The Host by Stephenie Meyer

This is a story I've had on my mental to-read list for years. Really, ever since I read the Twilight series I've been meaning to read The Host, but I kept putting it off. I'd been told that it was sci-fi and had to do with aliens and I couldn't really psych myself up for it, even though I kept hearing that it was "so good." Last week I asked my facebook friends for book suggestions and I received several. After cross-checking with my library and finding that The Host was the only one available, I decided it was time.

Now after reading it I'm not sure why I didn't read it earlier. It actually was "really good," even perhaps great. The world has been invaded by tiny alien life forms who implant themselves in human bodies and take over their "hosts'" consciousness. There are rebel groups scattered across the world who haven't been invaded yet, and Melanie Stryder is one of those rebels. When she is captured and implanted with a Soul named Wanderer, she fights with all her strength to keep knowledge of her brother and boyfriend hidden so they won't also be captured.

I thought the story was really interesting. It is told from Wanderer's point of view, but myself being human, I was sympathizing with Melanie and how wrong it is for these aliens to come and rob humanity of their free will. Though as the story continues, Melanie's personality starts to grate my nerves and I sympathize with Wanderer and all she is going through. Wanderer and Melanie learn to work together to accomplish their joint goal of keeping Jamie (the brother) and Jared (the boyfriend) safe from harm. I loved how Wanderer and Melanie's relationship grew throughout the story from hateful enemies to like sisters and how they learned to take care of each other. I also enjoyed the rather bizarre (at times) love triangle, or I guess it was more like a square...but in any case, it was entertaining.

I definitely would recommend this, even to those who may be hesitant to jump into a fad that might become as crazy as Twilight was (or is...). I can only hope that this great story doesn't get ruined by bad acting/directing/scripting in the upcoming movie like others I've seen.

4.5 out of 5

Flipped by Wendelin Van Draanen

Ahh, the perfect, light-hearted thing to read after a depressing WW2 book full of death and suffering. Flipped is about 2 kids who live across the street from each other, Juli and Bryce. Since the day Bryce's family moved in when they were about 6 years old, Juli has been in love. Something about his beautiful eyes made her swoon and forget her senses. So for years, until they hit middle school, Juli is on the offensive trying to be with Bryce as much as she can. Problem is, Bryce thinks she's a freak and doesn't want anything to do with her. Juli is oblivious to his cold shoulder and idolizes him for years. As she grows up a bit she starts to realize he may not be all she thought he was cracked up to be. Of course, this is about the time when Bryce realizes that Juli isn't exactly what he thought she was either and now has to convince her that he is a good guy, worthy of her attention.

This was a sweet, simple and silly story that took me back to elementary and middle school and all the crushes I had on boys. Only, unlike Juli, I was always too scared of the boys I liked to talk to them at all. I would pine for them from afar. It was fun to remember those days and the change in my literary repertoire was welcome. I finished in about a day and it was the perfect reprieve from overly serious stories.

3 out of 5 stars

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

 This is the final (for now) installment of my series of World War 2 related books. After reading The Book Thief, I've decided I really need a break. Not that I didn't enjoy the story, it was just much heavier than I had anticipated. In my search for pictures of the cover I learned that yet another recently read book is being made into a movie. The Book Thief is set to release in January of 2014, according to IMDB. The cover picture to the left is the one that was on the copy that I read, but I found the picture below and really liked it and decided it must be included.

The Book Thief was an interesting book. It was narrated by Death, which I thought was a unique perspective, and it turns out that Death has a sense of humor. So Death takes us around Nazi Germany and showcases various stories, mostly focusing on a little girl named Liesel who is sent to live with foster parents after losing her family. In time her new family offers a hiding place to a young Jewish man in their basement. Amidst the stress and horror of her life during the war, Liesel finds comfort in books and reading and she begins to steal literature where she can, whether that be a graveyard, a bonfire, or even an old lady's house.


It's hard to really say what this book is about since the storyline is interrupted so many times by side stories and glimpses into the future or past. Death kept giving away the endings to characters and I felt that really took away from my interest. I had a bit of a difficult time getting into the story, mostly because of the way it was narrated. I like the uniqueness a story told by Death, but to be honest it wasn't gripping enough to make me fall in love with any of the characters. My favorite character was Rudy, the boy who lives next door to Liesel, but unfortunately I didn't get the story I wanted out of him. I think the thing that put me off the most was the ending: it was horribly depressing. Not that it wasn't probably the most realistic of endings considering the time period, but still depressing.

Overall I would recommend The Book Thief, but don't expect a happy, feel-good story.

3.5 stars out of 5

The House at Tyneford by Natasha Solomons

Next on the list from my friend was another World War 2 book, and just a heads up, the book I'm reading now is also WW2 era. So many good stories inspired by such a colossally horrific chapter in history.

Our heroine is Elise, a bourgeois Jewish girl from Austria, whose mother is a famous Opera singer and father is an author. Her sister inherited her mother's beauty and talent, leaving Elise with little beauty other than her father's jet black hair. Times are changing for Jews in Vienna and the family makes preparations to go to America. Since no visa could be procured for Elise, she is sent to be a housemaid in an English country home where she would be safe and she must learn to adapt from her life of comfort to becoming a member of the working class. Upon her arrival at Tyneford, the house in which she will be working, she meets Kit, the 20-year old son of the master of the house. They strike up a friendship, one that helps her bear the weight of the trials and tragedies that come her way during the upcoming years.

I found this to be a very beautiful and well-written story. I grew to respect Elise and the grace with which she learns to handle her lot, especially compared to the immature tantrum-throwing child of 19 years she was when she left Vienna. This was not a happy, feel-good kind of novel, which I think is actually much more appropriate considering the setting, but I loved it completely. I'm a happy ending kind of girl, and while this one did end well, it wasn't the "happily ever after" I usually hope for when reading a book.

