Ever since the Twilight Saga hit it big, it's not unusual to find an adult reading Young Adult (YA) fiction, even if they don't have a young adult living in their house. After a Thanksgiving holiday devouring the Twilight books, I discovered There was some great YA fiction to be read. So at the recommendation of another avid reader friend, and a fresh supply of three new books from her, I dug in for a few days.
I started off with Across The Universe by Beth Davis. The premise of this novel is that Earth has gone, or will be going to crap and a team of scientists determines that there is likely a habitable planet in across the universe 300 years away. They build a HUGE spaceship called the Godspeed and then cryogenically freeze select people for their knowledge to make the trip. A group of people are also selected to run the ship and they procreate and such, in order to make sure there will be someone around to keep the shipnrunning for the 300 years. The frozen people are a mix of people specializing in medicine, science, military etc. Our protagoinist, Amy is frozen so she can travel with her parents. En route (250+ years, she is unfrozen, potentially so the process would kill her. Once awake and aware of where and when she is, she is determined to discover who did it. As she experiences life on Godspeed, she discovers that life is very controlled by one person, The Eldest. His protoge, The Elder finds Amy when she was unfrozen and breaks rank to help her. While the premise is interesting and unfortunately not too hard to imagine, I found myself a little bored at times. I would classify this as the easiest read among the three and not my favorite.
I followed with the book Matched by, Ally Condie. In this book the government took over society before we killed our planet, but in the process took away free choice and makes all humanities decisions for them. As the title relates, at 17 the government "matches" people with their optimal mate. This is shared with the teens at an elaborate banquet where they see their matches on screen, typically someone from another city that they have never met. In th case of Cassia, her best friend Zander is selected to be her mate. This is a very rare occurrence. But when Cassia goes to read her matches "info card" a photo of another good friend of hers, Ky, is flashed before her as her match. As Cassia comes to terms with what might have been, she realizes how muchnshe is missing because of how the government micromanages everyone's lives, down tothe clothes they wear, the music they can listen to, even their free time. While I feel this book is more geared to the YA female audience, with a love story at it's core, the author paints a bleak picture of what could happen if we gave up our free will in order to have a "perfect" world.
Finally I rounded out my YA fiction run with Incarceron by Catherine Fisher. This book is set in the future, I think! It is a tale of two worlds, starting with Claudia's, whose father is the warden of Incarceron, a prison. It is another story where those in power decided how everyone should live. In this case they thought life was better in the "old" days, like the 18th century. While there is technology behind the scenes, the people in Claudia's relm live as they did way back when. For a while we follow Claudia along side Finn, a boy thought to have been "born" in the prison. Claudia is try to avoid her arranged marriage with a pompous prince who has turned Claudia off. As Claudia and Finn's story intersect, through a special key that both Claudia and Finn come to posses, Claudia is convinced Finn is actually the dead prince she was originally engaged to. She begins to plan for Finn's escape and hers from the arranged marriage. The science behind this book is interesting, enough so that I have the sequel, Sapphique on reserve at the library.
That's all for now...expect a review of New York to Dallas by JD Robb next.
Happy Reading!
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Take it Like a Mom, by Stephanie Stiles
Fellow Moms - we have all been there before...feel like all we do is clean up after our kids, a lack of adult conversation, a life mired in all that is kid related. Our stay-at-home mom, Annie, mother of 3 year old Robby, used to be a career lawyer. Now she finds out she is pregnant with her second child and going through the "politics" of choosing a preschool for Robby.
As we can all attest, sometimes when you are hit with a life surprise (like an unexpected pregnancy) life will likely throw you another curve ball or two! In Annie's case, her lawyer husband, who practiced real estate law, is side-barred (or laid-off to us non-lawyer people) due to the crumbling real estate market. Fortunately for her family, they are financially prepared for the loss of income. what she isn't ready for is the adjustment of having her husband home all day and dealing with his feelings of not being able to provide for his family.
