Ballet Shoes by Noel Streatfeild

Another book club read from awhile ago. A story about three orphans growing up in a home without any money. They go to a ballet school and look forward to turning 12 so they can get jobs and earn money.

I was excited to read this classic, especially since it's famously referenced in one of my favorite movies (You've Got Mail), but I was a little disappointed. It was kind of a boring book. I kept waiting for something interesting to happen, but the story cycled through the different jobs the girls were able to get and how they could cope with limited funds.

3 stars

A Single Shard by Linda Sue Park

We read this for book club last fall and it was very interesting. It's about an orphan boy in 12th century Korea who wants to become a potter. He becomes an apprentice to the village's most prominent potter and works very hard. Eventually he is given the very important task of transporting an exquisite work of art to the king who commissioned the work. The journey is difficult, there are bandits, and both Tree-Ear and his master are depending on this commission.

A very interesting and easy read. It was fascinating to learn about the process of making pottery in the 12th century.

4 stars

I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith

I read this one forever ago--last fall--and didn't write about it then so this post will be short.

I liked the idea of this book but hated the ending. Though, I spoke with my friend who recommended it and she liked the ending because it was more realistic, which I understand. But I'm a lover of idealistic endings, so this one wasn't exactly my cup of cocoa, but that doesn't mean other people won't like it!

3 stars

The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh

I have been neglecting this blog. I've started a new one that will hopefully result in a little extra bling (fingers crossed!) but I will try to keep this one updated with the books I read on the side.

I read The Language of Flowers, by Vanessa Diffenbaugh, probably 6 months ago or more, so the specific details are fuzzy. The main character is a ward of the state who has gone from foster home to foster home until turning 18. Unable and unwilling to get a job, she spends her nights sleeping in a local park across the street from a flower shop. Her one true passion is flowers and the hidden language they possess. After convincing the shop owner of her knowledge and skill, she gets a job doing what she loves and eventually opens up her own business. Things seem to be going well, but she is unable to get over the demons of her past. Can she learn to love when she has never felt loved by anyone in her life?

Good story, interesting to learn about flowers. I got irritated with the main character because she kept making choices that I felt were either irresponsible or totally contrary to her overall well-being. But I enjoyed the book and would recommend it!

4 out of 5 stars

Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine

Let me start by saying how much I adore this movie!! I've made my husband watch it with me once or twice and it was fun to watch him squirm in the girly parts. I love it in all it's cheesy glory.

Now, moving on to the book, which is a completely different beast. Ella Enchanted in it's literary form is far more serious than it's movie counterpart. It still has lighthearted, silly moments, but Ella's struggles are more severe. She is under a fairy curse that makes her obedient to whatever anyone tells her to do. Her spiteful stepsister discovers this weakness and exploits it, making Ella do things like give up her deceased mother's necklace and end her relationship with her best friend. Ella eventually gets herself out of those situations by running away from the boarding school she attends with her stepsisters. She heads off in search of the fairy who gave her this "gift;" on her journey she gets captured by ogres, runs into long-time friend Prince Char, and with his help, manages to avoid becoming dinner. Ella in the book is far more empowered and strong than her movie self. She solves her own problems and makes hard choices. The final conflict in the movie where Ella is battling internally trying to defy an order to kill Char doesn't happen. Instead, a less dramatic scene occurs where Ella has the same internal struggle that leads to her breaking the curse, but it is over whether or not she will marry Prince Char. Not quite as exciting as how the movie does it, but the same ending is accomplished: Ella and the prince live happily ever after.

I very much enjoyed this book. More serious than the movie, but still a lot of fun. Though, I think I might like the movie better. You can't get better than cheesy, all-cast musical numbers. Dancing ogres? Yes, please!

4 out of 5 stars

Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz Ryan

Another book chosen by my book club, Esperanza Rising is set in the 1920's and 30's, post-Revolutionary Mexico and the Great Depression in California. After 13-year-old Esperanza's wealthy father is killed and her home burns down in a mysterious fire, she and her mother must flee Mexico to escape a dangerous and powerful uncle. They go to California with a few friends and get jobs as farm workers. Many workers feel that their conditions are unlivable and strike for better wages. Esperanza and her family, and many others, are too frightened to strike because they don't want to lose their jobs to the people coming from Oklahoma who will work for less. During this period of many transitions, Esperanza must forget about the life of luxury she would have had before her father's death, and learn how to work hard and take care of her family.

