June, 2011

"The Voice on the Radio" by Caroline B. Cooney         

This is third book in the "Face on the Milk Carton" series. Janie's boyfriend, Reeve, has left for college while Janie is slowly coming to terms with both sets of her parents. When Reeve begins working at the college radio station, he finds himself telling Janie's story. Immediately he feels guilty, but he continues to share her story night after night on the radio. I thought that this book was a bit of a let-down. I do not like the way the characters have developed. Reeve comes across as a jerk, while Janie appears to be a whiny brat.

"What Janie Found" by Caroline B. Cooney         

I'm not sure why I stuck with this series, other than I remember loving it as a teenager. This is the fourth, and final, book in the "Face on the Milk Caron" series. Janie's father (the one who raised her) has suffered a stroke. Janie is going through his business papers when she discovers that he has been paying off her kidnapper. She flies across the country to try and find her. I wasn't completely happy with how the characters have been developed, and overall I was just tired of the series.

"Grimm's Fairy Tales" by Jacob Grimm and Wilhelm Grimm         

I must have been the only person who didn't realize that many of Disney's stories were straight from the Grimm brothers. I found many of the stories contained throughout the book to be similar. Three brothers, princesses, people turned into animals, after a while everything blended together. After you've read the first five stories you can just stop, because everything else is very repetitious.

"The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo" by Stief Larsson and Reg Keeland         

I have heard all of the hype about this book, and found myself a bit skeptical when I picked it up. Forty years ago Harriet Vagner disappeared on a "closed" island during a family reunion. Despite the limited number of suspects, the mystery has never been solved. Reaching the end of his life, Vagner is desperate to uncover what happened to his niece. Blomkvist, a recently disgraced journalist, his hired to write an autobiography of Vagner and secretly try to unravel the mystery of Harriet's disappearance. Reluctantly, Blomkvist begins delving into the massive number of documents and information that has been collected about Harriet. Lisbeth Salander, the girl with the dragon tattoo, is a genius computer hacker, yet lacks basic social skills. Hired by Blomkvist, the pair continue to unravel the mystery and find out more than anyone bargained for.

     Well-paced, the book slowly unravels the mystery while keeping the reader wanting more. A beautiful balance between suspense and revelation is maintained throughout the entire book. I really enjoyed reading The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo and am eagerly waiting for its sequel to arrive in my mailbox. Overall, I highly enjoyed this book, and would highly recommend it to others.

"Alice I Have Been" by Melanie Benjamin         

After reading the autobiography of Mrs. Tom Thumb I had to pick up this book by Melanie Benjamin. I sense a theme through her writing of strong women who "settle" in order to take care of themselves. This book is about Alice, the girl who inspired the book "Alice in Wonderland." Born into a family of privilege, Alice Liddell and her siblings make friends with Charles Dodgson (Lewis Carroll). Dodgson tells them stories, takes them boating, and otherwise entertains the children. The story focuses on different periods of Alice's life, skipping large portions at times. I would have like to of had these "gaps" filled in, but I understand why the author choose to gloss over certain portions of her life. Overall, I highly enjoyed this book and would recommend it to others.

"Whatever Happened to Janie?" by Caroline B. Cooney         

This book picks up right where the first book ("The Face on the Milk Carton") left off. After discovering that she was kidnapped at the age of three, Janie is forced to live with her "birth" parents, much to her dismay. She is rude and obnoxious and makes little attempt to blend in or get to know her birth family. Although not as good as the first book, i thought this was an interesting read. I can see its appeal to teenagers, and would not hesitate to recommend the series.

"Running With Scissors" Augusten Burroughs         

An alcoholic father, a psychotic mother, a neglectful therapist/foster parent and a pedophile are only a few of the odd characters in Running with Scissors. Augusten Burroughs memoir is filled with deeply disturbing passages made light through his sense of humor. I'm not sure whether I enjoyed the book, or was just revolted by the adults in his life. Overall, this book is well written and an engaging look at family dysfunction.

"The Autobiography of Mrs. Tom Thumb" by Melanie Benjamin         

Melanie Benjamin transfers the reader to a time and place very unlike our own. Mercy Lavinia "Vinnie" Bump stood at only two-foot eight-inches tall, yet managed to lead an exciting and interesting life during the 19th century. At a time when side-shows, freak-shows and the circus were becoming popular, Vinnie writes to P.T. Barnum, hoping that he will change her life. Charmed by her size and impeccable manners, Barnum arranges for her debut into the world of entertainment. A strong and independent woman, she immediately seizes upon the opportunities he presents, including marrying Charles Stratton, also known as Tom Thumb, the most famous little person in the world. Their wedding becomes a national sensation, one that preempts coverage of the Civil War. During their honeymoon they visit the White House, a place that they will visit often during their lives. Vinnie's even smaller sister Minnie, along with Commander Nutt (another little person) begin traveling together and performing throughout the United States and ultimately throughout the world.

