Percy Jackson and the Olympians (books 1-5) by Rick Riordan

I borrowed these books from my husband's younger brother. I saw the movie of the first book awhile ago when it came out and I thought it was decent. My brother-in-law, however, HATED it. Now, after reading the books, I completely understand why he hated it. I hate it now too. These books are a whole lot of fun. I think they are comparable to Harry Potter or Fablehaven. Fun fantasy books that can be enjoyed by both kids and adults. I read the 5-book series in 2 weeks (not reading on weekends) and was thoroughly engaged the whole time.

So for anyone who doesn't know anything about these stories, the premise is a boy named Percy, who is a demigod (half human, half god). Percy's father is Poseidon, god of the sea. The first story starts off with someone stealing Zeus's lightning bolt and framing Percy. Percy then must recover the bolt and figure out the true thief. He gets help from other demigod friends at Camp Half-Blood, a training camp for demigods. The next stories involve more complex dilemmas and you get to know kids of other gods and their cool powers.

The thing I loved most about these stories was learning about Greek mythology through a fun and memorable story. Now I could tell you all the major gods and what they are gods of, along with many minor gods and demons. I've always been fascinated with mythology so I found Percy Jackson to be particularly enjoyable. Definitely would recommend to everyone!

4.5 out of 5 stars

Austenland by Shannon Hale

This was first fiction I've read in a couple months, at least since Sadie was born, and I finished it in about 2 days. I adore Shannon Hale's books and have now (I think) read all of them. My favorite is still The Goose Girl but they're all worth reading. I heard about Austenland from my old book club; initially I wasn't really interested in reading it, but when I learned who the author was I checked it out asap.

True to form, Austenland is a fun, easy read about a girl in her thirties who is obsessed with Pride and Prejudice and finding her own Mr. Darcy. She inherits a 3-week trip to Austenland, a theme park type place where women can live out their fantasies by immersing themselves in Jane Austen times. She wears empire waist gowns and tries to master the Regency era etiquette as she flirts with the other gentlemen, or rather, actors pretending to be gentlemen. She knows it's all a game but finds herself losing her grip on what is real and wonders if she'll be able to find a Mr. Darcy of her own.

Perhaps it's been too long since I've read a silly book, but I really enjoyed Austenland. It was entertaining and fun; just what I've been in the mood for. Not a whole lot of depth to the story, but sometimes you need to take a lighthearted stroll in fantasy-land.

4 out of 5 stars

On Becoming Babywise

So it's been months since I've posted any book reviews, primarily because I haven't read anything. This is due to the recent addition to my little family of a beautiful baby girl named Sadie. She is my pride and joy. Chris and I have been adjusting to becoming parents; the hardest part has been the lack of sleep and trying to figure out what her cries mean and how to stop them. After the first few weeks we were exhausted and my sister-in-law Allison recommended we read this book, On Becoming Babywise. I devoured the whole book in 2 days. What I got out of the book was that I should implement a 3-hour schedule consisting of sleep, eat, and play. Many people get the order wrong and do eat, sleep, play, which eventually creates a dependence to eat before falling asleep. So we have been doing this 3 hour schedule for 6 or 7 weeks now and it has really helped organize our lives. Sadie knows what to expect of her day and that has helped transition to sleeping longer at night. She is 11 weeks old and last night slept for 7 hours! The night before she did 6, before that did 4 then 3, before that another 6... so she has been doing FANTASTIC this last week or so. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that this pattern will continue because I cannot say how much better I feel after 7 straight hours than 3+2+2. I definitely would recommend this book. I don't think any method can be a cure-all for sleep problems but Babywise really helped add some predictability to our lives which made everyone happier.

5 out of 5 stars

Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See

This was a story we read in my book club last month. I'm a little unsure how to blog about it so here goes...

This is a story that takes place in 19th century China during a time where girls bound their feet to achieve "golden lilies" (3-3.5 inches from toe to heel) and had arranged marriages. Girls were confined to the upstairs room of the home until they were married. During this time a secret writing called nu shu was created as a way for women to communicate with each other without the men knowing. Snow Flower and the Secret Fan is told from the perspective of Lily as an old woman who is reflecting on her life experiences with foot binding, her special laotong relationship with Snow Flower, and her arranged marriage.

