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