This was an interesting story for me. I grew up in California and there is still today lots of bias and prejudice toward the Mexican community. I enjoyed reading about Esperanza's experience and really getting in to her side of the story. I also really liked how the chapters were all divided by the seasons and the produce they were harvesting at the time. It was fun to brush up on some Spanish words that I haven't heard since high school. Anyway, good read!

4 out of 5 stars

Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell

This was an interesting little story about 2 misfit high schoolers who find love. Eleanor comes from a broken home; her mother is in an abusive marriage, she's the oldest of several siblings, and they are extremely poor. She's overweight, her clothes are tattered and made for boys, and lacks the very basic essentials to maintain proper hygiene.

Park is the oldest of 2 children, his parents are together and his home life is stable. He is passionate about comics and music and tries to keep his head down at school so he doesn't get made fun of.

They meet on the school bus on Eleanor's first day. Park was the only kid on the bus who would let her sit with him, and he wasn't happy about it. They slowly become friends through their shared interest in the comic books Park brings to read on the way to and from school.

I enjoyed this book for the most part. It's a sweet story about first love, but I kept waiting for something to happen. There's not much of a conflict for the characters to work out, so it was a little slow and predictable for me. I liked Park a lot. Eleanor was kind of hard for me to read about, but that's probably because she had some of the same insecurities that I had when I was young, so it was like getting in my own head during my most vulnerable years (aka middle school, which pretty much sucks for everyone).

Overall, sweet little love story. Not much action, which is fine as long as you know that's what you're in for.

3 out of 5 stars

Labor Day by Joyce Maynard

I read this one back in January so a lot of the details are kind of fuzzy. I heard about Labor Day from a list of books that were being made into movies in 2014. From the synopsis, I thought this sounded like my kind of book: lonely single mom meets a handsome escaped criminal, a bit of romance, add a splash of danger, mix it up with a mother-son family relationship, and you have a potentially great story. Sadly, things didn't play out like I hoped they would.

First off, the whole book is told from the perspective of the 13-year old son, which immediately eliminates any possibility of experiencing the falling-in-love aspect that drew me to the story in the first place. It's not like I'm looking for steamy romance or anything (I'd read cheap romance novels if that's what I was hoping for), but I like to be inside the head of the person falling in love. Hear their thoughts and feel their emotions. Without that, what's the point??

So, given the fact that the entirety of the story is viewed through the male 13-year-old lenses, it wasn't a bad book. The characters were decent; you quickly grow to care for the escaped convict and hope for the happiest of endings for him and the mother, and the son is fairly relatable. I mostly was just disappointed because I had high hopes for a really juicy and satisfying love story and it certainly wasn't that. Ah well...maybe the movie version will spice things up a bit. After all, it does star Kate Winslet and she's amazing.

3 out of 5 stars

Divergent series by Veronica Roth

I've been rereading a lot of my favorites lately, hence the lack of blogging. I actually finished the first two parts of the Divergent trilogy months ago but there was a wicked-long wait for Allegiant at the library. Now that I've finished, I can't say I'm all that impressed with the series as a whole. It has a few redeeming qualities, but overall I don't think Veronica Roth distinguishes her novels to stand out among the vast collection of other dystopian trilogies out there.

Definitely my favorite book of the three is Divergent, where we are introduced to Beatrice "Tris" Prior and the world in which she lives. Each year, all 16-year-olds take an aptitude test that will tell which faction he or she is best suited for. The brave go to Dauntless, the honest to Candor, the peaceful to Amity, the smart to Erudite, and the selfless to Abnegation. Tris's results are inconclusive, revealing an aptitude for 3 different factions. Unfortunately, it's not safe to be different and Tris must hide who she is if she wants to survive. She joins Dauntless, meets Tobias and other friends who help her realize her strength and desire for justice in the world.

