Ellie's Bookshelf

The Law of Love

2012-04-16T10:40:00.001-07:00

by Laura Esquivel
translated by Margaret Sayers Peden
4 Stars
Science Fiction
Setting: Mexico
266 pages
Published 1995

Ellie's Review
Mexican and Sci-Fi are not too genres I expect to overlap, but they do. The Law of Love is a unique book because of the genre and also because of the format. The written novel includes intermissions for songs on the included CD and sections of illustrations. This uniqueness intrigued me throughout the novel. I loved actually hearing a song that deeply moved a character rather than simply reading that he/she was moved by music. The plot itself is also unique, blending Mayan, Catholic, and Eastern beliefs. I consider this book entertainment (it reminded me of Latin soap operas) and enjoyed it; however, if you are looking for a deeply spiritual book, keep looking. I’m thoroughly impressed by Esquivel’s creativity and loved her writing style of lines like, “Her teeth chattered like castanets.”

Book Summary

This exuberantly romantic and wildly comic tale from the author of Like Water for Chocolate combines inventive printed fiction with Puccini arias on CD! When a Mexican astroanalyst in the 23rd century searches her past lives for her lover, she encounters many adventures, including the fall of Montezuma and a plot by a reborn Mother Teresa to rule the planet. As the music in the CD releases the past lives, you see those reincarnations unfold dramatically in a series of colorful artwork.

Death Comes to Pemberley

2012-04-14T08:31:00.002-07:00

by P.D. James
3 Stars
Historical Fiction
Setting: England
291 pages
Published 2011

Ellie's Review

P. D. James, who is a renown mystery writer, combined her skills with the world created by Jane Austin in Pride and Prejudice. Death Comes to Pemberley looks at the life of Elizabeth and Darcy six years after they were married. Their happy life at Pemberley is disrupted when Lydia arrived unexpectedly to announce a murder. James was creative in putting her murder mystery genre into the story so many people loved. If you look at it from a mystery standpoint, it was an entertaining read. I learned more about the life of that period through the thoroughly researched details included. However, if you want to see more of the love between Elizabeth and Darcy, you will be disappointed. I do absolutely love Pride & Prejudice and will probably just reread it the next time I long for Mr. Darcy. This is the first novel by James I have read, and I probably will not read any more of her works. If you like James' other novels and Jane Austen, this is probably a great read for you.

If you are an Austen fan, I suggest Shannon Hale’s novel Austenland (4 stars).

Book Summary
It is 1803, six years since Elizabeth and Darcy embarked on their life together at Pemberley, Darcy's magnificent estate. Their peaceful, orderly world seems almost unassailable. Elizabeth has found her footing as the chatelaine of the great house. They have two fine sons, Fitzwilliam and Charles. Elizabeth's sister Jane and her husband, Bingley, live nearby; her father visits often; there is optimistic talk about the prospects of marriage for Darcy's sister Georgiana. And preparations are under way for their much-anticipated annual autumn ball.

Then, on the eve of the ball, the patrician idyll is shattered. A coach careens up the drive carrying Lydia, Elizabeth's disgraced sister, who with her husband, the very dubious Wickham, has been banned from Pemberley. She stumbles out of the carriage, hysterical, shrieking that Wickham has been murdered. with shocking suddenness, Pemberley is plunged into a frightening mystery.

Inspired by a lifelong passion for Austen, P. D. James masterfully re-creates the world of Pride and Prejudice, electrifying it with the excitement and suspense of a brilliantly crafted crime story, as only she can write it.

Border Songs

2012-03-11T11:53:00.000-07:00

by Jim Lynch
3 Stars
Setting: Washington, Canada
304 pages
Published 2009

Ellie's Review
I enjoyed Border Songs. The story was interesting about the Border Patrol on the Washington/Canadian border. The character development of Brandon Vanderkool was intriguing and kept my interest as the socially-inept man new to the Border Patrol has the knack for catching things along his stretch of patrol that are out of the ordinary. I grew up in Idaho, several hours from the Canadian border, and joined in on jokes about how the border wasn’t really secure. Post 9/11, I was surprised to be stropped and questioned while trying to enter the Canadian side of Niagara Falls. This novel probes into how much security we should place on that border to keep drugs, illegal aliens, and terrorists out of our country. Lynch also explores the marijuana growing industry, which I found interesting since I drive past dispensaries every day in Denver.