On the cover is printed something to the effect of "Fans of Downton Abbey will love The House at Tyneford!" I had never seen Downton Abbey but kept hearing friends rave about it, so when my husband and I got a week trial of Hulu Plus (to try and catch up on a different show that turns out wasn't actually available, but that's a whole other story) we decided to give it a try. We finished the 2 seasons during our trial and it was kind of fun to be reading this book at the same time. They definitely have their similarities: centered around a world war, give a good view of the upstairs vs downstairs life, in England, etc. So if you are a fan of Downton Abbey, you probably would enjoy this book. However, I wouldn't limit my recommendation to only those people; I think many would enjoy it.

4 out of 5 stars

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows

This was another recommendation from my friend. I knew I'd love this book just from the title: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society. How can you not love a book with such an awesome title??

Written in letters, this story is set at the end of World War 2 on a little island off the coast of England called Guernsey. Juliet Ashton, a writer, receives a letter from a stranger in Guernsey and they strike up a friendship. He writes her of the German occupation of their island during the war and how their literary society came to be and how it bonded the islanders together during a difficult time. Juliet is so intrigued by their stories that she decides to write a book on the experiences of her new Guernsey friends.

What I loved most about this book were the characters. Other books I've read written in this style (letters or journal entries) have come off as disjointed and choppy and unrelatable. It can be hard to care about the story without a constant storyline, which is what made me appreciate this book even more. I was able to pick out small details in the writing and try to draw my own conclusions between the characters, hope and guess about potential romances, in different ways from traditional novels. I loved the main character, Juliet. She has gumption. And I absolutely fell in love with the people of Guernsey and their stories. I felt like they became my friends and I cared about what happened in their lives. There is one character, Elizabeth, whom everyone speaks about but Juliet never actually gets to meet, and yet by the end of the book, you feel as though you know her and care about her better than anyone else. I learned that they are making this book into a movie in the next year or so and Kate Winslet is supposed to play Juliet. I adore Kate Winslet and think she'd be a perfect cast.

I definitely recommend this one!!

4 out of 5 stars

Saving CeeCee Honeycutt by Beth Hoffman

Last week I ran out of things to read. After I finished North and South, I started to panic because none of the books on my to-read list were at the local library, and heaven forbid I should go even a day without reading material. So I polled some friends during a play group for our kids and got a great list of books. The next few book reviews on this blog will be a result from their recommendations. Thank goodness for fellow bookworm friends!

Saving CeeCee Honeycutt was a delightful feel-good book that left me with warm fuzzies all over. CeeCee, a 12 year old girl living in Ohio, has been raised by a mentally ill mother who frequently acts out her delusions that she is still the Vidalia Onion Beauty Queen from her youth in Georgia. She dresses up in prom gowns from the local Good Will and parades herself around town, humiliating her daughter. When CeeCee's mother is hit by a car and killed, her father, who chose to ignore his wife's illness and desert his family, comes to arrange for CeeCee to move to Georgia to live with her Great Aunt Tootie. Leaving the past behind, CeeCee is able to live and heal and thrive under her kind aunt's care and she meets many wise people who help her learn to move on and love her mother's memory.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. If ever in the mood for a good, soul-uplifting story, I heartily recommend this one. I really enjoyed the characters that CeeCee meets in Georgia. Pretty much all of the significant characters, aside from her father, are women and there sure were some powerhouse ladies to help CeeCee along her way. The story is set in the 1960s and it kind of made me wish I'd grown up in the south. As a California girl, I can truly say that I've never, ever wished that before, but there is something so charming about southern hospitality and the way women back then took care of each other. Although it also reminded me of the racial inequality of the times, making me grateful for how far we have come as a nation.

Loved this story. Perfect for reading snuggled under a blanket on a cold day.

4 out of 5 stars

North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell

Over the Christmas holiday my sister in law lent me the movie North and South. She said I'd probably like it because of how much I like Pride and Prejudice and Jane Eyre. Plus it stars Richard Armitage who plays Thorin Oakenshield in the Hobbit (of which I am a huge fan) and I thought it'd be fun to see him in a different role. Last week I finally watched it and instantly fell in love and decided I simply must read the book. Besides, after all these fantasy and paranormal books I've been reading lately I decided a nice Victorian novel sounded divine.

 

Our heroine is Miss Margaret Hale, the daughter of a parson, Mr Hale, who decides to abruptly uproot his family from the quiet country town Helstone for the bustling factory town of Milton. As Margaret in confronted with her prejudice of mill-owners and factory towns, she becomes acquainted with lower class factory workers, particularly the Higgins family, and a mill-owner Mr Thornton. She becomes personally invested in the social inequality and injustices she sees between the two classes, all the while cultivating unconscious (for most of the novel) feelings for Mr Thornton, who also has feelings for her.

 

I loved this book. I love that so much of it is focused on the political issues of the time it was written. I probably don't need to point out that I live for a really good love story, and the romance between Mr Thornton and Margaret, while not the focus of the book, is sweet and provoking. The only negative I can have is that I wish the ending was more developed. You root for Margaret and Mr Thornton for the full 400+ pages, so the ending should adequately represent the struggles they both (and the reader) go through to get there. At least the movie embellishes on the ending to make it a little more satisfying. But overall I was so happy to have discovered this gem. It's definitely more serious and darker than Pride and Prejudice, and has less romance than Jane Eyre, but anyone who is a fan of either of those (or any other Jane Austen, Bronte, or Dickens), I highly recommend North and South.

 

5 out of 5 stars