Will Robertson (for review for Pump Up Your Book Tour)

Casey and Kyle is a strip about the fun and chaos of kids. It’s about the things you remember about your own childhood and (for anyone with kids) the way your own kids really are. It goes deeper than your average kid strip and builds on the dynamic that exists between an older and younger sibling: The way the oldest always gets to be the hero; the younger the bad guy. It features a cacophony of neighborhood kids, each one making his own indelible stamp on the other characters.

Borneo Tom by Tom McLaughlin (for review for Pump Up Your Book Tour)

Borneo Tom is touring in 2012 with his nonfiction travel memoir Borneo Tom – In Story and Sketch: Love, Travel and Jungle Family in Tropical Asia. Join award winning science teacher Tom McLaughlin (aka Borneo Tom) as he moves from America to Malaysian Borneo as he tracks orangutans, dances naked in an earthquake, swims with jellyfish AND MORE DANGEROUSLY…falls in love.

Glory Be by Augusta Scattergood (for review from Scholastic)

A Mississippi town in 1964 gets riled when tempers flare at the segregated public pool. As much as Gloriana June Hemphill, or Glory as everyone knows her, wants to turn twelve, there are times when Glory wishes she could turn back the clock a year. Jesslyn, her sister and former confidante, no longer has the time of day for her now that she’ll be entering high school. Then there’s her best friend, Frankie. Things have always been so easy with Frankie, and now suddenly they aren’t. Maybe it’s the new girl from the North that’s got everyone out of sorts. Or maybe it’s the debate about whether or not the town should keep the segregated public pool open. Augusta Scattergood has drawn on real-life events to create a memorable novel about family, friendship, and choices that aren’t always easy.

Behind Enemy Lines by Carol Matas (for review from Scholastic)

Eighteen-year-old Sam Frederiksen has come a long way from the Prairies. Trained to be a gunner in a Lancaster bomber during WWII, he is shot down over France. Battered and bruised, he does survive, and joins forces with the French Resistance... only to be betrayed by one of its members. He and other flyers from various Allied countries are rounded up by the Gestapo and held in Fresnes prison just outside of Paris.

Treated as spies, rather than POWs, these men are beaten, some tortured — then sent to Buchenwald Concentration Camp in eastern Germany. It is here, in these wretched conditions, that Sam witnesses the darkest side of humanity — gas chambers, torture and starvation. Yet it is also here that he comes to understand the true resilience and unfathomable courage of the victims. Author Carol Matas has won numerous awards for her previous novels about the Holocaust. Behind Enemy Lines is partially based on a true incident from WWII, in which 168 Allied airmen were captured and sent to Buchenwald. Twenty-six of these men were Canadian.

Making Bombs for Hitler by Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch (for review from Scholastic)

In Stolen Child, Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch introduced readers to Larissa, a victim of Hitler's largely unknown Lebensborn program. In this companion novel, readers will learn the fate of Lida, her sister, who was also kidnapped by the Germans and forced into slave labour — anOstarbeiter.

In addition to her other tasks, Lida's small hands make her the perfect candidate to handle delicate munitions work, so she is sent to a factory that makes bombs. The gruelling work and conditions leave her severely malnourished and emotionally traumatized, but overriding all of this is her concern and determination to find out what happened to her vulnerable younger sister.

With rumours of the Allies turning the tide in the war, Lida and her friends conspire to sabotage the bombs to help block the Nazis' war effort. When her work camp is finally liberated, she is able to begin her search to learn the fate of her sister.

Torn Apart: The Internment: Diary of Mary Kobayashi by Susan Aihoshi (for review from Scholastic)

It is 1941 and Mary Kobayashi, a Canadian-born Japanese girl enjoys her life in Vancouver. She likes school, she likes her friends, and she yearns above all else to own a bicycle. Although WWII is raging elsewhere in the world, it hasn't really impacted her life in B.C.

Then on December 7, 1941, Japan bombs Pearl Harbor. . . and everything changes.Suddenly a war of suspicion and prejudice is waged on the home front and Japanese-Canadians are completely stripped of their rights, their jobs and their homes. Mary is terrified when her family is torn apart and sent to various work camps, while she and her two sisters are sent, alone, to a primitive camp in B.C.'s interior. Here Mary spends the duration of the war, scared and uncertain of how it will all end. In Torn Apart, author Susan Aihoshi draws from the experiences of her own family during "The Uprooting" of the Japanese in B.C. during WWII. Through young Mary's eyes, readers experience this regrettable time in Canadian history firsthand.

So what did you get in your mailbox last week?

Kid Konnection: Cat Found by Ingrid Lee

2012-01-14T08:01:00.003-05:00

Cat Found by Ingrid Lee
Chicken House (Scholastic)
ISBN: 978-0545317702
Published Oct 1, 2011
Hardcover, 176 pages

Billy lives in a town where stray cats have become a problem and are mistreated by some who would rather be rid of them. He finds a little kitten who is hurt and starving, names her Conga and hides her in his bedroom so that his fighting parents won't know. Billy is lonely, but having Conga exposes him to other cat-loving characters and together they stop the town from getting rid of the abandoned strays.

This book has such an adorable cover and it appealed to my almost 8 year-old son. We read it together and I immediately noticed that although it's marketed for 8-11 year olds, the language is quite advanced and I had to stop repeatedly to explain expressions to my son. This is obviously not a bad thing, but I could see that sometimes he had no clue what I had just read!