I liked the story and found it interesting to learn about a different culture during a different time. I can't believe the whole foot binding process and the amount of pain these women suffered for the sake of beauty. I suppose we have our own painful and seemingly ridiculous rituals that we undertake for beauty, like diets, plucking eyebrows, shaving/waxing, body piercings, corsets, high-heeled shoes...but in my opinion they're not nearly as extreme as foot binding.

I also frequently became frustrated with the way women were viewed in the story, especially baby girls. It was repeatedly stated that it is better to miscarry than give birth to a baby girl, which I find particularly offensive as I am about to have my own baby girl in about a week and I can't imagine anything more exciting and joyful than the prospect of having a daughter. And then of course the fact that I am female puts me on the defensive and makes me irritated at the general societal attitude toward women, that we are useless, weak, unintelligent, and just another mouth to feed. And of course it was worse if you were a poor woman. I am so happy that this is no longer the attitude toward women, especially in the United States.

Overall this was a very interesting story. It was difficult to read at times because it didn't follow the usual plot development of typical Western writing, but I still enjoyed the flowy, less plot driven Eastern style. It's always fun to learn something new about another culture.

4 out of 5 stars

The Enchanted Forest Chronicles by Patricia Wrede

The Enchanted Forest Chronicles by Patricia C Wrede were recommended to me by my good old friend Diana. There are 4 books in the series: Dealing with Dragons, Searching for Dragons, Calling on Dragons, and Talking to Dragons. I must say that all of these books were absolutely delightful!

Dealing with Dragons introduces us to our heroine Cimorene, a princess who is unlike ordinary princesses. She finds normal princess behavior and topics of study very boring, so she goes out and becomes a dragon's princess. She cooks and cleans for a dragon named Kazul while uncovering a plot by wizards to steal magic from the dragons.

In Searching for Dragons we meet the king of the Enchanted Forest, King Mendenbar. He goes off one day for a walk in his forest and discovers that part of the forest is dead and has been completely stripped of it's magic. He decides to go speak with the king of the dragons (who is now Kazul) which is where he meets Cimorene. Kazul is missing, so Mendenbar and Cimorene go off to find the dragon king. They discover that wizards have captured Kazul and are again trying to plot to steal magic and take over the world. By the end of the story Mendenbar and Cimorene fall in love and get married.

Calling on Dragons is told from the perspective of a witch named Morwen, to whom we were introduced back in the first book. She is good friends with both Kazul and Cimorene and helped rescue Kazul in book #2. In this story the wizards have stolen King Mendenbar's magic sword, an extremely powerful tool that protects the forest from the wizard's repeated attempts at thievery. Morwen, Cimorene, a magician friend named Telemain, Kazul, 2 of Morwen's cats, and a giant-blue-donkey-with-wings-that-used-to-be-a-rabbit set off to find the sword. Meanwhile the wizards infiltrate the castle and capture Mendenbar.

Our final story, Talking to Dragons, takes place years later and is told from the perspective of Daystar, the son of Mendenbar and Cimorene. While Mendenbar has been locked away in a magical prison set up by the wizards for the last 16 years, Cimorene has been teaching and raising Daystar. She sends him off on a quest with his father's sword without telling him about his heritage or what he is supposed to do. Daystar meets many interesting characters during his travels in the Enchanted Forest and is eventually able to use the sword to help rescue his father from the wizard's prison.

I loved reading these stories. I think they are intended for 10-year-olds so the writing style is very easy and fun. I particularly love the author's sense of humor that is throughout each story. The writing frequently pokes fun at the traditional fairy tales where the princesses wait to be rescued by a noble prince or knight. Overall I found these books to be clever, funny, and highly entertaining. Definitely would recommend to everyone!

4.5 out of 5 stars

The Gift by Cecelia Ahern

I'm a big fan of Cecelia Ahern. I think she comes up with the most fascinating ideas for her stories. I don't always love how she resolves the conflicts in her books, but she is a beautiful story-teller and has such creative ideas. This book was not my favorite of her books but it was definitely worth reading.

The Gift tells a story about a workaholic who has been unfaithful to his wife, a lousy father to his 2 small children, and generally cares about the wrong things in life. He meets a homeless man outside his work building and gives him a job in the mail room. This homeless man helps him take a look at himself and make some difficult changes with his life.

This was a nice story, well told, reminding us all about what is truly important: family, friends, and being a good person. Definitely would recommend this story to others!

3.5 out of 5 stars

Reckless by Cornelia Funke

I am so very behind on my book blogging but I feel like it's important to write at least something on all of my books, so the next few posts will be very brief.