Book Summary

Set in the previously sleepy hinterlands straddling Washington state and British Columbia, Border Songs is the story of Brandon Vanderkool, six food eight, frequently tongue-tied, severely dyslexic, and romantically inept. Passionate about bird-watching, Brandon has a hard time mustering enthusiasm for his new job as a Border Patrol agent guarding thirty miles of largely invisible boundary. But to everyone's surprise, he excels at catching illegals, and as drug runners, politicians, surveillance cameras, and a potential sweetheart flock to this scrap of land, Brandon is suddenly at the center of something much bigger than himself.

Gunn's Golden Rules

2012-03-06T13:19:00.001-08:00

"Life's Little Lessons for Making It Work"
by Tim Gunn
4 Stars
Nonfiction: Memoir/Self Help
258 pages
Published 2010

Ellie's Review

In full disclosure, I love Project Runway and have adored Tim Gunn as the designers’ mentor. His famous line “Make it work!” is often quoted in my house. Gunn’s Golden Rules includes his lessons for life (part manners, part inspiration) with plenty of his personal stories that kept me hooked and laughing out loud. Tim dishes on some PR designers along with some of the divas of fashion (for example, he suggests the devil really does wear Prada). Some of the personal stories don’t necessarily relate to his rule for the chapter, but I didn’t mind that. Tim’s advice is wonderful, and I loved that a New Yorker talked about being nicer to others. All of us have something in life we can complain about, but we need to just “Make it work!” and do the best we can with whatever circumstances surround us.

I want to be adopted as Tim's niece. I’m only two degrees away from him, so maybe I’ll be introduced to him one of these days….

Book Summary
On the runway of life, Tim Gunn is the perfect life coach. You've watched him mentor talented designers on the hit television show Project Runway. Now the inimitable Tim Gunn shares his personal secrets for "making it work" - in your career, relationships, and life. Filled with delightfully dishy stories of fashion's greatest divas, behind-the-scenes glimpses of Runway's biggest drama queens, and never-before-revealed insights into Tim's private life, Gunn's Golden Rules is like no other how-to book you've ever read.

Prayers for Sale

2012-02-28T10:46:00.004-08:00

by Sandra Dallas
3 Stars
Historical Fiction
Setting: Breckenridge, Colorado
305 pages
Published 2009

Ellie's Review
This is my second book I've read by Sandra Dallas, and both novels had the themes of female bonding, quilting, and a newcomer wanting acceptance. Prayers for Sale is based on life in the mining town of Breckenridge, Colorado (called Middle Swan in the book) in 1936. I found this aspect of history quite interesting since I tend to think of Breckenridge and other towns in Summit County as ski resorts with expensive real estate. Life in the high country was quite rough for the miners who established the towns, and I enjoyed hearing about the life from a woman’s perspective. The main character, Hennie, is a great story teller and provides a broad picture of the town and the times by sharing her numerous stories of herself and others. This was a enjoyable, quick read.

Book Summary
Hennie Comfort is eighty-six and has lived in the mountains of Middle Swan, Colorado since before it was Colorado. Nit Spindle is just seventeen and newly married. She and her husband have just moved to the high country in search of work. It's 1936 and the depression has ravaged the country and Nit and her husband have suffered greatly. Hennie notices the young woman loitering near the old sign outside of her house that promises "Prayers For Sale". Hennie doesn't sell prayers, never has, but there's something about the young woman that she's drawn to. The harsh conditions of life that each have endured create an instant bond and an unlikely friendship is formed, one in which the deepest of hardships are shared and the darkest of secrets are confessed. Sandra Dallas has created an unforgettable tale of a friendship between two women, one with surprising twists and turns, and one that is ultimately a revelation of the finest parts of the human spirit.

Unbroken

2012-02-03T11:35:00.000-08:00

Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resiliance, and Redemption
by Laura Hillenbrand
5 Stars
WWII, Nonfiction: Memoir
Setting: USA, Japan
473pages
Published 2010

Ellie's Review
While I enjoy historical fiction because it’s an interesting way to learn, Unbroken astonished me with true facts of the World War II experience of Louis Zamperini. His story is so astonishing that fiction would not have been as fascinating. Across the globe from the Nazis, Zamperini’s World War II service was in the Pacific fighting the Japanese. I learned so much about this part of the world during WWII and realized I had previously focused on Europe. Zamperini is an incredible man who was described quite aptly by my friend as someone who possesses the “Viktor Frankl gene” to stay strong and survive under horrendous circumstances. The first 90 pages of the book were a bit slow for me, but once Zamperini’s plane went down in the ocean I was enthralled. While I am horrified at the cruelty of the Japanese prison guards during WWII, I am inspired by Zamperini and others' ability to survive.

