October Reflections

I read 42 books in October!!! And some of what I read was just AMAZING. I reread The Giver trilogy in anticipation of her newest book, Son, which was wonderful!!! And I discovered the Wheel In Time series by Robert Jordan!!! I also read some great middle grade fiction!

My favorite picture book:  Boy + Bot. Ame Dyckman.
My favorite fairy tale adaptation: Snow in Summer. Jane Yolen.
My favorite MG mystery: Three Times Lucky. Sheila Turnage.
My favorite MG Victorian historical fantasy:  Splendors and Glooms. Laura Amy Schlitz.
My favorite YA:  Son. Lois Lowry.
My favorite new series: Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan (#1, #2, #3)
My favorite historical romance: A Promise to Love. Serena B. Miller.

Board Books, Picture Books, Chapter Books:

1. Boy + Bot. Ame Dyckman. Illustrated by Dan Yaccarino. 2012. Random House. 32 pages.
2. Goldilocks and the Three Dinosaurs. Mo Willems. 2012. HarperCollins. 40 pages.
3. Let's Sing a Lullaby with the Brave Cowboy. Jan Thomas. 2012. Simon & Schuster. 40 pages.  
4. Dragons Love Tacos. Adam Rubin. Illustrated by Daniel Salmieri. 2012. Penguin. 40 pages. 
5. Monkey and Elephant. Carole Lexa Schaefer. Illustrated by Galia Bernstein. 2012. Candlewick. 48 pages. 
6. Bramble and Maggie: Horse Meets Girl. Jessie Haas. Illustrated by Alison Friend. 2012. Candlewick. 56 pages.   
7.  The Big Something. Patricia Reilly Giff. Illustrated by Diane Palmisciano. 2012. Scholastic. 40 pages.
8. Ballet Stars. Joan Holub. Illustrated by Shelagh McNicholas. 2012. Random House. 24 pages.

 

Middle Grade and Young Adult Books:

1. Splendors and Glooms. Laura Amy Schlitz. 2012. Candlewick. 384 pages. 
2. Three Times Lucky. Sheila Turnage. 2012. Penguin. 256 pages. 
3. Liar & Spy. Rebecca Stead. 2012. Random House. 192 pages. 
4. Snow in Summer. Jane Yolen. 2011. Penguin. 256 pages. 
5. The Giver. Lois Lowry. 1993. Houghton Mifflin. 180 pages. 
6. Gathering Blue. Lois Lowry. 2000/2012. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 215 pages. 
7. Messenger. Lois Lowry. 2004/2012. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 169 pages.   
8. Son. Lois Lowry. 2012. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 400 pages. 
9. Vessel. Sarah Beth Durst. 2012. Simon & Schuster. 424 pages. 
10. Hanging By A Thread. Sophie Littlefield. 2012. Random House. 288 pages. 
11. The Book of Blood and Shadow. Robin Wasserman. 2012. Random House. 448 pages. 
12. The Broken Lands. Kate Milford. 2012. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 455 pages.  
13. Yesterday. C.K. Kelly Martin. 2012. Random House. 368 pages. 
14. Unspoken. Sarah Rees Brennan. 2012. Random House. 384 pages. 
15. Unwholly. Neal Shusterman. 2012. Simon & Schuster. 416 pages. 
16. Origin. Jessica Khoury. 2012. Penguin. 372 pages. 
17. Monument 14. Emmy Laybourne. 2012. Feiwel & Friends. 294 pages. 
18. Rootless. Chris Howard. 2012. Scholastic. 336 pages. 
19. The Eleventh Plague. Jeff Hirsch. 2011. Scholastic. 304 pages. 
20. What Came From the Stars. Gary D. Schmidt. 2012. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 304 pages. 
21. Yesterday's Dead. Pat Bourke. 2012. Second Story Press. 232 pages. 
22. The Bar Code Tattoo. Suzanne Weyn. 2004/2012. Scholastic. 256 pages.

Adult Books:

1. The Eye of the World (Wheel of Time #1) Robert Jordan. 1990. Tor. 814 pages. 
2.  The Great Hunt. (Wheel of Time #2) Robert Jordan. Tor. 600 pages.
3. The Dragon Reborn. (Wheel of Time #3) Robert Jordan. 1991. Tor. 624 pages.    
4. Redshirts. John Scalzi. 2012. Tor. 320 pages. 
5. The Tuesday Club Murders. Agatha Christie. 1932/2007. Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers. 256 pages. 
6. The Doorbell Rang. Rex Stout. 1965. 207 pages.
   