Billy is a wonderful character who loves Conga even if his father hates cats. He takes care of it and the scenes between them are quite endearing. Billy's parents fight and there is tension in the family. Billy has no one to confide in. He later meets two teens: Luke who feeds the stray cats and Salome who loves to draw them. I would have liked to have seen more dialogue or interaction between these characters to get to know them better. They were all loners.

My son struggled a little through this book because he found it sad. I understood what he meant. Billy's dad and many of the townfolks were rough. Cats were mistreated and their safety was always in danger. The author brings the cats to life so well, especially Conga, that they are as much a part of the cast of characters as Billy and the others. The reader gets to feel the pain of the cats, especially the mother cats trying to protect their young ones. Sensitive children may find these scenes hard. It wasn't lost on me that Billy too seems abandoned by parents too busy to even notice he had a cat in his room for months. Perhaps it wasn't lost on my son either.

The book ends beautifully but its impact would have been more powerful for my son had there been more clarity leading up to it. There are serious themes in this book such as a town's responsibility to care for its abandoned animals, parental involvement or lack of when teaching their children morals, loyalty, and finally the courage to stand up to what one believes and facing up to change. At times, these may have been too heavy for my son.

Overall, this is an insightful story about a boy and the cat he finds and loves and how this relationship changes his life. But the cruelty towards helpless animals may be hard for some children to read, especially those who love cats.

This book is rated V = mild violence for scenes of kids bullying cats and killing one of them, kids shooting with a pellet gun.

Reviewed by Laura

Disclosure: Thanks to Nikole Kritikos from Scholastic for sending me this book for review. I was not compensated in any other way, nor told how to rate or review this product.

Dreaming of Books Giveaway Hop!

2012-01-12T21:52:00.004-05:00

Welcome to the Second Annual Dreaming of Books Giveaway Hop.

Thanks to I Am A Reader, Not A Writer and Reviews by Martha's Bookshelf for co-hosting.

Nearly 200 blogs are each hosting a giveaway for something a reader, author or blogger would enjoy! Library of Clean Reads is giving away a copy of:

What is the book about:

A side-splitting tour that makes it a blast to read the Western literary canon, from the ancient Greeks to the Modernists.

To many, the Great Books evoke angst: the complicated Renaissance dramas we bluffed our way through in college, the dusty Everyman’s Library editions that look classy on the shelf but make us feel guilty because they’ve never been opened. On a mission to restore the West’s great works to their rightful place (they were intended to be entertaining!), Sandra Newman has produced a reading guide like no other. Beginning with Greek and Roman literature, she takes readers through hilarious detours and captivating historical tidbits on the road to Modernism. Along the way, we find parallels between Rabelais andSouth Park, Jane Austen and Sex and the City, Jonathan Swift and Jon Stewart, uncovering the original humor and riskiness that propelled great authors to celebrity.

Packed with pop culture gems, stories of literary hoaxes, ironic day jobs for authors, bad reviews of books that would later become classics, and more.

What did we think of this book:
Sandra has reviewed this book and you can read her thoughts on it here.

How to participate in the giveaway:
Entering is easy. Giveaway rules:

Mandatory:

1) Leave a comment as to why you want to win this book and include an email address.

Extra entries:

Each extra entry MUST be a separate comment or it will not count.
1) If you are a follower, new or current, leave a comment telling me so.
2) Like me on Facebook and leave me a comment telling me you did.
3) Follow me on Twitter and leave me a comment telling me you did.

*Buttons for following found on top left-hand corner of blog.
*The dates for this hop are Friday, January 13th to Wednesday the 18th.

*Giveaway open to Canada and US.
*Please read my Giveaway Policy before entering my giveaways.

GIVEAWAY NOW CLOSED

The Western Lit Survival Kit: An Irreverent Guide to the Classics by Sandra Newman (TLC Book Tour)

2012-01-12T06:28:00.001-05:00

The Western Lit Survival Kit: An Irreverent Guide to the Classics, from Homer to Faulkner by Sandra Newman
ISBN 978-1-592-4069-4
Gotham Books
Published: January 3, 2012
Trade paperback, 280 pages

Catchy title and catchy picture on the front cover. It shows a Swiss army knife with caricatures of recognizable authors on each of the blades of the knife.

Sandra Newman has an excellent understanding of ancient and modern literature. There is no other way she could describe so cleverly and give such a succinct overview of the classics. It probably helps that she is an English professor! And it’s done with humor and considerable irreverence. She writes in a fast-paced, sometimes tongue-in-cheek manner that helps when the reader gets bogged down with the ancient stuff.

The author assigns ratings of 1 to 10 to each of the works reviewed in the areas of “Importance”, “Accessibility”, and “Fun”.

I learned a few things along the way. For example, what is the difference between “classical literature” and “the classics”; Heart of Darkness author Joseph Conrad’s real name; what is a “gothic novel” and why it is gothic; who wrote the first novel and the first historical novel; that Tennyson’s “it is better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all”, was referring to friendship (he had lost a dear friend in death) not romantic love; and who is the author of “fools rush in where angels fear to tread.”

I have read some of the more modern authors to whom she refers but none of the ancient writers. But after reading about classical literature I came away wondering why anyone would want to read it, filled as it is with horrible tales of wars, incest, and murder - the base side of human nature?

