Tortall and Other Lands: A Collection of Tales

Tortall and Other Lands: A Collection of Tales
by Tamora Pierce

Collected here for the first time are all of the tales from the land of Tortall, featuring both previously unknown characters as well as old friends. Filling some gaps of time and interest, these stories, some of which have been published before, will lead Tammy's fans, and new readers into one of the most intricately constructed worlds of modern fantasy. (description from Amazon.com)

Tamora Pierce is my favorite author. I love almost everything she's ever put out. She is an incredible world-builder and her characters have phenomenal depth. If you've never read anything by Ms. Pierce, this would be an excellent place to start...you could read one story, or them all!

I loved that while some of the stories relate to Tamora Pierce's larger series books, each could be read individually, and some were completely new. One of my favorites was called "Huntress," and took place in modern day New York City, seemingly realistic fiction until Artemis, the Moon Goddess makes an appearance.

Fans of Daine from the Wild Magic series will rejoice to read a story about Kitten, her little dragon friend. Aly's fans (Trickster series) will love to read the story about birthing her triplets. Several others are set in the Tortallan kingdom and surrounding lands, but feature new and interesting characters.

The best thing about these stories, though, is that they can tackle tough topics without losing the reader's interest in the fantastic. Morality, murder, discrimination, sexism, abuse...it's all there with tough, interesting characters in fascinating situations to take it on. I ended just about each story with a smile on my face (sometimes a tear in my eye...) and a warm feeling in my heart.

Well worth checking out!

Love Story

Love Story
by Jennifer Echols

SHE’S WRITING ABOUT HIM. HE’S WRITING ABOUT HER. AND EVERYBODY IS READING BETWEEN THE LINES.

For Erin Blackwell, majoring in creative writing at the New York City college of her dreams is more than a chance to fulfill her ambitions—it’s her ticket away from the tragic memories that shadow her family’s racehorse farm in Kentucky. But when she refuses to major in business and take over the farm herself someday, her grandmother gives Erin’s college tuition and promised inheritance to their maddeningly handsome stable boy, Hunter Allen. Now Erin has to win an internship and work late nights at a local coffee shop to make her own dreams a reality. She should despise Hunter . . . so why does he sneak into her thoughts as the hero of her latest writing assignment?

Then, on the day she’s sharing that assignment with her class, Hunter walks in. He’s joining her class. And after he reads about himself in her story, her private fantasies about him must be painfully clear. She only hopes to persuade him not to reveal her secret to everyone else. But Hunter devises his own creative revenge, writing sexy stories that drive the whole class wild with curiosity and fill Erin’s heart with longing. Now she’s not just imagining what might have been. She’s writing a whole new ending for her romance with Hunter . . . except this story could come true. (description from Amazon.com)

Okay, I am officially a Jennifer Echols fan!

Her books are sexy. Not dirty, not gratuitous, but passionate and well, sexy. You can't help but root for the characters to just get together and admit their feelings go beyond the lust already!

There are also great, interesting storylines. I loved this concept of the writing within the book. Each story reflected what the character felt and wanted to say, but felt unable to say, so perfectly. The characters taunted each other, begged for forgiveness and asked each other for understanding.

These books may be short. They may look like they could be "fluff," but they are the furthest from... These are passionate stories with complex characters that are, well, just fun to read. I know when I open one of Jennifer Echols' books I better plan to not put it down again until the last page!

Full disclosure: Won from giveaway on Chick Lit Teens

Okay For Now

Okay For Now
by Gary D. Schmidt

As a fourteen-year-old who just moved to a new town, with no friends and a louse for an older brother, Doug Swieteck has all the stats stacked against him. As Doug struggles to be more than the “skinny thug” that his teachers and the police think him to be, he finds an unlikely ally in Lil Spicer—a fiery young lady who “smelled like daisies would smell if they were growing in a big field under a clearing sky after a rain.” In Lil, Doug finds the strength to endure an abusive father, the suspicions of a whole town, and the return of his oldest brother, forever scarred, from Vietnam. Together, they find a safe haven in the local library, inspiration in learning about the plates of John James Audubon’s birds, and a hilarious adventure on a Broadway stage. (description taken from Amazon.com)

What an amazing book. I loved The Wednesday Wars when I read it last year, and I wasn't sure that Schmidt could live up to that standard, but he not only met it, he far surpassed it. This book was one of the few that touched me so strongly that I came home night after night to tell my husband all about the parts I'd heard that day in the car (I listened to it as an audio book - excellent narrator, btw!)

