Dragonfly in Amber (Outlander #2)

Title: Dragonfly in Amber

Author: Diana Gabaldon

Pages: 33 discs

Genre: Fiction

Grade: B-

Synopsis: Claire Randall has been back in the twentieth century for about 20 years and now it is time for her to tell her story to her grown daughter and to visit the Scottish Highlands where she had spent a few years back in the 1700s. The book expounds on Claire and Jamie's time in Paris as well as on the battles between the British and Scottish fighters.

My Review: For a book that is around 750 pages (or 33 cds in my case), it seemed like there was not a lot of substance and that not a lot happened in this book.  For the parts of the book where things did happen, it simply wasn't as interesting as the first book.  It looks like there are a total of 13 books in the series, but I think I'm gonna pass on the rest.

Dorothy Must Die: Stories

Title: Dorothy Must Die: Stories

Author: Danielle Paige

Pages: 392

Genre: Fiction

Grade: B-

Synopsis: This book is a collection of three prequel novellas to the popular Dorothy Must Die series.  The books take place after Dorothy Gale has returned from Oz.  This book contained the first 3 stories, 0.1, 0.2 & 0.3, and apparently there are also 0.4-0.9 as well as the three books of the Dorothy Must Die series.  The stories were No Place Like Oz, The Witch Must Burn and The Wizard Returns.

My Review: For me, The Wizard of Oz is just ok.  It's a story that has been overdone and these books fit into that same mold. The premise was interesting, but I just never caught the bug.

Before I Fall

Title: Before I Fall

Author: Lauren Oliver

Pages: 10 discs

Genre: Fiction, Young Adult

Grade: B-

Synopsis: Samantha Kingston is a High School Senior and today is "Cupid Day", where students send each other roses and love notes.  Sam is super popular and has the hottest boyfriend in the school.  After a big party that night she is killed in an automobile accident on her way home..., that is until she wakes up the next morning and finds out that it is Cupid Day yet again.

My Review: Part Groundhog Day and part super annoying teeny bopper book, I didn't love this book.  Too much obsessing about kissing, boys, sex, alcohol and kissing boys and way too many characters were just too annoying.

The Tiger's Wife

Title: The Tiger's Wife

Author: Tea Obreht

Pages: 338

Genre: Fiction

Grade: B-

Synopsis: Natalia is a young doctor working in a Balkan country. She travels to small, remote villages to inoculate the residents.  While away working she receives word that her grandfather, with whom she is very close, has passed away.  He had told his wife that he was going to visit Natalia, but instead, he died in a remote village that none of the family had ever even heard of.  This story is intertwined with the fables and stories told by Natalia's grandfather to her on their weekly visits to the zoo when she was a child as she tries to solve the mysteries that her grandfather left behind.

My Review: This book didn't really resonate with me and I found myself only reading the book as a means to finish the book and not because I was particularly interested in the story.  The prose is good, but there was nothing to hook me.

The Curse of Senmut

Title: The Curse of Senmut

Authors: Vickie Britton & Loretta Jackson

Pages: 270

Genre: Mystery

Grade: B-

Synopsis: The archaeologist Ardis Cole is summoned to Egypt to help her good friend, Jane Darvin excavate a tomb that had recently been discovered.  They thought that the tomb had been for Queen Hatshepsut, but when somebody murdered Jane Darvin, it was up to Ardis Cole to continue to unravel the mystery of the tomb and Hatshepsut's lover Senmut.

My Review: The story and premise was not terrible, but something about the writing style and presentation made it so I didn't really love this book.  There was just enough intrigue to keep me reading, but overall it was not that great.

Leven Thumps and the Gateway to Foo

Title: Leven Thumps and the Gateway to Foo

Author: Obert Skye

Pages: 368

Genre: Fantasy

Grade: B-

Synopsis: Leven Thumps is a fourteen-year-old boy living a dismal life in Burnt Culvert, Oklahoma.  Nothing ever seems to go right for Leven, that is until he meets his little sidekick Clover, a friend Winter, and Geth, who is a toothpick for most of the book.