Book Summary
On a May afternoon in 1943, an Army Air Forces bomber crashed into the Pacific Ocean and disappeared, leaving only a spray of debris and a slick of oil, gasoline, and blood. Then, on the ocean surface, a face appeared. It was that of a young lieutenant, the plane's bombardier, who was struggling to a lift raft and pulling himself aboard. So began one of the most extraordinary odysseys of the Second World War.

The lieutenant's name was Louis Zamperini. In boyhood, he'd been a cunning and incorrigible delinquent, breaking into houses, brawling, and fleeing his home to ride the rails. As a teenager, he had channeled his defiance into running, discovering a prodigious talent that had carried him to the Berlin Olympics and within sight of the four-minute mile. But when war had come, the athlete had become an airman, embarking on a journey that led to the doomed flight, a tiny raft, and a drift into the unknown.

Ahead of Zamperini lay thousands of miles of open ocean, leaping sharks, a foundering raft, thirst and starvation, enemy aircraft, and, beyond, a trial even greater. Driven to the limits of endurance, Zamperini would answer desperation with ingenuity; suffering with hope, resolve, and humor; brutality with rebellion. His fate, whether triumph or tragedy, would be suspended on the fraying wire of his will.

In her long-awaited new book, Laura Hillenbrand writes with the same rich and vivid narrative voice she displayed in Seabiscuit. Telling an unforgettable story of a man's journey into extremity, Unbroken is a testament to the resilience of the human mind, body, and spirit.

I used the discussion questions on Lit Lovers for my book club.

I made the cupcakes on the right to snack on while we discussed this amazing book. On top of the blue wave frosting were gummy fish, life savers (powered sugar mini donuts with licorice), buoys (two spice drops skewered with a toothpick), and shark fins (Thin Mint cookies cut and dipped in gray frosting). These brought some nice humor into an otherwise serious conversation!

Nefertiti

2012-01-30T11:01:00.000-08:00

by Michelle Moran
4 Stars
Historical Fiction
Setting: Egypt
463 pages
Published 2007

Ellie's Review
I’ve always been fascinated by Egyptian culture and love visiting the pyramid exhibits at museums. However, reading Nefertiti has given me such a better understanding of the Egyptian culture and religious views. Michelle Moran expertly creates a fascinating novel told from Nefertiti’s sister’s perspective. I was transported into ancient Egypt and learned about the main gods worshiped, afterlife beliefs, and how the pharaohs were linked to the gods. If you enjoyed The Other Boleyn, try out one of Moran’s historical fiction novels. While we know what Nefertiti looked like from various artifacts, this spins a fascinating story around an overlooked sister and some of the dynamics in a kingdom where the pharaoh changed the main god of Egypt.

Book Summary
Nefertiti and her younger sister, Mutnodjmet, have been raised in a powerful family that has provided wives to the rulers of Egypt for centuries. Ambitious, charismatic, and beautiful, Nefertiti is destined to marry Amunhotep, an unstable young pharaoh. It is hoped by all that her strong personality will temper the young Amunhotep's heretical desire to forsake Egypt's ancient gods, overthrow the priests of Amun, and introduce a new sun god for all to worship.

Love, betrayal, political unrest, plague, and religious conflict - Nefertiti brings ancient Egypt to life in vivid detail. Fast-paced and historically accurate, it is the dramatic story of two unforgettable women living through a remarkable period in history.

Ellie's Review of Michelle Moran's novel Madame Tussaud

The Story of Beautiful Girl

2012-01-27T10:55:00.000-08:00

by Rachel Simon
4 Stars
Historical Fiction
Setting: USA
346 pages
Published 2011

Ellie's Review
While reading this novel, I was fascinated by the treatment of handicap and even deaf people back in the 1960’s in the US. That wasn’t too long ago, yet thankfully our country has changed so much in our views and treatment! This story about a mentally handicapped girl (maybe autistic?) and a deaf black man is incredible. Author Rachel Simon has a sister who has an “intellectual disability” and greatly researched the treatment and “schools” for similar people – I loved learning that the book was greatly founded on truth, yet it also sickened me. This look at people who were often overlooked is amazing, and I really loved and grew attached to the characters in the novel. I’m excited to discuss this at book club as I feel like the book has many themes and lessons to discuss in addition to the historical aspect.

Book Summary
From the author of the memoir Riding the Bus with My Sister, a moving, uplifting novel about a woman who can't speak, a man who is deaf, and a widow who finds herself suddenly caring for a newborn baby.