I found this book, Reckless by Cornelia Funke, when I learned that my local Borders was closing and having huge sales on all their merchandise. By the time I got there all the good stuff was gone. There were, however, large quantities of this book still on the shelf marked 80% off. I can't resist such a fabulous bargain, especially when I know the author is reputable. (see the Inkheart Trilogy)

Reckless is a sort of bizarre story about a guy who discovers a magic world inside a mirror in his father's study. When his younger brother follows him and gets turned in to a Goyl (a man-like creature made of stone) by dark magic, Jacob is determined to make things right.

I can't say I particularly enjoyed the story. In the past I have enjoyed Funke's writing style and creative ideas, but Reckless was a little too weird for me. I was curious to find out what happened in the end, which is what kept me reading, but otherwise I didn't care too much about the characters. I'm glad I only paid $3 for this book.

1 out of 5 stars

Evermore and Blue Moon by Alyson Noel

I've gotten into the bad habit of browsing the young adult section of the library and checking out books without more research than reading the summary on the back. If it looks even a little interesting I will probably check it out and read it. Unfortunately this has led to a rather developed taste for what I now call "junk food" literature: books that are stimulating while you are reading them but provide no real substance and leave you feeling empty and unfulfilled. These books, Evermore and Blue Moon, are the first two installments of what is to be (I believe) a 4-part "Immortals" series. I'll just say now that I have no desire to read the rest of the series.

Evermore is about a girl named Ever who loses her family in a car accident that leaves her with psychic powers; she can hear peoples' thoughts and can see their auras. She meets this tall, dark and handsome young man named Damen who, of course, she falls desperately in love with. It is set in a stereotypically chic southern California (Laguna Beach, actually) high school and there is the standard juvenile drama and conflict that eventually resolves itself to everyone's mutual interest. hooray.

Blue Moon picks up right where Evermore leaves off. Things are fabulous with Ever and Damen for awhile until a new kid comes to school and Damen becomes mysteriously ill and loses his memory of who he is (including his super awesome powers) and his love for Ever. It's up to Ever to figure out what's wrong with him, how the new kid is involved, and how to save her one true love. Again, things work themselves out in the end as should be predicted for this genre of junk food literature.

Fun and easy reads but they definitely left me feeling like I need to make some positive changes in my life, i.e. stop checking out books intended for 14-year-olds and read something substantial. I'm definitely on the hunt for some actually good books that are entertaining and worthwhile. I may re-read The Hunger Games if I can't find anything good. Any recommendations?

1.5 out of 5 stars

The Story of the Trapp Family Singers by Maria Augusta Trapp

The hills are alive with the sound of muuuuusiiiiic! (ahhh ah ah ahhhhh)

Ok, so we've all seen the movie "The Sound of Music" about the Trapp family during the beginning of World War II. The songs have become so famous that all children know the solfegge song about do the deer and ti going with jam and bread. This beloved movie is based on the true story of Maria von Trapp and her family. This book was chosen by my book club and, while I didn't actually finish it, I would definitely recommend this story to everyone.

I think my favorite thing about the book is Maria: she is hilarious in telling how she meets Captain Von Trapp and the children and their travels and trials throughout the world. I think she would have been a very fun person to know in real life.

There were a lot of differences between the book and the movie. The movie ends after their very dramatic exit from Austria and infuses extra love stories and drama to make it more exciting. (I kept waiting for the romance between Liesl and that 16-year-old boy she liked. That particular story never came...) The book continues on for years after they leave Austria and tells of their musical group performing concert tours all across Europe and eventually in America.

I never made it to the end of the book but that was because I didn't finish in time for my book club meeting and then I got caught up in reading other books. This was an entertaining and very interesting book that provides years of information more than what the movie shows. I would definitely recommend to anyone interested in the World War II period or the Sound of Music.

3.5 out of 5 stars

Beautiful Creatures and Beautiful Darkness by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

This was another book club book. I really don't have too much to say about it because even though it was fun, it didn't have a whole lot of substance. It was a page turner and I was hooked from the beginning, but now, weeks later, I don't remember very much. I think that alone speaks volumes about the book.

This was basically a Twilight remake where the girl is a witch who is coming in to her powers and coming of age. Upon her 16th birthday she will either turn light or dark. If she goes light, all the dark members of her family will die, and if she goes dark then the light family members will die. She is tormented and searching for a way to prevent killing off half her family all while maintaining a relationship with a boy she met at school. The story is told from the boy's point of view, which I actually really liked. I thought the guy was a really good character--realistic (he definitely had his flaws), relatable, and had a good sense of morals.