The author throws in some funny quirks that carryout through the novel. Annie frequently gets caught up on acronyms and gets the words mixed up. Her friend Michael loves to trip her up. Annie is also a TV junkie and references her favorites. I personally got lost in some of the TV references but the author makes up for it with quick witty dialogue.
For those of us with kids, Robby is a great example of a precocious 3 year old. You will see yourself and your children in his antics. Stay-at-home mom's will relate with Annie when 2 months to the end of her pregnancy, she gets a taste of working again and realizes how much she misses it. The working parents will relate to Annie's husband when he realizes how much he missed when he worked all day and often late at night.
This was a fun, quick read that many can relate to and enjoy!
Happy Reading!
As we can all attest, sometimes when you are hit with a life surprise (like an unexpected pregnancy) life will likely throw you another curve ball or two! In Annie's case, her lawyer husband, who practiced real estate law, is side-barred (or laid-off to us non-lawyer people) due to the crumbling real estate market. Fortunately for her family, they are financially prepared for the loss of income. what she isn't ready for is the adjustment of having her husband home all day and dealing with his feelings of not being able to provide for his family.
The author throws in some funny quirks that carryout through the novel. Annie frequently gets caught up on acronyms and gets the words mixed up. Her friend Michael loves to trip her up. Annie is also a TV junkie and references her favorites. I personally got lost in some of the TV references but the author makes up for it with quick witty dialogue.
For those of us with kids, Robby is a great example of a precocious 3 year old. You will see yourself and your children in his antics. Stay-at-home mom's will relate with Annie when 2 months to the end of her pregnancy, she gets a taste of working again and realizes how much she misses it. The working parents will relate to Annie's husband when he realizes how much he missed when he worked all day and often late at night.
This was a fun, quick read that many can relate to and enjoy!
Happy Reading!
Monday, August 15, 2011
Vote for my Essay!
If you've followed my blog, you know how much I LOVE our local Library system. We use it at least once a week sometimes more than that. Well our library has some great benefactors, one of which donated some great Clippers tickets. The library did a contest to give the tickets away. You had to submit a 100 word essay on What you think the Library will be like in 10 years. Below is my essay:
Having been using our library system now for most of my life and now with kids of my own, I can say that the library of 10 years from now will become a place of community and gathering. People will use the library to share ideas, utilize technology and enrich their lives. More emphasis will be on learning opportunities (i.e. Job Help Center, Homework Help Center.) The library will provide access to technology that is not available to everyone. There will continue to be programs to provide entertainment and learning, such as story times and adult classes. I can’t wait!
I love my library! If you like this essay, please vote for it on Facebook here.
Having been using our library system now for most of my life and now with kids of my own, I can say that the library of 10 years from now will become a place of community and gathering. People will use the library to share ideas, utilize technology and enrich their lives. More emphasis will be on learning opportunities (i.e. Job Help Center, Homework Help Center.) The library will provide access to technology that is not available to everyone. There will continue to be programs to provide entertainment and learning, such as story times and adult classes. I can’t wait!
I love my library! If you like this essay, please vote for it on Facebook here.
Epiphany by Elise Ballard
"What is your greatest epiphany in life?" is the question asked of 58 different people ranging from Maya Angelo and Ali McGraw to Deepak Chopra just to name a few. Ms. Ballard divides up the epiphanies into sections: Awakenings, New Directions, Healings, Miracles, Coming of Age and Callings.
I like to read non-fiction like this that has the potential to inspire. While some of the stories are inspiring...there were a couple that involved "hearing a voice" and some psychic revelations that I found a little hard to swallow. It was interesting to read about the life changing epiphanies that steered some famous peoples lives, people that I might have never known these things about.
The overall riding fact in this book, that I think can apply to anyone is to take the time to listen to what your life, your body and your head tells you. When you take the time to do this, you are opening yourself to having an epiphany.