However, this is a funny, funny book. It will be enjoyed by readers who want a good laugh and/or want to know about the Western world’s greatest literature and/or want to be able to impress people with tidbits from it at their next dinner party.

Note: This book is rated P = profanity for f-words and religious expletives.
You can find more reviews of this book on its TLC Book Tour page.

Reviewed by Sandra

Watch out for a giveaway of this book tomorrow on the Dreaming of Books Giveaway Hop!

About the author:

Sandra Newman is the author of the novels Cake and The Only Good Thing Anyone Has Ever Done, and a memoir, Changeling. She is the co-author of How Not to Write a Novel and Read This Next. Newman lives in Brooklyn, New York.

Disclosure: Thanks to Gotham Books and TLC Book Tours for sending me this book for review. I was not compensated in any other way, nor told how to rate or review this product.

Little Princes: One Man's Promise to Bring Home the Lost Children of Nepal by Conor Grennan (TLC Book Tour)

2012-01-09T07:41:00.000-05:00

Little Princes: One Man's Promise to Bring Home the Lost Children of Nepal by Conor Grennan
William Morrow
ISBN: 978-0061930065
Published Jan 25, 2011
Trade paperback, 304 pages

Most of you who read my reviews know that I don't usually gush about the books I read unless I'm blown away. Well, this one has definitely blown me away! Get ready for some unapologetic gushing. My reading year has just begun with Little Princes on the top of my favorite books list.

Conor Grennan's memoir about what started out as a three-month stint volunteering at an orphanage in civil war-torn Nepal quickly turns into a riveting account of one man's mission to reunite the kids he had grown to love with the parents they were stolen from. There are so many things to say about this book, I don't know where to start. I am still absorbing its impact on me.

First off, it needs to be said that this book is so well-written, with a narrative that flows smoothy from one scene to the next. I truly felt like I was living each moment with Conor as he recounted his journey. His honesty, sincerity, and wonderful sense of humour made this book such a pleasure to read even when the reality was heartwrenching. I laughed so hard when reading his experiences with culture adaptations and was moved to tears when reading of the children's hardships, resilience and ways of seeing the world. How wise they were even at a young age!

I fell in love with those children and by the end of the book I felt like I knew them. I fell in love with Conor as a human being who risked his life to fulfil an extraordinary quest to help reverse child trafficking in Nepal. But there is so much more! We meet a slew of wonderful people with hearts of gold such as Farid, the French young man whose dedication and friendship equal Conor's, the vivacious couple Jacky and Viva of the Umbrella Foundation, courageous Anna Howe, the inexhaustible Gyan of Nepal's Child Welfare Board, and of course, beautiful Liz Flanagan, with whom Conor corresponds through email.

This book is about hope and although the situation of the children is sobering and so sad, Conor focuses on them as individuals. He allows us to get to know the people of Nepal much as Greg Mortenson did in Three Cups of Tea for the people of Pakistan and Afghanistan. It is impossible not to rejoice with them in their triumphs no matter how small or trivial they may be in our Western world. After reading Little Princes, you will be left with a good feeling. But don't just take my word for it. This book is so worth reading.

Whether you are interested in world events, children, humanitarian work or just reading a personal and page-turning account of a young man whose life took on a new meaning after meeting a group pf children in an orphanage, you've got to read this book. Not only will it make you stop and think outside of the big bubble called “me” but you will be doing your small part to help the children of Nepal since a portion of the proceeds from this book will go to Next Generation Nepal, the non-profit organization that Conor and Farid launched.

You can read more reviews on Little Princes Book Tour Stops.

Note: This book is rated C = clean read.

I will count this book toward the following challenges: A-Z Book Challenge

If my review hasn't convinced you enough, let Conor tell you more about his mission and the children of Nepal:

Reviewed by Laura

About the author:

Conor Grennan, author of the memoir Little Princes, spent eight years at the EastWest Institute (EWI), both in Prague and the EU Office in Brussels, where he served as Deputy Director for the Security and Governance Program.

At the East/West Institute, Conor developed and managed a wide variety of projects focusing on issues such as peace and reconciliation in the Balkans, community development in Central Eastern Europe, and harmonizing anti-trafficking policy at the highest levels government in the European Union and the former Yugoslavia.

Conor left EWI in 2004 to travel the world and volunteer in Nepal. He would eventually return to Nepal and found Next Generation Nepal, an organization dedicated to reconnecting trafficked children with their families and combating the root causes of child trafficking in rural villages in Nepal. He was based in the capital of Kathmandu until September 2007 where he was the Executive Director of Next Generation Nepal.

Conor now serves on the Board of Next Generation Nepal, together with his wife, Liz. He is a 2010 graduate of the NYU Stern School of Business, where he was the President of the Student Body. He lives in Connecticut with his wife and two children, Finn and Lucy.

Connect with Conor on Facebook and Twitter. Also visit his website and his organization, Next Generation Nepal.

Disclosure: Thanks to William Morrow and TLC Book Tours for sending me this book for review. I was not compensated in any other way, nor told how to rate or review this product.