My Review: This book was a little too strange for my liking.  The story was ok, and it was enjoyable, but I always felt like things were too contrived and that they author was trying too hard to come up with a fantastical story.  There was too much of the ridiculous in this one.

Don't Know Much About Anything

Title: Don't Know Much About Anything

Author: Kenneth C. Davis

Pages: 320

Genre: Non-Fiction

Grade: B-

Synopsis:  This book has little snippets about just about anything, although the majority of the topics covered seemed like they would only be of interest to Americans. Various people, places and things are all covered and described in bursts throughout the book.

My Review:  Honestly, I was quite disappointed with this book.  I'm not sure what I expected, but this one didn't cut the mustard.  Things in the book felt a little superficial and while reading it I felt a bit like I was wasting my time.  My suggestion would be to pick up a book by Bill Bryson before one from the Don't Know Much series.

Good Omens

Title: Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch

Authors: Terry Pratchett & Neil Gaiman

Pages: 412

Genre: Fiction, Humor

Grade: B-

Synopsis: This is a difficult book to describe because it is very strange...  Basically, there is a book that was written in the seventeenth century by a witch, Agnes Nutter and she predicts that the world will end on a Saturday.  She has never been wrong, so everybody expects her to be correct on these counts as well.  The armies of good and evil are gathering together in preparation.  However, there is a demon and an angel who have lived on the earth since Adam and have grown rather fond of their lives here.  They're not ready for Armageddon quite yet. Not to mention, who they thought was the anti-Christ was misplaced at birth.

My Review: This book took me more than a month to get through.  It just wasn't holding my interest.  Although I seemed to carry it with me nearly everywhere during that month, there were many things that I would rather be doing than reading Good Omens. Which, by the way, kind of surprises me.  The book has a bit of a cult following and appears to be very popular in some circles.  That's not to say that I didn't enjoy portions of the book.  It is written as a humorous noel and while some of the jokes are a stretch, generally the humor is wrapped very tidily in with the rest of the book.

From the Book: "(p. 306) I got another bath," she announced to her fellow telephone salespersons. She was well in the lead in the office daily Getting People Out of the Bath stakes, and only needed two more points to win the weekly Coitus Interruptus award."
"She dialed the next number on the list.
"Lisa had never intended to be a telephone salesperson..."

Grimpow: The Invisible Road

Title: Grimpow: The Invisible Road

Author: Rafael Abalos

Pages: 10 discs?

Genre: Fiction

Grade: B-

Synopsis: Grimpow lives in the Alps during the dark ages when he comes across a dead man in the woods. In the dead man's pouch Grimpow finds a stone that grants him visions of places that he has never been and grants him understanding of secrets and mysteries of the world. In possession of the stone, Grimpow embarks on a journey to unlock the full mysteries behind the mysterious stone.

My Review: This book was interesting and quite enjoyable, but the writing (possibly only the translation from Spanish) left something to be desired. Along with that, the story was a bit unbelievable and the characters felt too scripted.

The Story of Mankind

Title: The Story of Mankind

Author: Hendrik Willem van Loon

Pages: 579

Genre: Non-fiction, Newbery Award

Grade: B-

Synopsis: This book was awarded the first Newbery Medal in 1922.  It covers world history from the very first men on the earth to our present day (even though the book was written over 90 years ago, it has been updated to include WWII, sputnik and other more recent developments in world history).  The book was written within the paradigm of the early 20th century, so much has changed since then in how we understand the world and human history.  Loon's writing style is very light-hearted and easy to read and the book includes numerous original pen illustrations for many of the topics discussed.  If it were more current, it would be a good world history primer for an early Jr. High student, but at this point, we know far more about our past than is included in this book.

My Review: I enjoyed parts of this book and I learned quite a bit (especially about European history in the dark and middle ages), but overall it was a struggle to get through.  It doesn't really compare to any of the other Newbery Medal books that I've read in the past because it is so different from all of them.  Trim it down from nearly 600 pages and make it more current and it could turn out to be a classic.