Benjamin's novel is ultimately about a strong-willed woman, one determined to make her way in the world. Although she tends to be a bit repetitive, I enjoyed her depictions of Vinnie and Barnum. The story dragged a bit at times, but I suppose this reflected the nature of Vinnie's life. Overall, I enjoyed the book and would recommend it to others who are interested in the entertainment of the 19th century.

"Conversations With My Ancestors" by Andrew Sanders         

Through a wealth of documents, researchers and luck, Andrew Sanders has managed to trace his Jewish ancestors to the mid eighteenth-century. The book alternates between his "conversations" with the deceased and his detailed research rail. Although I have an interest in genealogy, I found this book extremely dull. It jumped around so much that it was difficult to understand his family dynamics and piece together what actually happened. Overall, I believe that this book is more appropriate for a family reunion than wide-spread publication.

"A Kingdom's Cost" by J. R. Tomlin         

"A Kingdom's Cost" is an historical novel regarding the Wars of Scottish Independence. It follows James Douglas, a young lord who swears loyalty to Robert the Bruce, King of Scotland. Filled with action-packed fighting scenes, it moves at a quick pace. At times the book seems slow, but overall it was enjoyable to read. The characters were interesting and believable, and the book was well written. Overall, I would recommend this book to anyone interested in historical novels.

"MacArthur" by Mitchell Yockelson         

MacArthur chronicles the life and background of America's most well-known generals, Douglas MacArthur. It covers everything from his childhood, entrance into West Point and military career. Overall, I thought the book was a bit dry. It dragged at times and tended to gloss over details regarding his personal life.

"The Face on the Milk Carton" by Caroline B. Cooney         

Janie is a typical fifteen year old. One who is looking forward to getting her driver's license and is interested in boys. Until one day in the cafeteria she looks down at the milk cartoon and see's herself. Listed as kidnapped, the picture shows a three-year old child, one wearing a dress that she remembers. I remember watching the movie when I was a teenager, and absolutely loving it. The book was just as enjoyable. I'm looking forward to reading the other books in the series and finding out what happens with Janie and her families. 

"The Bone Trail" by Nell Walton        

 Six months after two wild-horse advocates disappear in the desert, journalist Kate Wyndham is handed the assignment. She travels to the deserts and befriends a Shoshone Native, who helps her unravel the mystery. I was interested in the plot line when I picked the book up. However, the author's writing style completely turned me off. She jumped forwards and backwards in time with disregard to keeping the plot moving. She also used a lot of cliche sounding phrases, which after a while became annoying. I realize this is a new author, but she definitely needs improvement on story development.

"Night Crossing to Athens" by Irene Magers         

Although this is the second book in a trilogy, I read it without having read the first book. This story follows Max and Fritz, two brothers living between World War I and World War II. Although I enjoyed the story, I did get the feeling that this book was just a set-up for the third book. I found the brothers a bit flat and even unrealistic at times. Their romantic interests also seemed a bit stereotypical. Further, the author kept jumping from one character to the other, with great lengths of time between. Despite all of that, I did enjoy the book and would recommend it to others.

"The Bad, the Good and Two Fly Fishing Woman" by Randy Kadish         

As an older woman, Amanda tells the story of the summer she was fourteen. Her mother has left the family to be with a new man, and her grandmother is diagnosed with cancer. Against doctor's orders, her grandmother has gone fishing, leaving Amanda to believe she may commit suicide. Along with her dog Shana, and Vernon, an alcoholic fisher, they set off along the river to find her. Beautifully written this short-story is engaging and interesting. I highly enjoyed it and would recommend it to others. I would love to see more work from this author.

"The Guardian of Eden" by Leslie DuBois         

17 year-old child prodigy Garrett has always fought to provide a secure and stable life for him and his half-sister despite his mother's neglect and abusive boyfriends. Despite his struggles, life seems to be turning around as he finds a girlfriend, his mother marries a nice guy and Garrett and his sister begin attending a prestigious private school. Everything changes for the worst when Eden collapses. Garrett soon learns his twelve year-old little sister has suffered from a miscarriage. I highly enjoyed this book. It was interesting, fast-moving and the characters were extremely realistic and engaging. Overall, I highly recommend this book.