The sequel was like the first in that it was a page turner and didn't have much substance. Fun, exciting, easy, very entertaining, but not much to it. It was like the authors wrote these books with the purpose of making a movie afterward. The irritating part about the first story was that it had all of this intense build up to one event and then right at the end a random, unseen conflict comes up and the build up isn't even relevant anymore. The main problem just gets postponed for the sequel and you feel like you're starting the first book over again. It was kind of annoying. The sequel is just as entertaining as the first with purposeful cliffhangers to keep you reading. I enjoyed my read and will probably (if I even remember the series) read the next 2 sequels when they come out. Or not. We'll see.

I can recommend this series if you want a quick and cheaply entertaining story. It's very Twilight-esque but (in my opinion) not as good. Fun and easy read.

3 out of 5 stars

Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach

I have been horribly neglectful of my poor blog. I have read several books since last updating and I am resolved to blog about each of them. In order to do so I will have to make each post fairly short, which I don't think anyone would complain about.

To be honest, I never actually finished this book and I read it over a month ago so I don't remember a whole lot. This book, Stiff, by Mary Roach, was chosen by my book club. I only got about half-way through, but not because it wasn't interesting. This was a fascinating book that talks about the many diverse uses of cadavers and their importance in research and modern science. I think my favorite chapter talked about how cadavers are used in crash tests to improve car safety designs. We have cadavers to thank for giving doctors surgery practice, forensic scientists' knowledge of the various stages of decomposition to aid in identifying cause and time of death, and safer cars, along with many other things that I don't remember or didn't get to read about yet.

The author was witty and interesting. Even though I'm usually more of a fiction/novel girl, this was a very interesting non-fiction read.

3 out of 5 stars

The Swan Kingdom by Zoe Marriott

I read this book over the weekend as another "in-between" read to a couple other books I'm part-way through. While it was a nice diversion to the less exciting books I'm reading, it wasn't really that fabulous of a book. I really enjoyed the story; it's a sort of fairytale with magic and princes and princesses. Actually, now that I'm looking at the back cover, it's based off the Hans Christian Andersen tale "The Wild Swans," which I have never read or heard before. So while I thought the story was fun and interesting, even including a charming love interest, my biggest problem with the book was the writing style the author used. It was all written in a passive voice, making even the most exciting action parts of the book seem boring. There were also several parts where she gets put under a spell and it got really confusing and difficult to follow what was going on. Just in general the writing style didn't really work for me. I think it could have been a really great book because the story is solid and interesting, but the writing style really detracted from the overall quality. Still a fun read, and I don't regret reading it, but I don't recommend this one as quickly as I do many others.

2.5 out of 5 stars

The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde

We read this book in my book club (that I've only recently decided I want be social enough to start attending) and I LOVED it. I watched this movie years ago but I didn't really remember what the story was about until I was about half-way through. It is a very short play and it was an absolutely delightful read. I loved the humor that was throughout all 3 acts and the characters were a whole lot of sarcastic fun. Definitely recommend this one!!

4.5 out of 5 stars

Eva Underground by Dandi Daley Mackall

I'm back! I know I've been away from my blog for over a month now, but it's not from lack of reading!! I have been stuck on a book since early January that my husband Chris recommended I read, and I do like it, but it is taking me forrreeeverrrrr. I went to the library yesterday and decided to take a break from my long book and read something short and fun. So I browse the Young Adult section and find this book, Eva Underground.

It's set in the late 1970's and is about a girl, Eva, whose father moves her to Communist Poland to help with a radical underground movement during her senior year of high school. She's pretty unhappy about the change and leaving behind her new boyfriend and her friends and is planning to escape back home at the first opportunity. However, Poland starts to grow on her as she makes new friends and develops an unexpected relationship with moody Tomek. This was a nice coming-of-age story with a sweet and tasteful romance weaved throughout.

This was a nice and easy read; I finished it in less than 24 hours and found it very relaxing and entertaining. I really liked that there were Polish words used throughout the story, it made me feel like I was getting cultured while I read. And it was nice to learn a little more about Poland and it's political history. I don't really know anything about Poland, except that the guy who took me to senior prom was from there.