Mailbox Monday for January 9

2012-01-08T09:30:00.001-05:00

The Maid of Fairbourne Hall by Julie Klassen (for review from Bethany House)

Pampered Margaret Macy flees London in disguise to escape pressure to marry a dishonorable man. With no money and nowhere else to go, she takes a position as a housemaid in the home of Nathaniel Upchurch, a suitor she once rejected in hopes of winning his dashing brother. Praying no one will recognize her, Margaret fumbles through the first real work of her life. If she can last until her next birthday, she will gain an inheritance from a spinster aunt--and sweet independence. But can she remain hidden as a servant even when prying eyes visit Fairbourne Hall?

The Captive Heart by Dale Cramer (for review from Bethnay House)

Bandit troubles intensify as Caleb Bender's family tries to settle into their new life in 1920s Paradise Valley. When El Pantera kidnaps Rachel and leaves her brother, Aaron, for dead, Jake Weaver and the Mexican native Domingo pursue the bandit leader to his mountain stronghold in a hopeless rescue attempt. Jake and Domingo manage to escape with Rachel, with the bandits hot on their trail. In a desperate attempt to avoid recapture, Domingo puts himself squarely in harm's way, giving Jake and Rachel time to get away. This is not the quiet life Caleb Bender envisioned when he led his family out of Ohio. What is a father to make of his daughter's obvious affection for a man outside the fold? And how will a pacifist Amishman like Caleb respond to the events that threaten his family and their way of life?

So what did you get in your mailbox last week?

Kid Konnection: The Other Elizabeth by Karleen Bradford

2012-01-07T08:23:00.001-05:00

The Other Elizabeth by Karleen Bradford
Starburst Digital Rights Int.
ISBN: 9780987793003
Published in Sept 2011 (first edition 1982)
Paperback,108 pages

Thirteen year-old Elizabeth Duncan visits Upper Canada Village with her Grade Seven class and steps back into the past when she enters Cook's Tavern. The time is October of 1813, just as Canadians are on the brink of the Battle at Crysler's Farm that ended the war between Canada and the USA. This, I learned, was an epic event in Canadian history, and I was prompted to do more research where I discovered that this battle ended the campaign to capture Montreal, the city where we live. My daughter said she studied some of this history in school.

Elizabeth steps into the life of another girl named Elizabeth Frobisher, who lives with her family in a modest log house. She has three sisters, two brothers and her father is the schoolmaster of the village. The modern Elizabeth becomes the Elizabeth in the past with occasional visions that give her a foreboding of what is to happen regarding the war and builds suspense within the story.

My daughter and I really enjoyed this book for several reasons. The mystery of why Elizabeth traveled back in time and how that was going to affect events kept us interested throughout. We learned a piece of Canadian history we didn't know about, or one that I learned in school and promptly forgot! Also, we were transported with Elizabeth to daily life in 1813 at a time when there was no electricity, when most girls in small villages tended to the household chores rather than go to school, and when famine could easily happen to families who were settling in a new land.

The ending held surprise and was satisfying because we finally learn why Elizabeth traveled back in time. My daughter loved it. The author includes at the back of the book a glossary of words that may be unfamiliar to today's youngsters. I think this book should be available in schools as it brings history to life in a fun and inventive way. Highly recommended.

Note: This book is rated C = clean read.

I will count this book for the following challenges: Time Travel Challenge, YA Historical Fiction, A – Z Book Challenge

Reviewed by Laura

Disclosure: Thanks to the author and JKS Communications for sending me this book for review. I was not compensated in any other way, nor told how to rate or review this product.

So You Want an Online Book Tour: An Author's Guide to Online Book Tours by Jaime McDougall

2012-01-05T19:36:00.000-05:00

So You Want an Online Book Tour: An Author's Guide to Online Book Tours by Jaime McDougall
InkyBlots Publications
Published: Oct 26, 2011
Ebook, pdf format, 30 pages

Every author wants great exposure for their book. Online marketing is currently bursting with innovative ways to market a book. As both an author and a book blogger myself, I see first-hand the evidence of how creating a buzz online will boost sales and excitement for the author.

Online book tours have become very popular in the last few years and I think every author should experience this kind of tour. Jaime McDougall has written the second book in her So You Want series for authors who aren't familiar with online book tours or just want to know more about them before signing on with a tour company or coordinating their own.

This Smashwords ebook edition is a simple but effective guide for authors who want a quick run-down of what online book tours are and how they work. Although I coordinated my own online book tour for my book Daughter of Mine and I'm a host for several tour companies, I still learned a few things I didn't know. This guide is short and ideal for the author who doesn't want to read a thick book about online marketing but just wants a compact, easy-to-read guide only about tours at the very affordable price of 1.99$. I easily read it within a couple of hours.

McDougall adopts a friendly tone as she writes. She guides you on what to do before, during and after a tour. She includes a Link Index for easy access to tour companies, blog directories, podcast/chat/radio sites and book trailer companies. She also includes a FAQ at the end of some chapters that are helpful. Best of all McDougall is honest and this allows for the author to decide what is best in his case--to go at it solo or to hire the services of an online book tour company.

If you are an author contemplating an online book tour or you're a book blogger who wants to know more about online book tours, this book is a good guide.

You can buy the Kindle version or Smashwords edition.

Note: This book is rated C = clean read.

I will count this book toward the following challenges: TBR Pile Reading Challenge

Reviewed by Laura

Disclosure: Thanks to the author for sending me this book for review. I was not compensated in any other way, nor told how to rate or review this product.