Insurgent is all about revolution; the people rise up against their oppressors and strive to make their city better for everyone.

Allegiant continues after the revolution reveals that nothing has truly changed because the problems run deeper than they realized. Tris and co. learn what's outside their city and continue to fight the good fight for freedom.

My primary problems with the series are mostly in book 3, Allegiant, though Insurgent isn't too fantastic either. I felt the overall story (in book 3) was really weak. Its basically book 2 plot but on a larger scale. The main characters are running around the whole book but not accomplishing anything. Their end-all solution to the "bad guys" in charge who are about to do horrible things is just as unethical and wrong as what the bad guys are doing. If I'm going to root for the underdogs, they better have the moral high ground. It's inconsistent because, in the previous books, Tris and her friends do honor ethics, so it's weird that they all of the sudden abandon right and wrong in the name of the greater good.

I also don't enjoy what Roth does to the main character in the end. I don't want to give any obvious spoilers, but I'm an advocate for happy endings and I can't think of a single character who truly got a happy ending. That's depressing. I also always liked Tris's brother, Caleb. While their relationship is rightfully strained, it annoys me how Tris never takes an opportunity to make amends with him until it's too late. What a waste.

I think the first book is probably the best because it feels new and different with lots of mysteries still to uncover. In book 3 all your questions are suddenly answered in the first several chapters, leaving no more intrigue and a weak story line. I'm disappointed in the series as a whole; it showed so much potential but lost momentum and became a trilogy that I will forget about in no time.

Divergent: 4 out of 5 stars
Insurgent: 3 out of 5 stars
Allegiant: 2 out of 5 stars

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

I've been putting off this review because I don't really know what to say. Back in high school (about 10 years ago) a friend told me this book was amazing and I simply had to read it. Somehow it kept getting put on hold until a little while ago.

Quick summary: Charlie is a freshman in high school and a social outcast, a "wallflower." He prefers to watch from the sidelines rather than participate in life. The book is a series of letters written by Charlie to an anonymous recipient (presumably us, the readers) describing his experiences during a year of high school. We witness Charlie growing up, uncovering pieces of his past, and learning how to be actively involved in his life.

I really liked Charlie. He has a sweet innocence and his perceptions of the world around him are very mature and insightful. I think Chbosky did a great job at telling the story from a 15-ish (can't remember his exact age) year-old's point of view.

Now for the negative.... perhaps this book has been built up too much, but I didn't like it nearly as much as everyone seemed to think I should. It had way too much explicit material for my taste and was somewhat hard for me to relate to because my high school experience was nothing even remotely like Charlie's. While I appreciate the story for it's own merits, it just felt a little too artsy-fartsy for my preferences. I can see why this book has an almost cult-devoted following, but I have never identified with those people.

Anyway, I don't want to offend anyone who does like this book. I enjoyed it. I finished it and was interested to see how it ended. I just am not in love with it like a lot of people are. To each his own.

3 out of 5 stars

Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli

This book was recommended to me per my ward's book club list. When I started reading I realized that I have read this book before, once upon a time in my youth. I used to love Jerry Spinelli's books growing up, especially Maniac McGee. I thought his books were fun. So rereading this book was a pretty interesting experience since it's been so many years I'd forgotten most of what happened.

Stargirl is a beautiful story about a girl who, after being home schooled all her life, starts 10th grade at Mica High School in Arizona, a school where conformity is the way of life. She is unlike anyone the school has ever seen; she sings to people on her ukulele, wears pioneer dresses, and performs random acts of kindness everywhere she goes. She messes up the delicate social balance of the school and her fellow students come to hate her for who she is. The story is being told from the viewpoint of Leo, who finds himself head over heels in love with Stargirl, though he isn't always brave enough to be her boyfriend.

This was a tender story that celebrates non-conformity and I think everyone should read it. At the end Stargirl's family moves and Leo never sees her again, at least not within the 15 years of him telling the story. I like to think that Leo does meet up with her again and that he is strong enough to be proud of who she is and love her unconditionally.

