Monday, November 30, 2015

Review: Thanks for the Trouble

Thanks for the Trouble Thanks for the Trouble by Tommy Wallach
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This had a bit too much of the "manic pixie dream girl" in it for my tastes, but I know some teens will eat this up.

Parker Sante (yay for diverse main characters!) hasn't spoken a word in years and eventually you find out why. It doesn't help that his mother is in denial and that he uses his lack of words as a reason to not have close friends. When he befriends an intriguing young woman in a hotel restaurant, she sends him on a whirlwind of a weekend. Of course, he falls in love. Of course, she "saves" him. But there is some magic thrown in there, too.

I didn't love this one as much as I loved We All Looked Up, but he's still an author I will keep reading. Great authentic male protagonist! Call me crazy, but I wanted MORE magical realism in this one!

I received an electronic advanced readers copy of this title from the publisher through Edelweiss. The book is to be published 2/23/16.

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Review: The King's Deception

The King's Deception The King's Deception by Steve Berry
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Totally unbelievable The Da Vinci Code-ish type book that I was just in the mood for!

Queen Elizabeth I was really a man and there is a modern plot to keep this secret covered up. Because if she were an imposter, then the northern Ireland land grants are null and void, which would throw Great Britain into turmoil.

(I told you it was unbelievable)

But I still enjoyed it--my two favorite things--Tudor history and suspenseful mysteries!

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Saturday, November 28, 2015

Review: Faithful Place

Faithful Place Faithful Place by Tana French
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Awesome audio! Loved the Irish accents of lower class Dublin.

Frank Mackey has escaped his family and the street that he grew up on. But when his sister calls in tears and says that they've found the suitcase of his girlfriend--he has to go back. Everyone thought she ran away to London years ago without Frank. But if she didn't, does that she's dead? Frank is a detective, and ends up taking time off to investigate.

Loved this one--my fav Dublin Murder Squad so far!

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Review: Only Wounded: Stories of the Irish Troubles

Only Wounded: Stories of the Irish Troubles Only Wounded: Stories of the Irish Troubles by Patrick Taylor
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

A collection of fictional stories about the Irish troubles, interspersed with factual accounts of bombings and terrorist activities in Northern Ireland.

Too depressing for me to read. Glad times have changed there and it's hard to believe this stuff was going on when I was born. You would think by now that people wouldn't fight over what denomination of Christian you are.

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Wednesday, November 25, 2015

Review: George

George George by Alex Gino
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Sweet book about a 10-year-old who knows she's a girl, even if she was born a boy. I'm glad these books are starting to be published by major houses like Scholastic, and I'm sure this will end up on the Banned Books list next year. I wouldn't mind one bit if my 10-year-old read this book--we'd have a great discussion together about it! I don't think it's a literary masterpiece, but it opens the eyes of grade school kids to transgender issues.

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Review: Haunted Ground

Haunted Ground Haunted Ground by Erin Hart
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I can see why this won so many awards back in the early 2000s--it's a great mystery! And set in Ireland, which is a plus for me. Dr. Nora Gavin is an American pathologist who returns to her birth country to learn more about bog bodies. Fascinating stuff, right? Add in a nerdy, sexy Irish archaeologist, a past murder mystery, and a modern laird under suspicion of murdering his wife and son. I'm looking forward to reading the next book in the series!

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Tuesday, November 24, 2015

Review: Meteor Men

Meteor Men Meteor Men by Jeff Parker
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Alden Baylor is one of many teenagers sitting in a field watching a meteor shower when one of the rocks crashes--and it's hollow. More meteors crashed all over the world, and aliens hatched out of them!!!

Nothing new here, but the artwork was great, and I appreciated that the teenage boy had the soft heart and wanted to understand the aliens instead of just shooting them.

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Monday, November 23, 2015

Review: 1921: The Great Novel of the Irish Civil War

1921: The Great Novel of the Irish Civil War 1921: The Great Novel of the Irish Civil War by Morgan Llywelyn
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Read too much like a textbook instead of a novel. But I still skimmed and scanned to find out what happened at the end. Basically, Ireland was a complete mess in 1921.

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Sunday, November 22, 2015

Review: Playing with Fire

Playing with Fire Playing with Fire by Tess Gerritsen
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Pretty cheesy standalone novel about a modern day violinist who believes that a piece of music that she found in an antique store in Rome is making her daughter show signs of being a serial killer. Turns out that the piece of music has a history that has to do with the Holocaust.

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Review: Dumplin'

Dumplin' Dumplin' by Julie Murphy
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Sweet tale of learning to love yourself the way you are--not the way society says you're supposed to be.