The Third Life of Grange Copeland

Title: The Third Life of Grange Copeland

Author: Alice Walker

Pages: 328

Genre: Historical Fiction

Grade: B-

Synopsis: This book tells the story of Grange Copeland, his wife, his son Brownfield and his granddaughter Ruth.  Set in Baker County, Georgia in the early 20th century, the black people that work in the fields are virtual slaves as they are encumbered with debts to the white landowners that they'll never be able to repay.  Grange heads north looking for a better life and while he's gone Brownfield ends up marrying and killing his wife, landing in prison.  Grange returns and tries to turn his life around.

My Review:  This book had an interesting story that was terribly depressing at times.  The poor black folk of Baker County, Georgia have very few chances or opportunities to lift themselves out of the poverty that they are born into.

Disclaimer:  There is quite a bit of language to be aware of.

Calling on Dragons

Title: Calling on Dragons - Book three of the Enchanted Forest Chronicles

Author: Patricia C. Wrede

Pages: 5 discs

Genre: Fantasy

Grade: B-

Synopsis: The wicked wizards are again trying to take over the enchanted forest.  This leads Cimorene and her friends on a quest to find the king's magic sword. 

My Review:  Great book for kids, but for me the dialog in this book was especially annoying.  The book ends with a big cliffhanger though, so I'll have to track down the 4th book of the series and find out how everything ends.

Ceremony

Title: Ceremony

Author: Leslie Marmon Silko

Pages: 8 discs?

Genre: Fiction

Grade: B-

Synopsis: Tayo is a half-white, half-Laguna Native American who fought in World War II and survived the Bataan death march.  He struggles to assimilate back into traditional Native American society and struggles with mental instability.  He turns to traditional Native American spirituality and ceremony as he tries to overcome his issues.

My Review: It was tough to get through the first portion of the book, before I finally understood what was going on.  I even found myself having to reference Spark Notes to make sure that I was getting the gist of what was happening.  By the second half of the book, the story became much more enjoyable.

This Side of Paradise

Title: This Side of Paradise

Author: F. Scott Fitzgerald

Pages: 6 discs

Genre: Classic

Grade: B-

Synopsis: F. Scott Fitzgerald's first novel was also his most popular during his life.  The book was published just a few years after the conclusion of World War I and quickly became a symbol of the excesses and restlessness of the young people during the Roaring Twenties.  The novel follows the rich, young Princeton student, Amory Blaine.  Amory is a self-absorbed egotist obsessed with his image and creating a name for himself.

My Review:  I found this book to be quite boring and simply uninteresting.  Not much happens and there didn't seem to be anything in the story that is meant to grab you and keep your interest. 

The Swan Thieves

Title: The Swan Thieves

Author: Elizabeth Kostova

Pages: 16 discs?

Genre: Mystery

Grade: B-

Synopsis: Andrew Marlowe is a single psychiatrist, satisfied with his life working at a full-time care center. He is devoted to painting and intrigued when the renowned painter Robert Oliver is entrusted into his care after he attacks a painting with a knife in the National Gallery. As Dr. Marlowe begins to try and unravel the mystery of Oliver's illness he crosses his own ethical boundaries in his search for more information about the obsessions of Robert Oliver.

My Review: As you may know, Elizabeth Kostova's debut novel, The Historian, is one of my favorite books. Unfortunately, I was disappointed with this book, her second novel. The Swan Thieves dives deep into painting, 100-year-old love letters and French Impressionism with Dr. Marlowe trying to unravel the mystery between them and it never really caught my fancy. I felt that the plot was fairly weak and the story slow as I found myself daydreaming quite often while I was listening to the book. That being said, from reading other reviews online, there are quite a number of people with whom the book really resonated.

The Lovely Bones

Title: The Lovely Bones

Author: Alice Sebold

Pages: 11 discs?