Great book, especially for those who are in the insecure growing up stage of life. Every middle schooler particularly should read this book.

4 out of 5 stars

The Secret Circle series by L. J. Smith

The Secret Circle: The Initiation and the Captive part 1, by L. J. Smith, was another book I found off Kerry's book blog. Let me just say up front that I had EXTREME difficulties putting this book (and it's sequel) down for any length of time. When I picked up this book from the library I was expecting a vampire story, probably my first impression from the cover, but was pleasantly surprised to find that it was about witches! Good times.

So we start with our heroine Cassie who moves to New Salem, Massachusetts to live with her grandmother. She starts school and meets the Club, the hottest clique in school whose members are all very attractive and get away with anything. This part of the story tells about her initiation to the group and Cassie's discovery of her own witch heritage. The group discover a crystal skull which is the source of a strange and very evil darkness that they have to learn more about.

In The Secret Circle: The Captive Part 2 and the Power the group continues to learn about the crystal skull and it's dark energy. They believe the skull's power is responsible for a few recent deaths at their school. Cassie's powers and knowledge of who she is grows and she develops positive relationships with the other members of the group. Also introduced in the first book was Adam, the guy Cassie is in love with but who is also the boyfriend of her best friend Diana. A nice dose of relationship drama is spread throughout these stories.

Overall I really really enjoyed these books. Like I said I had a hard time putting them down even to go to bed at night. I read them on my lunch breaks at work, at the gym on the elliptical machine, and any spare few minutes I could find throughout the day. Any books that draw you in that much can be safely recommended to anyone. Fun reads! Just make sure you have book 2 handy when you start.

4 out of 5 stars

The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale

This was a fabulous book and I loved it!! Based on the fairy tale by the Grimm brothers, "The Goose Girl" by Shannon Hale was a beautifully written tale. I've never heard the story before so I was quick to get lost in the magic of the writing.

Ani is the crown princess in the land of Kildenree. In her youth her aunt teaches her the language of birds and how to know the language of a horse. Years later she finds her mother made an arrangement for her to marry the prince of Bayern, so she and a group of guards and her lady-in-waiting make the journey across the mountains to Bayern. During the several month journey, as they approach Bayern, there is mutiny in the group and Ani is forced to flee for her life while her lady-in-waiting intends to take Ani's place as princess. She finds herself alone and pursued by murderers and she seeks refuge in the forest. She eventually makes her way to the city where she finds a job as a goose girl tending the king's geese. She meets all kinds of good people, most of them forest born, while working in the city. Through the rest of the story Ani tries to find a way to convince the king that she is the rightful princess while avoiding the traitors who would kill her. Along the way she learns the language of the wind and makes wonderful friends.

I was unable to put this book down for very long. There truly is magic in Shannon Hale's writing! It was a beautiful story and I can't wait to read the next book in the series. I would recommend this book to all!

5 out of 5 stars

The Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett

So! I just read the Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett. It was funny and new, but I was a little confused through out the story. Turns out this is a "middle" book. It is a "Discworld" book and there are some 37 or so books in the Discworld series. Within Discworld there are 4 books about a girl named Tiffany Aching. I think The Wee Free Men is book 2... but I'm not sure exactly. Like I said, I got a little confused.

But from what I understood from the story and the characters, The Wee Free Men is about a girl named Tiffany who lives in the country of chalk on a sheep farm. Turns out little Tiffany has the makings of a witch! The evil queen of Fairyland kidnaps Tiffany's little brother and Tiffany goes off to rescue him. Along the way she meets the Nac Mac Feegle, aka the Wee Free Men, who are 6-inch blue men who like to drink, steal, fight and speak like Scotsmen. They are definitely the funny part of the story! Together Tiffany and the Wee Free men fight their way into and through Fairyland to find her baby brother and return home. The confusing part of the story is in Fairyland because the landscape keeps changing and they keep entering these crazy dreams that I found hard to follow.

This definitely wasn't a gripping book, but it was fun and interesting enough. I have the next book in the series checked out from the library but I haven't decided if I'll read it yet.

3 out of 5 stars