The Story of Beautiful Girl gets right under the skin and into the heart with the story of Lynnie, a young white woman with a developmental disability that hinders her ability to speak, and Homan, an African American deaf man with only his home sign language to guide him. Both were institutionalized in the mid-twentieth century, when people with disabilities were routinely shut off from society and left to languish without attention, forgotten.

One night, Lynnie and her sweetheart, Homan, escape. They find refuge in the farmhouse of the widow Martha, a retired schoolteacher. But the couple is not alone; Lynnie has just borne a child. The authorities catch up to them; Homan escapes into the darkness and Lynnie is caught. But just before she is gruffly taken back to The School for the Incurable and Feebleminded, she utters two words to Martha: "Hide her." And so begins the tale of three lives desperate to connect, yet kept apart by seemingly insurmountable obstacles.

The Language of Flowers

2012-01-21T10:58:00.000-08:00

by Vanessa Diffenbaugh
4 Stars
Setting: USA
336 pages
Published 2011

Ellie's Review
While so much attention has been given recently to international adoptions, foster care here int he USA is ignored. Vanessa Diffenbaugh is a real foster mom and wrote this novel about a girl in foster care, Victoria, who turns 18 and is on her own. Yes, that's what happens in real life. While Victoria figures out how to live on her own, she flashes back to her experiences growing up and you learn about her life. Victoria learns to express herself through flowers, which was fascinating to me (what did your wedding bouquet represent?). This book looks at several types of mother-daughter relationships and makes the reader think about what families are. This was a great book club discussion!

Book Summary

A mesmerizing, moving and elegantly written debut novel, The Language of Flowers beautifully weaves past and present, creating a vivid portrait of an unforgettable woman whose gift for flowers helps her change the lives of others even as she struggles to overcome her own troubled past.

The Victorian language of flowers was used to convey romantic expressions: honeysuckle for devotion, asters for patience, and red roses for love. But for Victoria Jones, it's been more useful in communicating grief, mistrust, and solitude. After a childhood spent in the foster-care system, she is unable to get close to anybody, and her only connection to the world is through flowers and their meanings.

Now eighteen and emancipated from the system, Victoria has nowhere to go and sleeps in a public park, where she plants a small garden of her own. Soon a local florist discovers her talents, and Victoria realizes she has a gift for helping others through the flowers she chooses for them. But a mysterious vendor at the flower market has her questioning what's been missing in her life, and when she's forced to confront a painful secret from her past, she must decide whether it's worth risking everything for a second chance at happiness.

In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto

2012-01-13T10:13:00.000-08:00

by Michael Pollan
4 Stars
Nonfiction: Other
205 pages
Published 2007

Ellie's Review
I recently realized that as the main grocery shopper and cook for my family, I determine most of what my children and husband (in addition, obviously, to what I eat). With that pressure, I decided to read this book to learn about eating healthy. I feel bombarded with new information that I've just recently heard about including antioxidants, gluton, partially hydrogenated oils, triglycerides, etc. After reading this book, I am not so overwhelmed and know some great ways to provide a healthier diet for my family.

Pollan's first main point is to "eat food". Go away from processed foods and stick to whole foods. Pretend like you're grocery shopping with your grandmother or great-great-grandmother and only buy things at the grocery store she would recognize. The movement of Nutritionism that focuses on individual nutrients is in favor of adding vitamins, etc. into foods such as cereal rather than eating a whole food that is healthy. That does not yield the same benefits. Food science is always changing what is good or bad for you. Just eat whole foods. His second point is the eat "not too much" food. His third point is to eat "mostly plants". I learned about various studies of diets around the world compared to the Western Diet and how the differences might be responsible for drastically different cancer and other disease rates among the populations.

This book taught me some basic ways to buy healthier food for my house. For the first time, I now have a desire to plant a garden and grow some organic, fresh foods for our consumption.

Book Summary
Michael Pollan's last book, The Omnivore's Dilemma, launched a national conversation about the American way of eating; now In Defense of Food shows us how to change it, one meal at a time. Pollan proposes a new answer to the question of what we should eat that comes down to seven simple but liberating words: Eat Food. Not too much. Mostly Plants. Pollan's bracing and eloquent manifesto shows us how we can start making thoughtful food choices that will enrich our lives, enlarge our sense of what it means to be healthy, and bring pleasure back to eating.

Madame Tussaud: A Novel of the French Revolution

2011-12-03T13:13:00.001-08:00

by Michelle Moran
5 Stars
Historical Fiction
Setting: France
446 pages
Published 2011

Ellie's Review

Although I've never toured a Madame Tussauds wax museum, I've walked past the NY location numerous times not knowing how this tourist attraction claimed its name. Who is/was Madame Tussaud?