More Than Words Can Say by Robert Barclay (TLC Book Tour)

2012-01-04T10:00:00.000-05:00

More Than Words Can Say by Robert Barclay
William Morrow
ISBN: 978-0062041197
Published January 2012
Trade paperback, 400 pages

Chelsea Enright inherits her late grandmother Brooke's cottage in the Adirondacks and with it a secret diary and some photographs. The diary holds the clue as to why her grandmother closed the cottage 60 years ago and never returned to live there. When Chelsea goes up to the cottage, she meets her neighbour Dr. Brandon Yale and decides to spend the rest of the summer there as she discovers her grandmother's story.

The premise of this book is good: long-buried family secrets, a summer cottage, romance. Unfortunately, it turned out to be a melodramatic over-drawn tale that failed to move me. Sensitive as I am, I couldn't get into this book. It dragged, with characters that lacked depth and an unexciting predictable plot. I finished it only because I thought maybe the ending was going to be revelatory. Not at all. Everything is tied up too neatly in the end too. The whole thing was unrealistic, from the theatrical reactions of the characters to the men who shed tears quicker than my sister's toddler.

I think better editing was in order for this book. The overuse of ellipses, unrealistic dialogue and writing that left nothing to the imagination became irritating after a while. The setting was great, though. My family has spent summers in lakeside cottages and it is special. The author did manage to capture that feeling and I did enjoy some of the scenes, such as when Chelsea and Brandon flew over the lake in his floatplane.

I guess some would consider this novel a sweet romance, and if you like that kind of romance along with a story of a grandmother's secret hidden in a diary, and you are willing to disregard all the things that irked me, then you might just enjoy this book a whole lot more than I did.

Note: This book is rated P = profanity, for a few religious expletives.

I will count this book toward the following challenges: A - Z Book Challenge
You can read more reviews on this book's TLC Book Tour.

Reviewed by Laura

About the Author:
Robert Barclay, author of If Wishes Were Horses, sold his successful consulting business and moved from upstate New York to south Florida, where he could devote his full attention to what he always wanted to do—write. He also enjoys weightlifting, Shotokan karate, and going to the beach to do absolutely nothing.

Disclosure: Thanks to William Morrow and TLC Book Tours for sending me this book for review. I was not compensated in any other way, nor told how to rate or review this product.

Mailbox Monday for January 2

2012-01-01T20:38:00.000-05:00

So a new reading year has begun...

Mailbox Monday was created by Marcia at A Girl and Her Books. It is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their house last week. Alyce will be hosting for the month of January on At Home With Books. You can also view the touring blog list at Mailbox Monday blog for the upcoming months.

Got four books in my mailbox.

The Rose of Winslow Street by Elizabeth Camden (for review from Bethany House)

In the small town of Colden, Massachusetts, Libby Sawyer leads a quiet, predictable life. Yet beneath the surface, she is haunted by a secret. Newly arrived on American shores, Michael Dobrescu is far from predictable, and his arrival in Colden is anything but quiet. Michael's shocking claim to be the rightful owner of Libby's father's house immediately alienates him from the appalled citizens of Colden. Despite her own outrage, Libby is unwittingly fascinated by this enigmatic man who seems equally intrigued by her. As the court's decision about the house looms and the layers of mystery surrounding Michael's past are unveiled, Libby's loyalties are tested in ways she never imagined.

7 Money Rules for Life: How to Take Control of Your Financial Future by Mary Hunt (for review from Revell)

This no-nonsense and encouraging book gives readers the keys to get their money under control and get prepared financially for the rest of their lives. In her warm and engaging style, Hunt takes everything that she's learned over the past twenty years and boils it all down. Presented in a conversational style and readable in a weekend, this book offers applications for each of the seven rules as well as practical advice for how to recover from past financial mistakes. These simple, unchanging, basic rules work in every financial situation, for every income level, and for every stage of life.

Always Looking Up: The Adventures of an Incurable Optimist by Michael J. Fox (bought at Coles)

There are many ways to describe Michael J. Fox: Star. Husband. Father. Activist. But one word encapsulates everything he stands for, everything he's accomplished: Optimist. Struck with Parkinson's-- a debilitating, degenerative disease-- at the height of his fame, Fox has taken what some might consider cause for depression and turned it into a beacon of hope for millions. Now, in Always Looking Up, he writes about the personal philosophy that carried him through his darkest hours, and speaks with others who have emerged from difficult periods with optimism to spare. With the humour and wit that dazzled fans and reviewers alike in his bestselling memoir, Lucky Man, Fox shows how he became a happier, more satisfied person by recognizing the gifts of everyday life.

The Other Elizabeth by Karleen Bradford (for review from publicist)

Elizabeth was visiting Upper Canada Pioneer Village with her grade 7 class when she stepped into Cook's Tavern and heard a man say, "Why it's young Elizabeth Frobisher." Only that wasn't her name. She was Elizabeth Duncan and...she had somehow stepped into the past. The year is 1813 and the battle between the newly formed United States of America and England for possession of the land called Canada was waging. One of the most decisive battles of the war, the Battle of Crysler's Farm, was about to take place and, stranded in the wrong time, Elizabeth Duncan was about to be an unwilling participant.

So what did you get in your mailbox last week?

A - Z Book Challenge 2012

2012-01-01T11:28:00.003-05:00

This one is pretty self-explanatory. And it's fun. It's being hosted by Babies, Books and Signs.