I found the epiphanies of those in the book that weren't celebrities more inspiring. Maybe because I feel like it would be more likely to happen to me. The lives of the rich & famous put their epiphanies out of reach.
So, not my favorite non-fiction read. I found I couldn't relate very well with the stories. I guess my live has (knock on wood) been fairly unremarkable. Epiphanies seem to happen to those who have had huge life changes or traumas. If that is what it takes to have an epiphany, I think I will pass!
I like to read non-fiction like this that has the potential to inspire. While some of the stories are inspiring...there were a couple that involved "hearing a voice" and some psychic revelations that I found a little hard to swallow. It was interesting to read about the life changing epiphanies that steered some famous peoples lives, people that I might have never known these things about.
The overall riding fact in this book, that I think can apply to anyone is to take the time to listen to what your life, your body and your head tells you. When you take the time to do this, you are opening yourself to having an epiphany.
I found the epiphanies of those in the book that weren't celebrities more inspiring. Maybe because I feel like it would be more likely to happen to me. The lives of the rich & famous put their epiphanies out of reach.
So, not my favorite non-fiction read. I found I couldn't relate very well with the stories. I guess my live has (knock on wood) been fairly unremarkable. Epiphanies seem to happen to those who have had huge life changes or traumas. If that is what it takes to have an epiphany, I think I will pass!
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Summer reads part deux, Smokin' Seventeen by Janet Evanovich
There is nothing better in the summer than a fun, lively book that actually makes you laugh out loud. That is exactly what I got in the seventeenth installment in the Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich. Smokin' Seventeen takes off right where Sizzling Sixteen left off with the bonds office burned to the ground and Stephanie deep in relationship issues and trying to catch her bad guys.
As always, it's the cast of supporting characters that really liven up the story. Lula, Grandma Mazur, Mooner, and the rest of Stephanie's family make their usually comedic appearances. Morelli's Grandma Bella makes some well timed visits, putting the eye on Stephanie. It's not a Stephanie Plum novel if Grandma Mazur doesn't try to open a closed casket at a funeral viewing and Stephanie doesn't blow up one of Ranger's fancy cars.
Yes it is a formula novel. Yes I finished it in one day. But guess what? It works! At the end Ms. Evanovich leaves us hanging as to where Stephanie will go (literally)! Fortunately she is releasing two Plum books this year. Explosive Eighteen comes out in November. And if you are like me, and don't want to pay for a book you finish in one day, check and see if you can "pre" reserve it via the computer at your local library. At the Columbus library you can sometimes do this if they have advanced notice on a popular release.
Happy reading!
As always, it's the cast of supporting characters that really liven up the story. Lula, Grandma Mazur, Mooner, and the rest of Stephanie's family make their usually comedic appearances. Morelli's Grandma Bella makes some well timed visits, putting the eye on Stephanie. It's not a Stephanie Plum novel if Grandma Mazur doesn't try to open a closed casket at a funeral viewing and Stephanie doesn't blow up one of Ranger's fancy cars.
Yes it is a formula novel. Yes I finished it in one day. But guess what? It works! At the end Ms. Evanovich leaves us hanging as to where Stephanie will go (literally)! Fortunately she is releasing two Plum books this year. Explosive Eighteen comes out in November. And if you are like me, and don't want to pay for a book you finish in one day, check and see if you can "pre" reserve it via the computer at your local library. At the Columbus library you can sometimes do this if they have advanced notice on a popular release.
Happy reading!
Sunday, August 7, 2011
The Summer We Came to Life, Deborah Cloyed
I don't know what it is about summer that makes one want to read light, fun books, but I am victim! One of those fun summer reads was The Summer We Came To Life By Deborah Cloyed. This is her first novel.