I stumbled upon this novel and soon became engrossed in the French Revolution, which is a war I previously did not understand nor not have an interest in. This historical fiction tale tells of the French Revolution from a girl who makes wax sculptures of famous people in her uncle's salon - this tourist stop started long before I had realized. She mingled with both sides of the war and was brought into the midst of it. I learned so much about this turbulent time for France, and I loved being engrossed in this wonderful woman's life.

If you enjoy historical fiction, this is an amazing read! I'm excited to read other historical fiction novels by Michelle Moran.

Book Summary
Spanning five years, from the budding revolution to the Reign of Terror, Madame Tussaud brings us into the world of an incredible heroine whose talent for wax modeling saved her life and preserved the faces of a vanished kingdom.

Smart and ambitious, Marie Tussaud has learned the secrets of wax sculpting by working alongside her uncle in their celebrated wax museum, the Salon de Cire. From her popular model of the American ambassador, Thomas Jefferson, to her tableau of the royal family at dinner, Marie's museum provides Parisians with the very latest news on fashion, gossip, and even politics. Her customers hail form every walk of life, yet her greatest dreams is to attract the attention of Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI; their stamp of approval on her work could catapult her and her museum to the fame and riches she desires.

Ellie's Review of Michelle Moran's novel Nefertiti

A Christmas Memory

2011-11-25T18:48:00.001-08:00

by Truman Capote
4 Stars
Nonfiction: Memoir
Setting: USA
48 pages
Published 1956

Ellie's Review
For a great story to get you in the Christmas spirit, check out Truman Capote's memory of a Christmas when he was a child. This story is one you can read quickly to boost your Christmas energy to decorate the house or lick envelopes. It's a nice little story that reminds you that Christmas is about more than Black Friday.

Book Summary
First published in 1956, this much sought-after autobiographical recollection of Truman Capote's rural Alabama boyhood has become a modern-day classic. Seven-year-old Buddy inaugurates the Christmas season by crying out to his cousin, Miss Sook Falk: "It's fruitcake weather!" Thus begins an unforgettable portrait of an odd but enduring friendship between two innocent souls - one young and one old - and the memories they share of beloved holiday rituals.

The Art of Loving Life

2011-11-17T11:36:00.001-08:00

by Sandra Thebaud
4 Stars
Nonfiction: Self Help
78 pages
Published 2011

Ellie's Review
I am someone who is constantly stressed out. Though I purposefully keep a very busy life, I hate the anguish and sore shoulders caused by stress. I have read another stress management book that was good to learn about techniques such as deep breathing and visualization. I felt better while I read it but was soon caught up in my life, forgetting about using my diaphragm to inhale. The Art of Loving Life crossed my path, and I decided to give stress management a try again to see how it could improve my sore muscles and help me enjoy life a bit more.

While this book did discuss several stress management techniques, it started out by teaching us that to better manage the stress in our lives, we first have to understand what stress is, what causes our personal stress, and how we react to stress. I had a notepad I used to write down my own definitions of ideas and different types stress in my personal life, as I was instructed. Then Thebaud helped me understand things differently than before.

One example is while I focus on the major stressors in my life, my energy is used up in small stressors that I ignore and fail to manage/decrease. She told of being frustrated at all the laundry she did every day when potty training her son; it was a small thing, but when she purchased more pairs of pants and underwear, her stress level greatly decreased. I had similar little things in my life I was ignoring even though they caused me anguish.

Thebaud realizes that most of us do not have extra hours we can daily dedicate to meditation, etc. She has reasonable suggestions such as practicing deep breathing every time we are stopped at a red light - I can do that!

I was not a fan of the writing style, but I have noticed a big difference in how relaxed I am and how much I'm enjoying my daily life. The message is realistic enough for me that I'll keep this book on hand as a reference.

Book Summary

Life can be difficult and unpredictable. Sometimes you feel like no one understands what you're going through. You want a life that you love, but stress can make that seem impossible.

Unlike other stress management books that talk about techniques out of the context of real life, this book approaches life from an emotional standpoint and uses proven techniques to show you how to improve your life, not just deal with stress. Tried and true techniques have been tweaked to make them easy to practice and more effective.

One for the Money (Stephanie Plum #1)

2011-11-09T20:35:00.000-08:00

by Janet Evanovich
3 Stars
Setting: Trenton, New Jersey
320 pages
Published 1994

Ellie's Review
One for the Money tells the tale of an average girl, Stephanie Plum, who turns into a bounty hunter since she's desperate for cash after being laid off. I could relate to Stephanie's character as she jumps into this new lifestyle (I have no experience with killers, surveillance, or thugs). This crime mystery was fluffy, sometimes humorous, and definitely geared towards a female audience. The next time I'm looking for an entertaining and light read, I'll pick the next in the Stephanie Plum series - these are perfect for a flight, beach, or lazy day.