Overall, a good read. Would definitely recommend to others looking for an easy and entertaining with a nice romance story.

4 out of 5 stars

Red Glass by Laura Resau

I found this book by chance while wandering the aisles of the public library looking for something to read during Christmas break. Sometimes my random picks from the library don't work out so good, but sometimes they do. This was definitely a winner.

This story starts in Tuscon Arizona and is told from the perspective of a multi-phobic girl named Sophie. In a way she kind of reminds me of a roommate I used to have who was sort of small and quiet, a little socially awkward in all the best ways. :) Sophie described herself as an amoeba in the social network of the body of society, never really belonging to any particular group. One day she and her parents are called to the hospital to try and identify a 6-year-old boy named Pablo who was the lone survivor of a party found crossing the Mexico-Arizona border. They don't recognize the boy but decide to become his foster family until they know what to do with him. After several months they locate his family in Mexico and decide to take him home. Sophie, her eccentric Bosnian war refugee aunt Dika, Dika's new boyfriend Mr. Lorenzo, and Mr. Lorenzo's son Angel all accompany Pablo on a journey to his village in Mexico. A nice little relationship forms between Sophie and Angel while Sophie learns how to overcome all of her irrational fears and embrace the good things in life, especially the good people around her.

I really loved the personal journey Sophie went on during this story. As one who grew up shy and insecure, I especially appreciated reading about how Sophie gained courage and confidence when those she loved needed her help. The writing used some beautiful imagery and actually made me cry in a few parts. I became very attached to the characters and felt Sophie's fears and pain and eventual confidence and success. I would definitely recommend this book to others.

4 out of 5 stars

Princess Academy by Shannon Hale

Over the holidays I spent one night at my brother and sister in law's home. While our husbands were off playing basketball, Lori and I started talking about some of our favorite books and she asked if I've read anything by Shannon Hale. Well, I got pretty excited at that point because I LOVE Shannon Hale's books, at least the 5 that I've read (all of which can be found reviewed on this blog). She loans me her copy of Princess Academy since I haven't read it yet and I finish it within about a day and a half.

Princess Academy is about a little girl named Miri who lives in a mountain village, Mount Eskel, where everyone works in the quarry mining a special type of rock called linder. When the king's priests prophesy that the future princess will come from Mount Eskel, an obscure corner of the kingdom, an academy is set up to prepare the girls of this village to potentially become princesses. Not all of the girls want to become a princess but all are forced to work hard to refine their habits so when the prince comes to choose his bride in a year's time they will be ready.

Like all of Shannon Hales books, I quickly fell in love with her characters, especially Miri, who is a real spunky and spitfire of a girl. She grows up quite a bit during the course of this story, making up for her small size and inability to work in the quarry like everyone else by using her brain to improve the quality of life of those in her village and saving the lives of her peers at the academy from bandits. This wasn't really as good as Hales' other stories, but she still was able to weave a charming new world with believable characters. I even cried once or twice. :) Definitely would recommend this book!

3.5 out of 5 stars

Fablehaven (revisited) by Brandon Mull and comments on my rating system

I've been putting off updating my blog because I've read so much over the holiday season and I'm a little overwhelmed at writing it all down. I went to Utah for Christmas and visited with my in-laws and had a wonderful time. Unfortunately, I did not have access to the internet and thus could not stay on top of blogging about my literary adventures.

I've been wanting to reread Fablehaven for awhile now and thought that Christmas break would bee a good time for it. I'm not really going to say a whole lot about Fablehaven since I already reviewed it here. I thoroughly enjoyed reading these stories again and I think they still earned the 5 star rating I gave the first time through.

I was talking last night with my husband Chris about how we rate books vs movies. Chris says he rates books more harshly because of the time investment required to complete them, while movies can be finished within a matter of a couple hours. We discussed the different aspects that should go in to a book rating, like how interesting it is to you, depth, meaning, etc. We basically decided that rating books is really difficult. When I read a book like Fablehaven, which I loved and was fully engaged in throughout the story, I want to give it a top rating. But then I wonder, does Fablehaven deserve the same 5 star rating as a book like Jane Eyre or The Lord of the Rings? I'm sure many would disagree with me, but I say why not? I decided that I rate books on my blog based on how much I enjoy them. If I loved a book but can't necessarily pinpoint why I loved it so much or why academically it should be given a high rating, I think it's ok to rate it however I please.

So here's to Fablehaven and keeping it's 5 stars!