A -
B -
C -
D -
E -
F -
G -
H -
I -
J -
K -
L - Little Princes by Conor Brennan
M - More Than Words Can Say by Robert Barclay
N -
O - (The) Other Elizabeth by Karleen Bradford
P -
Q -
R -
S -
T -
U -
V -
W -
X -
Y -
Z -

Books Read in 2012

2012-01-01T11:26:00.009-05:00

This is a list of the books I have read so far in 2012. The ones reviewed will be linked.

Children's Book Reviews

Middle Grade Book Reviews

The Other Elizabeth by Karleen Bradford
Real Mermaids Don't Wear Toe Rings by Hélène Boudreau

YA Book Reviews

Adult Book Reviews
Fiction

More Than Words Can Say by Robert Barclay
Dreaming of Mr Darcy by Victoria Connelly

Non-Fiction

So You Want an Online Book Tour: An Author's Guide to Online Book Tours by Jaime McDougall
Little Princes: One Man's Promise to Bring Home the Lost Children of Nepal by Conor Grennan
Guitar Zero: The New Musician and the Science of Learning by Gary Marcus

Sandra's Book Reviews

The Western Lit Survival Kit: An Irreverent Guide to the Classics, from Homer to Faulkner by Sandra Newman
All the Flowers in Shanghai by Duncan Jepson
The Invisible Ones by Stef Penny
Circuits of the Wind by Michael Stutz

Kid Konnection: Love is a Four-Letter Word by Vikki VanSickle

2011-12-31T09:08:00.000-05:00

Love is a Four-Letter Word by Vikki VanSickle
Scholastic Canada
ISBN: 978-1443107877
Published Sept 1, 2011
Paperback, 208 pages

My daughter and I were so excited to read this follow-up book to VanSickle's Words That Start with B. My daughter said she liked this one as much as the first and I liked it even better. It was funny, down-to-earth and tackled topics any tween could embrace: friendships, first crushes, and parental illness.

Clarissa is a smart spunky girl who continues to experience more changes in her life. Her mom has survived cancer but is still not out of the loop. What's more, she starts dating her personal trainer and this is all new to Clarissa whose mom never dated before. Her best friend Benji passes the audition for a musical and spends more time with his new theatre buddies. Clarissa's friend Mattie is a romantic and dreams of falling in love, whereas none of this has ever crossed Clarissa's mind until Michael, her new friend seems to want more than friendship.

First-off, I love the way VanSickle handles the topic of love among thirteen year-olds. Clarissa is not boy crazy, yet she is in the process of discovering about love especially since her mom has fallen in love, which is a big deal for a single child in a single-parent family. As a mom I appreciated that VanSickle handled this topic well, unlike the plethora of middle-grade books that have thirteen year-olds dating as if they are responsible adults.

VanSickle's writing and dialogue is great, pulling us in from the very start so that it was so hard to stop reading once we started. My daughter and I loved reading this book together. There were things she could relate to and things I could relate to. Once again, the cast of characters was great. Seeing things from Clarissa's point of view was priceless, and VanSickle captured the voice of an opinionated and outspoken girl right on. My daughter and I thought the ending was perfect, too.

We highly recommend this book for mother and daughter book clubs. It can be read as a stand alone but we recommend reading the first book as well. VanSickle has made it on out list of favorite authors and we eagerly await her next novel!

Note: This book is rated C = clean read.

Reviewed by Laura

Disclosure: Thanks to Nikole Kritikos from Scholastic for sending me this book for review. I was not compensated in any other way, nor told how to rate or review this product.

How to be transported to Italy...

2011-12-30T11:27:00.001-05:00

If you're looking for a way to be transported to Italy then join me in the I Love Italy Reading Challenge 2012 that I am hosting right here on Library of Clean Reads. Do you want to learn more about Italy and its people? Putting together this challenge made me discover the plethora of reading material about Italy, whether it's a novel set in Italy or a book with an Italian theme.

I have decided to read the Arrivederci Italia level of 7 to 9 books. These are the books I plan to read but I may add or change this list.

Waterfall by Lisa T. Bergren
Cascade by Lisa T. Bergren
Torrent by Lisa T. Bergren
The Food of Love by Anthony Capella
The Last Ember by Daniel Levin
Young Michelangelo by John T. Spike
O, Juliet by Robin Maxwell

To join this challenge, visit the I Love Italy Reading Challenge sign-up page.

Best Reads of 2011 and Year-end Wrap-up

2011-12-28T09:42:00.000-05:00

This has been a wonderful reading year. I have discovered new genres, new fave authors and learned a lot through some of the many non-fiction books I have read. It's also been a great blogging year and I have grown both as a blogger and a reader. I loved connecting with blogger friends and my readers!

This year I read a total of 112 books (16 children's, 30 middle-grade, 12 YA, and 54 adult books, of which 18 were non-fiction). You can view my complete list here: Books read in 2011

These are the books that have made it on my list of best reads for 2011. Three are YA which reflects my growing interest in this genre, and so I plan to read more YA in 2012.

- Ben Behind His Voices: One Family's Journey From the Chaos of Schizophrenia to Hope by Randye Kaye
- Fostergirls by Liane Shaw
- The Frankincense Trail by Jody Kihara
- Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell
- Secret Daughter by Shilipi Somaya Gowda
- To Be Queen: A Novel of the Early Life of Eleanor of Aquitaine by Christy English
- Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay
- The Rose Garden by Susanna Kearsley
- The Giver by Lois Lowry

I also wanted to highlight books that I've read that have what I call an "unforgettable factor". There was definitely something that stayed with me for one reason or another long after I read these books.