Book Summary
Welcome to Trenton, New Jersey, home to wiseguys, average Joes, and Stephanie Plum, who sports a big attitude and even bigger money problems (since losing her job as a lingerie buyer for a department store). Stephanie needs cash--fast--but times are tough, and soon she's forced to turn to the last resort of the truly desperate: family.

Stephanie lands a gig at her sleazy cousin Vinnie's bail bonding company. She's got no experience. But that doesn't matter. Neither does the fact that the bail jumper in question is local vice cop Joe Morelli. From the time he first looked up her dress to the time he first got into her pants to the time Steph hit him with her father's Buick, M-o-r-e-l-l-i has spelled t-r-o-u-b-l-e. And now the guy is in hot water--wanted for murder.

Abject poverty is a great motivator for learning new skills, but being trained in the school of hard knocks by people like psycho prizefighter Benito Ramirez isn't. Still, if Stephanie can nab Morelli in a week, she'll make a cool ten grand. All she has to do is become an expert bounty hunter overnight--and keep herself from getting killed before she gets her man.

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow

2011-10-26T13:41:00.000-07:00

by Washington Irving
4 Stars
Children's Classic
Historical Fiction
Setting: Sleepy Hollow, NY
112 pages
Published 1819

Ellie's Review
To bring out the Halloween spirit (or spirits?), I read this classic American tale for the first time even though I've heard the retelling countless times and ways. This short story was a quick and entertaining read and something people should read at least once in their lives. I had never really known the truth about what happened between the Headless Horseman and Ichabod Crane. (But does anyone really know?)

Book Summary
Since this story's first appearance in 1819, generations of readers, young and old, have thrilled to the Headless Horseman galloping through the haunted woods of Sleepy Hollow.

Note on Editions
While many editions of this classic tale are available, I recommend finding an illustrated copy to make reading it that much more fun! I enjoyed the illustrations of Arthur Rackham who focused on the haunting spirits that the inhabitants of Sleepy Hollow saw in everything.

Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers

2011-10-20T07:03:00.000-07:00

by Mary Roach
4 Stars
Nonfiction: Other
304 pages
Published 2003

Ellie's Review
This book is utterly fascinating. As I learned about the many kinds of research on cadavers (including auto safety testing), I actually laughed out loud numerous times as Roach kept it light without being inappropriate. I am even more convinced now to donate my organs.

Book Summary
Stiff is an oddly compelling, often hilarious exploration of the strange lives of our bodies postmortem. For two thousand years, cadavers - some willingly, some unwittingly - have been involved in science's boldest strides and weirdest undertakings. They've tested France's first guillotines, ridden the NASA Space Shuttle, been crucified in a Parisian laboratory to test the authenticity of the Shroud of Turn, and helped solve the mystery of TWA Flight 800. For every new surgical procedure, from heart transplants to gender reassignment surgery, cadavers have been there alongside surgeons, making history in their quiet way.

In this fascinating, ennobling account, Mary Roach visits the good deeds of cadavers over the centuries—from the anatomy labs and human-sourced pharmacies of medieval and nineteenth-century Europe to a human decay research facility in Tennessee, to a plastic surgery practice lab, to a Scandinavian funeral directors' conference on human composting. In her droll, inimitable voice, Roach tells the engrossing story of our bodies when we are no longer with them.

City of Fallen Angels (The Mortal Instruments #4)

2011-10-13T10:46:00.000-07:00

by Cassandra Clare
3 Stars
Young Adult
Fantasy with Vampires
Setting: NY
424 pages
Published 2011

Ellie's Review
While I did really enjoy the latest novel in The Mortal Instruments series, I didn't like it as much as the 2nd and 3rd books. In the middle, too much was going on with the subplots and drama that was being created. I would have been happy if Clare ended the series after the third novel since things were tied up so nicely. She had to create so many new problems with the characters who had already overcame their numerous conflicts. I did like City of Fallen Angels though and will probably read the next book whenever it is published.

Book Summary
Who will betray everything they ever believed in? Who will fall in love, and who will find their relationship torn apart? Love. Blood. Betrayal. Revenge. In the heart-pounding fourth installment of The Mortal Instruments series, the stakes are higher than ever.

