The Subtle Knife

Title: The Subtle Knife (His Dark Materials #2)

Author: Philip Pullman

Pages: 288

Genre: Fantasy

Grade: A-

Synopsis: Lyra has entered into an abandoned city in a parallel world where she meets a young boy, Will, from our world.  They are in Cittagazze, where children run wild and the adults are non-existent.  There is a tower in this city that houses a knife with the ability to cut openings into the parallel worlds.  Lyra and Will's destinies become intertwined when Lyra's alethiometer instructs her to help Will find his father. 

My Review: This book continues the quest and narrative from the first book with a few added dimensions, twists and turns, including visits to our own parallel world.  A battle is brewing between Lord Asriel and his innumerable armies and the strongest angels in the universe. Lyra must determine whose side she is on as the war moves closer.

The Golden Compass

Title: The Golden Compass (His Dark Materials - Book 1)

Author: Philip Pullman

Pages: 351

Genre: Fantasy

Grade: A-

Synopsis: Lyra Belacqua is an orphan living at Jordan College in Oxford, England.  Lyra's Oxford is not like our own.  Everybody has a daemon in animal form, which is analogous to our souls.  Lyra spends her days racing along the roofs of the college, playing in the mud with her dear friend Roger and wreaking havoc wherever she can.  This continues until she spies an attempt to poison her uncle, which sets things in motion that leads her on a journey to save children who are being abducted and taken somewhere to the north.

My Review: I've read this book once before, but I wanted to re-read it before I got into the rest of the His Dark Materials Trilogy (Original review).  I really enjoy the story and was excited to find the full trilogy for cheap at the DI.  Lyra is a precocious pre-teen with a big heart and who is not afraid of big ideas. 

Nickel and Dimed

Title: Nickel and Dimed

Author: Barbara Ehrenreich

Pages: 256 Pages

Genre: Non-fiction

Grade: B

Synopsis: Back in the late '90s when the Clinton administration was pushing welfare reform, there was a lot of talk about the low-wage workers in America.  To better understand their struggles and to determine whether or not just having a job would allow somebody to climb out of poverty.  She spends time as a waitress and hotel maid in Key West, FL, as a housekeeper and nursing home aid in Maine and in retail in Minnesota.

My Review: Back when this book was written, the economy was booming and the federal government was touting that job growth and simply holding down a job would allow people to climb out of poverty.  What Ehrenreich found was that as a single person trying to make ends meet on minimum wage was very, very difficult.  However, when there were multiple wage earners in a family, home or residence then things were easier to manage.  This book provided me an alternate perspective of people struggling financially.  I believe that I can be more compassionate in my interactions with these people.

Panic

Title: Panic

Author: Jeff Abbott

Pages: 368 pages

Genre: Thriller

Grade: B+

Synopsis: Evan Casher is trying to find his niche as a documentary filmmaker in Houston, Texas when he gets an urgent phone call from his mother in Austin.  Evan speeds to her help where he finds her murdered in her kitchen with the assailants waiting to knock Evan off as well.  After he escapes the initial attack, he starts to unravel details of his and his parent's lives and realizes that his whole life was an elaborate ruse.

My Review: Every once in a while it is fun to pick up a well-written thriller that is hard to put down and takes unexpected turns around every corner.  I try to limit my intake for these types of books, but when I'm reading them I find myself really enjoying them.  This book was no exception, The CIA, KGB and an underground spy network called the Deeps are all featured as Evan Casher attempts to untangle his life story.

Disclaimer: If you're looking for violence and language, they're all here.

The Invention of Air

Title: The Invention of Air: A Story of Science, Faith, Revolution, and the Birth of America

Author: Steven Johnson

Pages: 6 Discs

Genre: History/Biography

Grade: B


Synopsis: The story centers on the life of Joseph Priestley, who was an eighteenth century scientist, minister and friend of Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson.  Priestley was a deep-thinker who discovered Oxygen, helped found the Unitarian Church and after being run-out of England emigrated to the United States.

My Review: With a title like "The Invention of Air," I had great hopes for this book.  However, it would have been more appropriately titled as the Biography of Joseph Priestley.  Rarely did the book stray far from Priestley's impact on science, politics and religion during the eighteenth century.  I really enjoyed the parts of the book discussing his discoveries and how they came about, but there were drier parts of the book that went off on tangential topics.

Oliver Twist

Title: Oliver Twist

Author: Charlie Dicken

Pages: 496

Genre: Fiction, Classic

Grade: B

Synopsis: Little Oliver is abandoned at a young age and forced to live as an orphan.  The Orphanage keeps the kids on such meager rations that they are all nearly starving.  Oliver runs away from the orphanage and makes his way into London where he finds food and lodging with a group of pickpockets and swindlers.  Due to Oliver's exquisitely fair and honest complexion, Fagin and the artful Dodger are intent on corrupting Oliver and reeling him into the business, while Oliver, in his heart desires to be a good and honest lad.

My Review:  I enjoyed listening to this book and there were only a few times when I found my mind wandering while the narrator droned on during the dryer portions of the book.  When this book was published, it caused quite a stir as the book dives into some of London's dirty secrets. Sometimes when you read a classic you finish the book wondering why or how that particular book is a classic.  This story is interesting and engaging enough that that is not the case.

Edenbrooke

Title: Edenbrooke

Author: Julianne Donaldson

Pages: 264 pages

Genre: Romance

Grade: A-

Synopsis: Marianne Daventry is thrilled to receive an unexpected invitation to join her sister for a visit to the sprawling estate of Edenbrooke in the British countryside. Her sister has the hots for the rich heir of the estate and Marianne expects to help her woo the object of her desires.  As Marianne's carriage travels to Edenbrooke the carriage is attacked and robbed, which dramatically changes the course of her visit.

My Review: This book took me completely by surprise.  I had heard good things about it, so I expected the book to be good, but I was surprised by how much I actually enjoyed the story and found myself laughing while I read.  The author is a neighbor of ours so we were excited to have her sign our book at the City Creek Deseret Book.  I believe that her intent was to pen a proper romance in the Victorian era and she certainly delivered.