Wednesday, March 30, 2016

Review: We Love You, Charlie Freeman

We Love You, Charlie Freeman We Love You, Charlie Freeman by Kaitlyn Greenidge
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Wow. I love novels that make me cringe, wince, and think. Awesome book club book for discussions about race, microaggressions, stereotypes, sexism, sexuality, and so much more.

Formal review to come in SLJ AB4T.

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Tuesday, March 29, 2016

Review: Shoot to Thrill

Shoot to Thrill Shoot to Thrill by P.J. Tracy
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This was my first Monkeewrench audiobook. It was enjoyable, but nothing special, so I won't be continuing the series. So funny to read about computer geeks from a few years ago--things get out of date so fast!

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Sunday, March 27, 2016

Review: Was She Pretty?

Was She Pretty? Was She Pretty? by Leanne Shapton
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Odd little depressing book. The author interviewed many people and got the story of their ex's exes in a sentence or two. Jealousy and craziness abounds. It made me feel mentally healthy, so that was a plus! The drawings are minimalist and the book only takes a few minutes to read, since there isn't much text. I kept looking for connections between the stories, but I didn't see any.

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Saturday, March 26, 2016

Review: The Illegal

The Illegal The Illegal by Lawrence Hill
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I wanted to read this because the main character is diagnosed with diabetes. It never says which type, but it's clearly Type I. He's a marathon runner from the fictional Zantoroland, and hiding in the fictional Freedom State.

So Many Things Happen in this book. And there are so many coincidences--it's a huge country, yet all the characters run into each other and know each other.

I'm not sure what it's really like for African marathoners, but reading this book makes me want to find out. Are there really agents who rip them off? People who give them illegal visas? kidnap family members for ransom? It got me thinking....

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Tuesday, March 22, 2016

Review: Citizens Creek

Citizens Creek Citizens Creek by Lalita Tademy
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

What an awesome audiobook! I totally understand why it received an Audie.

CowTom was taught all about cattle as a slave of the Creek people. He was respected, and even loaned out by his chief as an interpreter during the Civil War. He knew many Native dialects, English, and was best at casually swaying people through language interpretation. Eventually he earned enough money to buy his freedom, and that of his family, and the book continues through the generations to his great-grandchildren.

I'll admit that I enjoyed CowTom's story more than his granddaughter Rose--she was hard to like.
But, as always, this historical fiction book shows why I love the genre--I was learning. A lot. Especially about the complicated relationship between Creeks and African-Americans, as well as the deplorable ways all non-white looking people were treated by the American government in the 1800's.

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Review: Flight of Dreams

Flight of Dreams Flight of Dreams by Ariel Lawhon
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

oooo..shiny cover!

Good fictionalized account of what brought the Hindenburg down. I enjoyed learning more about the ship--the author did her research, but, she admits in the Author's Note that she made up the stories about the characters around the research that she did. This flight of the airship is like The Young and the Restless in the air--lots of drama, Nazi/everyone else intrigue, and forbidden romance. But it made for a quick, enjoyable read!

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Tuesday, March 15, 2016

Review: The Passenger

The Passenger The Passenger by Lisa Lutz
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Just too unbelievable for me. At times, I appreciated the Lutz humor in this thriller, but I couldn't believe that the main character was so good at acting like a spy and taking care of business. She was just a typical kid when "something" happened that caused her to go on the run, and, after 10 years, she's thinking that her time might be up. She doesn't think about anything--she does things that she knows are wrong, but it doesn't bother her, yet we finally see emotion at the end of the novel. Things just don't add up.

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Monday, March 14, 2016

Review: The English Spy

The English Spy The English Spy by Daniel Silva
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Just the kind of audiobook I enjoy--lots of action and accents! This proves that I like this author--I'll have to read more of his books.

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Sunday, March 6, 2016

Review: The Smell of Other People's Houses

The Smell of Other People's Houses The Smell of Other People's Houses by Bonnie-Sue Hitchcock
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I sure hope this book gets some Printz and/or Morris love. Amazing, beautiful writing with heartbreaking characters and a great sense of place. Four teens of Fairbanks, Alaska, are the focus here--separate stories told in separate chapters, but they all come together in the end. I can't believe this author managed to tell so many complete stories in a short little book. Talent!

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Friday, March 4, 2016

Review: Arcadia

Arcadia Arcadia by Iain Pears
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

My brain is still trying to process this metafiction time travel fantasy beast of a book.

Review to come at SLJ Adult Books 4 Teens.

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Review: Arcadia

Arcadia Arcadia by Iain Pears
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

My brain is still trying to process this metafiction time travel fantasy beast of a book.

Review to come at SLJ Adult Books 4 Teens.

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