View Ellie's reviews of the rest of the series:
City of Bones (The Mortal Instruments #1)
City of Ashes (The Mortal Instruments #2)
City of Glass (The Mortal Instruments #3)

City of Glass (The Mortal Instruments #3)

2011-10-13T10:22:00.000-07:00

by Cassandra Clare
4 Stars
Young Adult
Fantasy with Vampires
Setting: NY
683 pages
Published 2009

Ellie's Review
Once again, I was totally hooked on a cheesy, juvenile, vampire novel. Clare nicely wrapped up the trilogy in City of Glass, and I was happy with the ending. The teenage characters are still learning and making mistakes, but they have matured some since the first installment of The Mortal Instruments series, City of Bones.

Book Summary
To save her mother's life, Clary must travel to the City of Glass, the ancestral home of the Shadowhunters -- never mind that entering the city without permission is against the Law, and breaking the Law could mean death. To make things worse, she learns that Jace does not want her there, and Simon has been thrown in prison by the Shadowhunters, who are deeply suspicious of a vampire who can withstand sunlight.

View Ellie's reviews of the rest of the series:
City of Bones (The Mortal Instruments #1)
City of Ashes (The Mortal Instruments #2)
City of Fallen Angels (The Mortal Instruments #4)

City of Ashes (The Mortal Instruments #2)

2011-10-13T09:53:00.000-07:00

by Cassandra Clare
4 Stars
Young Adult
Fantasy with Vampires
Setting: NY
464 pages
Published 2007

Ellie's Review
I'm embarrassed to admit that I really liked this book, but I did. The dialogue is cheesy, but again I stayed up late at night reading this! I'm not too ashamed to say I have a crush on Jace.

Book Summary
As readers of series starter City of Bones already know, teenager Clary Fray is a Shadowhunter, a demon slayer who has the gift (?) of spotting Downworlder werewolves, vampires, and faeries. She is also an adolescent in an abnormally dysfunctional family: Her mom is in a magically induced coma and her father is probably insane and undoubtedly evil. All of which places Clary in situations that would challenge even the most talented average American girl.

View Ellie's reviews of the rest of the series:
City of Bones (The Mortal Instruments #1)
City of Glass (The Mortal Instruments #3)
City of Fallen Angels (The Mortal Instruments #4)

City of Bones (The Mortal Instruments #1)

2011-10-05T11:53:00.000-07:00

by Cassandra Clare
4 Stars
Young Adult
Fantasy with Vampires
Setting: NY
485 pages
Published 2007

Ellie's Review
This book sucked me from from the start, and I stayed up many nights past my bedtime reading it. This reminded me of Twilight due to the juvenile fantasy genre and the magnetism I was drawn in with. However, I didn't rate it higher because the writing itself is not fabulous. This would be a great book to read on a trip: it's easy to read and is a page-turner. If you are a fan of Stephenie Meyers and wanted more after Breaking Dawn, pick this book up.

Book Summary
When fifteen-year-old Clary Fray heads out to the Pandemonium Club in New York City, she hardly expects to witness a murder - much less a murder committed by three teenagers covered with strange tattoos and brandishing bizarre weapons. Then the body disappears into thin air. It's hard to call the police when the murderers are invisible to everyone else and when there is nothing - not even a smear of blood - to show that a boy has died. Or was he a boy?

This is Clary's first meeting with the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the earth of demons. It's also her first encounter with Jace, a Shadowhunter who looks a little like an angel and acts a lot like a jerk. Within twenty-four hours Clary is pulled into Jace's world with a vengeance, when her mother disappears and Clary herself is attacked by a demon. But why would demons be interested in ordinary mundanes like Clary and her mother? And how did Clary suddenly get the Sight? The Shadowhunters would like to know....

Series Information
Originally The Mortal Instruments were to be a trilogy, but Clare decided to continue with a fourth, which is City of Fallen Angels, published in 2011.

View Ellie's reviews of the rest of the series:
City of Ashes (The Mortal Instruments #2)
City of Glass (The Mortal Instruments #3)
City of Fallen Angels (The Mortal Instruments #4)

Gregor the Overlander (Underland Chronicles #1)

2011-09-29T11:56:00.000-07:00

by Suzanne Collins
3 Stars
Children's Fantasy
Setting: NY
320 pages
Published 2003

Ellie's Review
This was a fun kids' book about a NYC brother and sister who fall through a laundry grate into the Underland where rats, bats, roaches, and spiders are huge and warring with each other. While I probably won't read any more in this series, I will recommend it to 8-year-olds, especially if they've ever been in a big city with those pests.

