November, 2014

"This Side of Home" by Renee Watson         

When Nikki and Maya's neighborhood changes and becomes more up-scale, Nikki is excited while Maya tries to cling to the past.  Their best friend moves away and a white couple move into the house.  Overall, I thought this was an interesting read.  I would have liked to read both twins point-of-view, but otherwise I thought it was well done.  I think teenage girls will enjoy this book and relate well to the characters.

"When" by Victoria Laurie         

Maddie was born with a supernatural power, she can see the death date of any individual written across their forehead.  When she tries to warn a lady that her son is about to pass away, she finds herself entangled in an FBI investigation.  Once word gets out, she is ostracized and bullied at school.  Her best and only friend is arrested for the murder, and she is determined to prove his innocence.

     This was a well written and engaging book.  It was really fascinating, I had a hard time putting it down.  I believe teenagers, both male and female, will be intrigued by the story.  Overall, highly recommended.

"Frostbite Hotel" by Karin Adams         

When Kirby and his friends decide to build a snow hotel, instead of a snow fort, all of the other kids on the playground copy his idea.  This book was a bit too juvenile for me but I believe it will be good for pre-teens who are focusing on reading chapter books. 

"The Genome" by Sergei Lukyanenko        

This book is set In a futuristic world where parents can pay for the fetuses to be "specialized."  Master pilot Alex, lands a dream job as the captain and pilot of a shuttle.  After selecting his own crew, he learns that the shuttle is a sightseeing shuttle for those of alien races.  The majority of his crew has a problem with the alien races, and they are forced to work together.  Throughout the book the concept of freedom is debated, can you really be free if you are pre-programmed for certain tasks?

     This was an interesting world with interesting characters.  I thought the overall concept was original and well written.  It did take forever to get to the real plot of the book.  Once they got there, everything was wrapped up fairly quickly.  I do think the author should have let the reader in on the investigation a little bit more.  Despite these flaws, I would pick up another book in the series.  Overall, a good read.

"Queen of Four Kingdoms" by HRH Princess Michael Kent         

Yolande, a princess, is sent away from Aragon to marry Louis, a cousin to the King of France.  I thought the story itself was an interesting one, but the book was just badly written.  I think the book really needed a good editor, with grammar and conversational skills.  I also found it quite annoying that the author seemed to dwell on descriptions of the fat and ugly, while just telling us that others are "handsome" or "becoming."  Overall, a bust.

Sybil Exposed:  The Extraordinary Story Behind the Famous Multiple Personality Case" by Debbie Nathan         

Debbie Nathan takes an in-depth look at the case of Sybil, a psychiatric case that sparked the multiple personality phenomenon.  I thought this was a fascinating book.  I know that many have criticized it because it was written after the death of the three main women, however I found it to be well written, engaging, and well researched.  Overall, well worth reading.

"The Oracle" by Michael Sedge         

In the first few chapters of the book David, a mystery writer, is murdered by his wife in their home outside the Cumae ruins.  The murder of David and his daughter Angelica, is explained by a fire that engulfs parts of their home.  Years later, when David's brother Jake, travels to Italy on vacation, they are astounded by the changes in Jennifer, David's wife.  Slowly, strange things begin to happen in the home.         

Overall, I thought this was an interesting novel.  It wasn't quite what I had expected from the description.  It didn't take long for the book to veer off in an odd and unusual direction, which I found intriguing.  Overall, well worth picking up.

"Unilateral" by Chris Katsaropoulus         

This is a short story, which alternates between Amel, a female Palestinian student and Ra'anan an Israeli pilot.  I'm not quite sure what to say about this book.  It was very odd.  The author spent a lot of time on flowery descriptions rather than advancing the story.  I think perhaps that this book just wasn't for me.