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Friday, November 20, 2015

Review: Descent

Descent Descent by Tim Johnston
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Beautiful, haunting mystery writing, yet....

Usually I don't mind when chapters are told from differing perspectives but this time it was frustrating. I had to read until I figured who was talking/thinking and then had to go back and re-read the chapter from the beginning. Does this mean I'm too used to YA lit? I want names at the beginning of the chapters! :)

And I'm probably one of the few readers who didn't like how things wrapped up at the end.

However, if you love literary mysteries combined with a coming-of-age tale, take a look at this one.



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Tuesday, November 17, 2015

Review: Heir of Fire

Heir of Fire Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas
My rating: 0 of 5 stars

Wow...I had to stop listening to this audiobook after being 6 disks in--I couldn't handle the narrator anymore. I'll have to attempt it in book format later.

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Review: The Weight of Feathers

The Weight of Feathers The Weight of Feathers by Anna-Marie McLemore
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

What is it about magical realism that makes it scream LITERARY? Some of you know that I'm not really a lover of literary books--I like my plot quick and my characters easy to get to know. But this book is beautiful.

It's the kid of book that you can highlight because there are some lyrical lines that you don't ever want to forget. It's the kind of book that English teachers love--personification! metaphors! and the touch of magic helps, instead of turning the book into something cheesy.

The Palomas and the Corbeaus are rival performing families--one performs as mermaids in lakes and rivers and the other wears wings and jumps around tree limbs. It's a Romeo and Juliet story, of course, but so worth the read.

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Review: Salt to the Sea

Salt to the Sea Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Thank you, publishers, for sending an ARC of this book to me. I loved her Between Shades of Gray, but felt that Out of the Easy was a step down from it. But now Sepetys is on the upturn again!

This is historical fiction at its best--the kind that could be used in a classroom. The suffering and starvation feels SO real. But the hope feels real, too. Read this for a snippet of what 1945 was like in a part of Europe that you don't know much about--so, so good.

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Friday, November 13, 2015

Review: Wayfaring Strangers: The Musical Voyage from Scotland and Ulster to Appalachia

Wayfaring Strangers: The Musical Voyage from Scotland and Ulster to Appalachia Wayfaring Strangers: The Musical Voyage from Scotland and Ulster to Appalachia by Fiona Ritchie
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This book proves that the love of a fiddle is in my blood! I've been a fan of Irish punk for years, as well as red dirt country, and anything that has a good fiddle. Turns out that my Scots-Irish ancestors felt the same love for a fiddle--who knew? My ancestors settled in the Appalachians, too, after leaving Scotland by way of some years in Ireland. So it was interesting to see how the love a good ballad and fiddle traveled over the seas to develop into good old-fashioned country tunes.

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Thursday, November 12, 2015

Review: A Shameful Murder

A Shameful Murder A Shameful Murder by Cora Harrison
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

What the hell? I loved a book with an elderly Mother Superior as the main character?

Yes, I did. I couldn't believe it either! But this is a darn good historical mystery. It's the early 1920's and Rev. Mother Aquinas of Cork finds the dead body of a young girl. With the help of her former student (Police Srgt. Cashman) and a good doctor friend, the trio solves the crime. There are plenty of twists and turns that I found refreshing and I loved how the Rev. Mother was a gossip who knew all but told nothing. I got a real sense of Ireland, too, street floodings and all. I'm off to put the 2nd book in the series on hold now!

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Review: Born in Fire

Born in Fire Born in Fire by Nora Roberts
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Too cheesy for me--I stopped on at Chapter 5.

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Wednesday, November 11, 2015

Review: The Irish Potato Famine

The Irish Potato Famine The Irish Potato Famine by Dennis Brindell Fradin
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

It's kind of sad that a children's book about the Irish potato famine is published under the series title Great Escapes, but the author does a great job explaining how many Irish escaped to England, Canada, America, and Australia. I didn't know that so many went to other places than America, so I learned something from a kid's book!:) I loved how primary sources were used, too. There is a glossary, timeline, index, and a notes section with a detailed list of sources used.

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Review: The Wrath and the Dawn

The Wrath and the Dawn The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Love the setting, diversity, and the fact that non-English words are used and the definitions aren't stuffed down my throat.

But I have issues with how the main character falls in love with the man who is supposed to kill her. Girl power? More like weakness, right? The whole love thing seems forced, but I'm sure some teen girls will eat that up.

I received this ARC at ALA Midwinter 2015, I think. Is it bad that I'm just getting around to reading it?