Book Summary
When eleven-year-old Gregor follows his little sister through a grate in the laundry room of their New York apartment, he hurtles into the dark Underland beneath the city. There, humans live uneasily beside giant spiders, bats, cockroaches, and rats—but the fragile peace is about to fall apart. Gregor wants no part of a conflict between these creepy creatures. He just wants to find his way home. But when he discovers that a strange prophecy foretells a role for him in the Underland's uncertain future, he realizes it might be the only way to solve the biggest mystery of his life. Little does he know his quest will change him and the Underland forever.

Author Information
Gregor the Overlander is the debut novel from Suzanne Collins who is now best known for writing The Hunger Games series.

Read Ellie's 5-star review of The Hunger Games.

Infidel

2011-09-24T09:27:00.000-07:00

by Ayaan Hirsi Ali
5 Stars
Nonfiction: Memoir
Setting: Africa, Middle East, USA
353 pages
Published 2006

Ellie's Review
This memoir was fascinating to me! Ayaan grew up in Somalia, Kenya, Ethiopia, and Saudi Arabia and just told her life story as a Muslim. On one hand, she's just a normal person who had a typical childhood. On the other hand, she is incredible for what she's gone through. I learned so much about Muslims and the world we live in.

Book Summary
Somali-born author Ayaan Hirsi Ali is one of the most controversial women on earth. For years, she has been forced to live in hiding; her life has been threatened numerous times; an anti-Koran script that she wrote provoked the assassination of filmmaker Theo Van Gogh; and a dispute over her citizenship indirectly brought down the Dutch government. This memoir about her family's travails living under strict fundamentalist Islamic precepts tracks the evolution of a world-changing radical feminist.

The Passion

2011-09-18T08:17:00.000-07:00

by Jeanette Winterson
3 Stars
Historical Fiction
Setting: Europe
176 pages
Published 1987

Ellie's Review
This was beautifully written novel about the many different aspects of passion set during Napolean's reign, and I loved how she spun in little bits of fairy tale. I really liked the first section and while I enjoyed the other three sections, they weren't as gripping.

Book Summary
Set during the tumultuous years of the Napoleonic Wars, The Passion intertwines the destinies of two remarkable people: Henri, a simple French soldier, who follows Napoleon from glory to Russian ruin; and Villanelle, the red-haired, web-footed daughter of a Venetian boatman, whose husband has gambled away her heart. In Venice's compound of carnival, chance, and darkness, the pair meet their singular destiny. In her unique and mesmerizing voice, Winterson blends reality with fantasy, dream, and imagination to weave a hypnotic tale with stunning effects.

Born to Run

2011-09-16T19:19:00.000-07:00

Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen
by Christopher McDougall
5 Stars
Nonfiction: Memoir
Setting: USA, Mexico
287 pages
Published 2009

Ellie's Review
If you run or have ever thought about running, you should read this book. I was completely hooked from the first page to the last: the story was so incredibly interested and was well written. Learning about the running tribe in Mexico was amazing, and I am seriously considering purchasing a pair of Five Finger running shoes (even though I've openly mocked their appearance). I will honestly think of this book every time I run, and I hope to think of it whenever I face a challenge I think is too great for me. I loved this book!

Book Summary
Full of incredible characters, amazing athletic achievements, cutting-edge science, and, most of all, pure inspiration, Born to Run is an epic adventure that began with one simple question: Why does my foot hurt? In search of an answer, Christopher McDougall sets off to find a tribe of the world’s greatest distance runners and learn their secrets, and in the process shows us that everything we thought we knew about running is wrong.

The History of Love

2011-09-13T11:38:00.000-07:00

by Nicole Krauss
4 Stars
Jewish
Setting: USA
260 pages
Published 2005

Ellie's Review
This book was very enjoyable, and I was sad to finish it. Different people narrate this novel, which was confusing at first (maybe because I was listening to the audiobook?). I absolutely loved the narration of Leo Gursky - he was a quirky and amazing character who I fell in love with and just wanted to hug. Simply, it was a great book.

Book Summary
Leo Gursky is trying to survive a little bit longer, tapping his radiator each evening to let his upstairs neighbor know he's still alive, drawing attention to himself at the milk counter of Starbucks. But life wasn't always like this: sixty years ago, in the Polish village where he was born, Leo fell in love and wrote a book. And although he doesn't know it, that book also survived: it crossed oceans and generations, and changed lives." Fourteen-year-old Alma was named after a character in that book. She has her hands full keeping track of her little brother Bird (who thinks he might be the Messiah) and taking copious notes in her book, How to Survive in the Wild Volume Three. But when a mysterious letter arrives in the mail she undertakes an adventure to find her namesake and save her family.