Christian Fiction and Nonfiction:

1. A Promise to Love. Serena B. Miller. 2012. Revell. 332 pages.
2. Twice Promised. Maggie Brendan. 2012. Revell. 332 pages.
3. Wondrous Works of God. Starr Meade. 2012. Crossway. 288 pages.
4. Whispers in the Wind. (Wild West Wind #2) Lauraine Snelling. 2012. Bethany House. 352 pages.
5. All Things New. Lynn Austin. 2012. Bethany House. 416 pages.
6. My First Handy Bible: Timeless Bible Stories for Toddlers. Cecilie Olesen. Illustrated by Gustavo Mazali. Scandinavia Publishing House. 64 pages. 

© 2012 Book of Just News To You

The Bar Code Tattoo (YA)

The Bar Code Tattoo. Suzanne Weyn. 2004/2012. Scholastic. 256 pages.

The Bar Code Tattoo is a quick read that I ultimately found disappointing. Kayla is weeks away from turning seventeen, in just a few weeks she'll have to choose whether she wants to conform or rebel against society and the government. The tattoo is relatively new--at least to the United States, having been tested first in Europe and Asia. And the tattoo is changing lives, for better or worse. For some who receive it, their lives improve dramatically: new opportunities at work, pay increases, etc. For others, it ruins them almost completely. Some lose their jobs, their homes, their credit or money no longer being "good" enough to be accepted anywhere. Not that any of this is being publicized, not really. Those who speak out against the tattoo are in the minority--or so it seems. And while there are rebel groups out there, well, they don't have the power to change things. At least not yet. Kayla's mind is made up almost from the time of her father's death. She blames--and her mother blames--his suicide to the tattoo. He has NOT been the same since receiving it, the changes coming slowly but surely over a month or two. Kayla joins a group she learns about at school, and so her rebellion begins. It may not seem like much of a commitment at first, but Kayla will ultimately have to make some tough choices.

It is a quick read, very fast-paced, very plot-driven. It started off promising enough, but by the end I was disappointed. The last few chapters were odd.

Read The Bar Code Tattoo

• If you're looking for a light, quick read
• If you're looking for a futuristic (2025 or so?) read featuring conspiring evil governments, societies, scientists, corporations, etc. 

© 2012 Book of Just News To You

Vessel (YA)

Vessel. Sarah Beth Durst. 2012. Simon & Schuster. 424 pages.

Vessel is a good example of an almost book for me. It almost almost made me love it, but, not quite. I did enjoy it, for the most part. There were chapters that were quite satisfying, that gave me hope. But then there were places I felt a disconnect, and ultimately I didn't end up loving it as much as I had originally hoped. I definitely went into this one with high expectations. I thought it had the potential to be wow-worthy. And I think for some readers, it works well, really well. I am sure it will find readers that do love it.

Readers first meet Liyana, a young woman who is destined to be a "vessel" to her clan's goddess, Bayla. When the possession does not happen, when the goddess fails to come and take possession of this girl's body, well, her clan leaves her to die in the desert. She doesn't die, however, she is found by a god, Korbyn, a trickster god who has recently taken possession of his own human vessel. He has a message and a mission. Certain gods and goddesses have vanished from the Dreaming, including Bayla. The ceremonies have failed and the gods and goddesses are disappearing. He doesn't know where, though he tells her he felt a pull to the East, but he knows that they have to rescue them from false vessels and restore them to their worthy (human) vessels. For only if they are restored will the god's magic be able to heal the desert lands and save all the desert clans. Liyana is easy to convince; she finds Korbyn charming and swoon-worthy. But some of the other vessels won't be so easy to convince. These two must prepare to go on quite the adventure quest...

Readers also meet a super-mysterious emperor, but, I felt these sections weren't as compelling as the rest of the novel. (I didn't connect with them and was a bit puzzled by everything until the ending when things became clearer.)

For those that like fantasy and magic and storytelling, this one does have potential.

Read Vessel

• If you love fantasy, magic, gods and goddesses
• If you love storytelling, if you love storytelling cultures and mythologies
• If you love novels with world-building

© 2012 Book of Just News To You

Hanging by a Thread (YA)

Hanging By A Thread. Sophie Littlefield. 2012. Random House. 288 pages.

I had low expectations for this one because I don't generally like reading paranormal fiction. The heroine of this one, Clare, has a gift, a legacy. She touches fabric--clothes to be exact--and gets visions of their owners. She's recently moved to her mom's old hometown, and, well, there happens to be an ongoing mystery. Two murders over the past two summers occurring around the fourth of July. She stumbles across the jean jacket of the previous year's victim, and has a strong reaction to it, her strongest vision so far. A vision which prompts her to start investigating the two crimes. (She has a feeling they are connected.) It won't be easy to solve this one, and it may just lead her into danger if the murderer is still around, but, how can she ignore what she knows to be true?

I liked this one so much more than I thought I would. It's a paranormal romance and I still happened to like it.

Read Hanging By A Thread

• If you enjoy mysteries OR paranormal fiction
• If you are interested in fashion design

© 2012 Book of Just News To You