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Review: The Tavern on Maple Street

The Tavern on Maple Street The Tavern on Maple Street by Sharon Owens
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Pleasant tale that's similar to a Maeve Binchy novel about a slow-moving tavern in Belfast City Center. When a shopping mall developer wants to take it over, Lily and Jack try to improve things--hiring staff, developing a catering service, and hiring live music. But it's a far cry from the quiet pub they are used to managing. The people all become entangled with each other and everything is peachy by the end, of course.

I was looking forward to the Irish accents, but a few of them really threw me off--very nasal.

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Review: Voices of Northern Ireland: Growing Up in a Troubled Land

Voices of Northern Ireland: Growing Up in a Troubled Land Voices of Northern Ireland: Growing Up in a Troubled Land by Carolyn Meyer
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Whew, this book was full of bitterness. It was written in 1992, but I'm pretty sure I won't see much of the attitude seen in this book in northern Ireland in 2015. The author did interview a lot of Catholic and Protestant students and adults, but she truly had a difficult time understanding why there was violence. After reading this, I'm wondering if the current peace is partly because the Irish don't care as much about religion anymore. I'm looking forward to finding out more.

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Thursday, November 5, 2015

Review: Modern Ireland: A Very Short Introduction

Modern Ireland: A Very Short Introduction Modern Ireland: A Very Short Introduction by Senia Paseta
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

We have many books in this series at our library, so I figured I should take a look at this one. It's nice and short, but I still know I won't remember all the dates and different groups that have controlled/influenced Ireland and Northern Ireland. So many of them!

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Review: Spellbound: Tales of Enchantment from Ancient Ireland

Spellbound: Tales of Enchantment from Ancient Ireland Spellbound: Tales of Enchantment from Ancient Ireland by Siobhán Parkinson
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

When I want to learn about myths and legends of a country, I look to picture books! And this didn't disappoint. It contains 7 stories that were new to me. Overall, I found the theme of divorce interesting--it happened and was no big deal. In "Land Under Wave," the tale ends with "They were both sad that their love had died, but they agreed that there was nothing they could do about it. They would just have to part." Other common themes: be nice to strangers, keep your promises, swans are important, and being different is okay (even if you have the ears of a horse!).



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Review: The Rebels of Ireland

The Rebels of Ireland The Rebels of Ireland by Edward Rutherfurd
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I had to stop after Disk 16 of 24. Yes, I was learned a ton about Irish history, but, ugh, I needed more character/plot and less history.

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Review: Ratlines

Ratlines Ratlines by Stuart Neville
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Loved this--I'm going to check out what else he has written. The torture scenes were a little much for me, but, at least when I'm reading print books, I can easily skip past those parts!

Irishman Lt. Albert Ryan is a veteran of WWII (he fought for the Brits and his family still gets grief for it) and Korea. Now he's a G2 for the Directorate of Intelligence, but he doesn't always love his job. His current assignment is stopping a rash of murders in Ireland that he really doesn't care to stop--someone is killing Nazis. German millionaire Otto Skorzeny is next, and Lt. Ryan is sucked into evil. Both sides are trying to use Ryan to get to the other, and it gets messy.

I couldn't help but think of Jack Ryan and Jack Bauer as I read this--exciting, twisted, intriguing dark police thriller.

And I'm going to do my own little research about the Irish protecting Nazis after the war. Yuck.



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Wednesday, November 4, 2015

Review: Girl Underwater

Girl Underwater Girl Underwater by Claire Kells
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Oh, the tears! From me!

Think old-school Sarah Dessen and a better Lurlene McDaniel and you've got this dramatic novel that was published adult for some reason.

Nineteen-year-old Avery is a swimmer at a West Coast school and on her way home when her plane crashes. It's traumatic and she spends most of the book recovering and suffering from PTSD. Does she want to swim again? Can she? Can she return to being her normal, shallow self who cares a lot about what people think? Does she still want her boyfriend?

I read this in one day--that tells you how much I liked it!


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Tuesday, November 3, 2015

Review: Six of Crows

Six of Crows Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I loved this author's Grisha trilogy that starts with Shadow and Bone. She can build a fantasy world like no other--this book uses the same Russian-esque (is that a word? No, but it sounds good) world that I loved in the trilogy.

But I wasn't invested in this story like I was in her earlier books. Reminding me of Dickens a bit, the entire book is all about thieves trying to steal something. I loved the characters, but the action took forever, and I found myself skimming a bit to move myself along. Maybe 462 pages was too long? Tighter editing might have helped it for me.

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