- The Confessions of Catherine de Medici by C.W. Gortner
- Reasons to Be Happy by Katrina Kittle
- The Speed of Light by Lee Baker
- The Scrapbook of Frankie Pratt by Caroline Preston
- State of Wonder by Ann Patchett
- Left Neglected by Lisa Genova
- The Time Machine by H.G. Wells
- Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
- Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

And these are my favorite reads in middle-grade fiction. I spent many happy hours reading these books with my daughter.

- Tomorrow Girls #1: Behind the Gates by Eva Gray
- The Romeo and Juliet Code by Phoebe Stone
- 13 Gifts by Wendy Mass
- The Whole Truth by Kit Pearson
- Love is a Four-Letter Word by Vikki VanSickle (review will be posted on Dec 31st)
- Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick

In 2011, I also participated in 11 challenges and completed 8 of them. They were a lot of fun! Here is a recap:

TwentyEleven Challenge (Completed!)
Historical Fiction Challenge (Completed!)
YA Reading Challenge (Completed!)
Support Your Local Library Challenge (75% done)
Steampunk Challenge (Completed!)
Middle Grade Reading Challenge (Completed!)
Dystopian Challenge (Completed!)
The Dewey Decimal Challenge (Completed!)
Book Blogger Recommendation Challenge (20% done)
Italy in Books Reading Challenge (75% done)
Reading Challenge Addict (Completed!)

I plan to continue participating in challenges in 2012 to expand my reading horizons. I am also hosting three of those challenges:
Time Travel Reading Challenge
Short Story Reading Challenge
I Love Italy Reading Challenge
I hope some of you will decide to join me in these challenges!

But enough about me, here are my review partner Sandra's best picks for 2011:

- The Paper Garden: An Artist Begins Her Life's Work at 72 by Molly Peacock
- Honeymoon in Purdah: An Iranian Journey by Alison Wearing
- The Sherlockian by Graham Moore
- The Scarlet Lion by Elizabeth Chadwick
- The Greatest Knight by Elizabeth Chadwick
- Cassandra and Jane by Jill Pitkeathley

Finally, I want to thank all my readers and blogger friends who have supported Sandra and me with your heartfelt comments. A big thank you to all the authors, publicists, book tour organizers and publishers who trust us with their books and allow us wonderful hours of reading!

Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell

2011-12-27T07:18:00.000-05:00

Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell
Little, Brown & Company
ISBN: 978-0316017923
Published Nov 18, 2008
Hardcover, 309 pages

This is the first book I read from Malcolm Gladwell, and it has helped me to see things with different eyes both from the perspective of a parent and a professional. It really is a fascinating read. For those of you wondering what an outlier is, Gladwell includes two definitions in his introduction, one of which describes an outlier as a statistical observation that is markedly different in value from the others of the sample. Yes, this book has a lot of statistics but they are so interesting to read because they are related to success. Furthermore, Gladwell has a way of telling stories with these stats that I couldn't help but be engrossed.

The book is divided into two parts. Part one focuses on the role that opportunity plays in achieving success and part two focuses on the role legacy or ethnicity plays in achieving success. Gladwell brings out various scenarios (he dissects the success stories of rock stars, software billionaires and geniuses) and then proceeds to show what the data reveals. No one makes it out there on their own. Where we are from and what we do can make a difference in how successful we are. I have used the Roseto Mystery account, which he uses as an introduction to this book, to hit home the importance of social support for the support group that I facilitate. I just loved that account.

We tend to think that if someone is classified as a genius then that person is bound to have success in life, but why is it that some geniuses fail miserably while an average kid from a poor neighbourhood could go on to have a very successful career? Why is it that the Chinese excel in math? Why is it that at one point the Korean airplanes were crashing at a rate of seventeen times higher than other airlines? Gladwell does a great job of explaining it all.

So you might think that reading a bunch of stats is boring and not really useful in our daily life. I certainly did not find this to be the case. I love learning new things and I have since thought of what I have read and it has given me insight that has helped both in my professional life and when making decisions for my kids. It made me seriously think about what opportunities I was exposing my children to. Our role as parents is so important and influential.

I initially borrowed this book from the library but I have since bought it and it's a keeper on my shelf. It's one of those books that you can re-read over again and light bulbs will continue to flash as it will make you reflect on your life and your future.

Note: This book is rated C = clean read.
I will count this book toward the following challenges: Support Your Local Library Challenge

Reviewed by Laura

Disclosure: I borrowed this book from the library and was not told how to rate or review this product.

Juliet by Anne Fortier

2011-12-26T10:56:00.001-05:00

Juliet by Anne Fortier
HarperCollins
ISBN: 978-1554684991
Published Aug 13, 2010
Hardcover, 464 pages

I have been wanting to read this book for a long time. I finally picked it up because it's was one of my planned reads for the Italy in Books Challenge. This is one reason I love challenges. It motivates us to read the books we've been wanting to read. So did this book live up to my expectations? Yes, for the most part.

Julie and her twin sister Janice were adopted as children by their aunt Rose. When Rose dies, Janice inherits the entire estate while Julie only gets a key that once belonged to their mother. But things are not what they seem as Julie travels to Siena, Italy and discovers that the key opens a safety deposit box that leads her on a hunt to find treasure that is related to her ancestor, Julietta Tolomei, who is the famous Juliet of Romeo.