For me, a summer read usually takes place somewhere exotic or outside of my "norm". This usually involves a beach someplace, since I live in land-locked Columbus, Ohio. In this novel, the setting is a beach house in Honduras. Another plot situation I enjoy are stories about women who have been life long friends. Here you have a group of women, Sammantha, Kendra and Isabel who have been friends for years and who are mourning the loss of one of their own, Mina to a battle with breast cancer. During her treatment she penned journals to all three friends. The girls have been vacationing together with Kendra and Isabel's mom's for years.
This first novel finds the friends all at a crossroad in their lives. To mourn and remember Mina, they decide to convene on Sammantha in Honduras for a week long vacation. Here, using Mina's journals, the three friends discover a lot about themselves and their families. As an added twist, and what I thought as the weakest part of the book was Sammantha and Mina's research into the afterlife and how to beat death and find each other after one passes away.
Despite this weak plot line about the science of the afterlife, I found myself wanting to find out what each woman learns about herself and how each deals with the crossroad they are facing.
For me, a summer read usually takes place somewhere exotic or outside of my "norm". This usually involves a beach someplace, since I live in land-locked Columbus, Ohio. In this novel, the setting is a beach house in Honduras. Another plot situation I enjoy are stories about women who have been life long friends. Here you have a group of women, Sammantha, Kendra and Isabel who have been friends for years and who are mourning the loss of one of their own, Mina to a battle with breast cancer. During her treatment she penned journals to all three friends. The girls have been vacationing together with Kendra and Isabel's mom's for years.
This first novel finds the friends all at a crossroad in their lives. To mourn and remember Mina, they decide to convene on Sammantha in Honduras for a week long vacation. Here, using Mina's journals, the three friends discover a lot about themselves and their families. As an added twist, and what I thought as the weakest part of the book was Sammantha and Mina's research into the afterlife and how to beat death and find each other after one passes away.
Despite this weak plot line about the science of the afterlife, I found myself wanting to find out what each woman learns about herself and how each deals with the crossroad they are facing.
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Onward by Howard Schultz
After 4 years of college (longer ago than I'd like to mention) and two of those in the business college at OSU, I never thought I would read a "business" book for pleasure. So when I saw the book Onward, By Howard Schultz the CEO of Starbucks at my library, I thought "Nah". But as I LOVE Starbucks Coffee, (Yes I am a coffee snob) I picked it up and read the jacket. Hmm....well it seemed worth checking out.
There was some discussion in the book about the business practices that Mr. Schultz used to help turn Starbucks around starting right at the begining of the recession. What I found most interesting was Mr. Schultz's and the company's desire to remain true to their core values. One thing that stood out among all others was that during the cost cutting measures necessary to set the company right, Mr. Schultz refused to entertain the option of cutting health care and stock benefits for partime employees.
It surprised me how much I enjoyed the book! As a customer of Starbucks, it was intriguing to hear about the decades long development of their instant coffee product, VIA and of a couple of failed product attempts. I recalled Starbucks giving away a free cup of coffee on the day President Obama was elected. In addition, I remember the free coffee tasting held in New York city and across the country when they introduced their everyday blend, Pikes Place.
It was a fun walk down memory lane since I am a big Starbucks fan. Plus it's a great business read for the average Joe, with your morning Joe :-)!
There was some discussion in the book about the business practices that Mr. Schultz used to help turn Starbucks around starting right at the begining of the recession. What I found most interesting was Mr. Schultz's and the company's desire to remain true to their core values. One thing that stood out among all others was that during the cost cutting measures necessary to set the company right, Mr. Schultz refused to entertain the option of cutting health care and stock benefits for partime employees.
It surprised me how much I enjoyed the book! As a customer of Starbucks, it was intriguing to hear about the decades long development of their instant coffee product, VIA and of a couple of failed product attempts. I recalled Starbucks giving away a free cup of coffee on the day President Obama was elected. In addition, I remember the free coffee tasting held in New York city and across the country when they introduced their everyday blend, Pikes Place.
It was a fun walk down memory lane since I am a big Starbucks fan. Plus it's a great business read for the average Joe, with your morning Joe :-)!
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