Genre: Fiction

Grade: B-

Synopsis: Susie Salmon is the victim of a brutal murder in 1973 when she is a young teenager. The story continues to follow Susie as she continues to exist in her heaven. She watches down on her family and her killer from heaven and tempers her desire for vengeance against her killer with her desire for her family to heal from the tragedy.

My Review: I know that this book generally gets pretty good reviews but it never clicked with me. I always hoped that there was something exciting on the next page (or cd in my case), but the story just seemed to slowly trudge on. I won't say that the story was predictable, but it certainly wasn't unpredictable (does that even make sense?) which left me a little underwhelmed.

The Wednesday Letters

Title: The Wednesday Letters

Author: Jason F. Wright

Pages: 5 discs

Genre: Fiction

Grade: B-

Synopsis: Jack and Laurel Cooper own and run a cozy bed and breakfast. After thirty-nine years, they die in each others arms in the master bedroom and their children all return home for the double-funeral. They children find out that every Wednesday since their marriage, their dad has written their mother a letter and she had kept them all. From reading the letters, they find out that their family is not what they thought it was.

My Review: The story is nice and all, but it never really clicked with me. I'm finding it tough to put a finger on what I didn't like in the book, but I just found it ever so slightly irritating. That being said, there were parts of the book that I quite enjoyed, but the story was a bit predictable.

And Then There Was One

Title: And Then There Was One

Author: Patricia Gussin

Pages: 302

Genre: Mystery

Grade: B-

Synopsis: Katie and Scott Monroe are a bi-racial couple who have nine-ear-old identical triplet girls. Scott used to catch for the Yankees and Katie is a child psychologist, often testifying in child abuse cases. The family is torn apart when two of their daughters are kidnapped from a movie theater leaving one sister behind. The book follows the search for clues and the search for their daughters.

My Review: This book preys on a parent's fears. I enjoyed the book, but too much of it just feels fabricated. It feels like the author was trying to cram everything bad into the book that they could. Too many coincidences for my liking. In addition, the book was poorly edited with spelling errors throughout and questionable grammar in places as well.

Disclaimer: While there is no description of child abuse, there are allusions to it and some language that may be disturbing.

Wicked

Title: Wicked - The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West

Author: Gregory Maguire

Pages: 416

Genre: Fiction

Grade: B-

Synopsis: We are all familiar with the story of Dorothy Gale and the Wizard of Oz, but we've only heard her side of the story. This book tells the story from the perspective of Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West. Elphaba is born a green hermaphrodite and struggles her whole life with her identity. She goes to school at the University in Shiz where she rooms with Galinda (who would become the good witch of the North). Elphaba champions the rights of Animals (those who can think and talk) and fights against the tyranny of the Wizard.

My Review: I enjoyed the book and the story overall, but found parts of the book to be a little boring and felt that they dragged on longer than was needed. It's been so long since I've watched The Wizard of Oz, that I need to go back and watch the movie to appreciate the book more. Alison and I saw Wicked the musical in Chicago a couple of years ago and quite enjoyed it. In fact, I'll take the musical over the book.

The Host

Title: The Host

Author: Stephenie Meyer

Pages: 20 discs

Genre: Science Fiction

Grade: B-

Synopsis: The earth has been taken over by alien lifeforms, called souls, in the shape of small silver worms. The worms have been inserted into the back of the humans necks where they take over the brains and bodies of the humans. To an outsider, everything appears to be life as usual on earth, but to the few remaining humans hiding and running for their life this is not the case. This story is about one soul/human conbination in particular Wanderer and Melanie and their life sharing Melanie's brain and body.

My Review: My personal title for this book is The Book that Never Ends. I could see how it was going to end halfway through the book and then had to get through the particulars before it finally ended. When I first started the book I was surprised by how strange the story was, but I began to enjoy it before too long. The book is a little annoying, very strange (but then again, so is Twilight - especially book 4), and far too long. There were parts that I really liked, but far too much of the book just drags on.