The story alternates between the present and the past. In the present, Julie meets Alessandro who is allegedly from the family that was enemies with her ancestors. In the medieval past, we meet Julietta who falls in love with Romeo in a story different from the Shakespearean version. Both stories are interesting, although I did really like the one in the past because I love historical fiction. There's a lot going on in this novel. Intrigue, romance, mystery, adventure and history. Not a dull moment. I loved the setting of Siena, Italy and how even in the present it wasn't much different than in the past.

The historical aspect of this story was great and I loved how the author built around the story of Romeo and Juliet and tied it in with present day characters. I felt the historical story was better developed than the one set in the present and felt some present day scenes were superfluous. The romance between Julietta and Romeo was also better developed than the one between Julie and Alessandro.

Although Julie and Janice are twins they never got along and are practically enemies but there's a shift at some point and suddenly they are acting like long-lost sisters. It confused me, especially since the author spent considerable time showing how ruthless and unfeeling Janice was toward Julie even as a child. This abrupt change in their relationship seemed unbelievable to me because the story only takes place within the span of a week or two.

But apart from this, I did enjoy this book a lot. This was a suspenseful tale with lots of twists and turns, spunky women characters, detailed history and a beautiful setting. It was the perfect escape novel.

Note: This book is rated P = profanity for some religious expletives.
I will count this book toward the following challenges: Italy in Books Challenge, Book Blogger Recommendation Challenge

Reviewed by Laura

Disclosure: I bought this book and was not told how to rate or review this product.

Mailbox Monday for December 26

2011-12-25T11:30:00.001-05:00

My sister is arriving this week from Switzerland and visiting for a few weeks! My whole family is thrilled and I'm hoping for snow so we can do some outdoor activities together.

Mailbox Monday was created by Marcia at A Girl and Her Books. It is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their house last week. Jenny will be hosting for the month of December on Let Them Read Books. You can also view the touring blog list at Mailbox Monday blog for the upcoming months.

The Doctor's Lady by Jody Hedlund (for review from Bethany House)

Priscilla White knows she'll never be a wife or mother and feels God's call to the mission field in India. Dr. Eli Ernest is back from Oregon Country only long enough to raise awareness of missions to the natives before heading out West once more. But then Priscilla and Eli both receive news from the mission board: No longer will they send unmarried men and women into the field.

Left scrambling for options, the two realize the other might be the answer to their needs. Priscilla and Eli agree to a partnership, a marriage in name only that will allow them to follow God's leading into the mission field. But as they journey west, this decision will be tested by the hardships of the trip and by the unexpected turnings of their hearts.

Dinner With Lisa by R.L. Prendergast (for review from author)

In the disastrous economic times of the 1930s, Joseph Gaston, a young widower with four children, arrives in the small town of Philibuster seeking security for his family. Instead, he faces barriers everywhere. He does his best despite great adversity, but the strain of feeding and protecting his family whittles away his strength. Finally, destitution forces him to consider giving up his children in order to save them. Enraged by his situation, he attempts one last desperate act—on the night he learns about the mysterious Lisa.

Historically authentic, heart wrenching and humorous, Dinner with Lisa incorporates the crucial issues of the depression: poverty, joblessness, drought and racism. In the midst of love and loyalty, trickery and despair, the ultimate message of the novel is one of hope and the courage to survive even the worst odds.

Compulsively Mr. Darcy by Nina Benneton (for review from Sourcebooks)

This modern take introduces us to the wealthy philanthropist Fitzwilliam Darcy, a handsome and brooding bachelor who yearns for love but doubts any woman could handle his obsessive tendencies. Meanwhile, Dr. Elizabeth Bennet has her own intimacy issues that ensure her terrible luck with men. When the two meet up in the emergency room after Darcy's best friend, Charles Bingley, gets into an accident, Elizabeth thinks the two men are a couple. As Darcy and Elizabeth unravel their misconceptions about each other, they have to decide just how far they're willing to go to accept each other's quirky ways...

Little Princes: One Man's Promise to Bring Home the Lost Children of Nepal by Conor Grennan (for review for TLC Book Tour)

In search of adventure, twenty-nine-year-old Conor Grennan traded his day job for a year-long trip around the globe, a journey that began with a three-month stint volunteering at the Little Princes Children’s Home, an orphanage in war-torn Nepal.

Conor was initially reluctant to volunteer, unsure whether he had the proper skill, or enough passion, to get involved in a developing country in the middle of a civil war. But he was soon overcome by the herd of rambunctious, resilient children who would challenge and reward him in a way that he had never imagined. When Conor learned the unthinkable truth about their situation, he was stunned: The children were not orphans at all. Child traffickers were promising families in remote villages to protect their children from the civil war—for a huge fee—by taking them to safety. They would then abandon the children far from home, in the chaos of Nepal’s capital, Kathmandu.

For Conor, what began as a footloose adventure becomes a commitment to reunite the children he had grown to love with their families, but this would be no small task. He would risk his life on a journey through the legendary mountains of Nepal, facing the dangers of a bloody civil war and a debilitating injury. Waiting for Conor back in Kathmandu, and hopeful he would make it out before being trapped in by snow, was the woman who would eventually become his wife and share his life’s work.

So what did you get in your mailbox last week?