Doug is a great, great character. He's rough around the edges at first, hardened by his abusive father and caustic brothers, but as he adjusts to his new life, a much softer, strong, loyal, and inspiring young man grows out of the tough shell. Doug unknowingly inspires many of the people around him.

I loved this book so much I'm giving it a GOLD STAR.

I hope that whether you normally read realistic fiction or not, you will Doug and his story a shot. It was an emotionally uplifting, heart-warming, sincerely wonderful reading experience. Truly worth a gold star review!

Full disclosure: Audio book received to review for SLJ

Groosham Grange

Groosham Grange
by Anthony Horowitz

Sent to Groosham Grange as a last resort by his frustrated parents, thirteen-year-old David Eliot quickly discovers that his new boarding school is very peculiar. New pupils are made to sign their names in blood . . . the French teacher cancels classes on days there’s a full moon . . . there are chilling secrets hidden in the assistant headmaster’s office. What’s the meaning of the black rings everyone wears? Where do the other pupils vanish to at night? Suddenly, his biggest problem isn’t staying in school—it’s getting out alive. (description taken from Amazon.com)

Okay, honestly I hated this book. I agreed to read it to "review" it for our Children's Department because we also have a copy in the Teen Department and because I like Horowitz's Alex Rider series. Ugh...I don't think I would have finished this book if I wasn't reporting it to someone.

It's unnecessarily gruesome in my opinion for the intended audience. There are scenes of implied and actual violence throughout the book. David's father abuses both his wife and son, his mother is an open alcoholic that constantly bows to her awful husband, the teachers unapologetically murder someone and then threaten David's life to get him to conform to their wishes.

The final straw for me...that by the end of the book, David does not learn what's really going on and strive to change things. No - he is happily unsure of whether he'll embrace his new powers for good, or heck...just for fun, maybe evil. A sour note to end on.

I will say that I can see why young teen boys might like this book. It's got dismembered hands, a vampire, an uber-creepy headmaster(s), and the potential to get revenge on awful parents. The chapters are also really short and easy to read. I already know this is a popular title... personally, though, I probably won't be recommending it too often.

The Last Song

The Last Song
by Nicholas Sparks

Seventeen year old Veronica "Ronnie" Miller's life was turned upside-down when her parents divorced and her father moved from New York City to Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina. Three years later, she remains angry and alienated from her parents, especially her father...until her mother decides it would be in everyone's best interest if she spent the summer in Wilmington with him. Ronnie's father, a former concert pianist and teacher, is living a quiet life in a beach town, immersed in creating a work of art that will become the centerpiece of a local church.
(description from Amazon.com)

I have never actually read any of Nicholas Sparks' books before...*gasp*...I know! I've seen the movies A Walk to Remember and The Notebook, but I'd never actually picked up one of his books. So...when I kept seeing the previews for The Last Song and Dear John, I decided I needed to actually read one of the books.

The premise of Dear John seemed a little too set up for total heartbreak for me, so I decided to go for The Last Song. It was good. I didn't love it, but it wasn't terrible. Ronnie is a character that was relatable and interesting. I really liked the relationships that she had with both her parents. They were realistic...not easy, and her relationship with her brother was sweet, too. The stages that Ronnie goes through in healing through all of her relationships, especially her father, were very realistic and made the whole storyline much more believable.

I don't know if I've become a little jaded or not, but the romantic depths that Ronnie develops for Will seemed to come too fast, too soon. I guess I don't really believe in instant true love. I feel like, yes, you can really care for someone, but you need time to really know anyone. That being said, though, I was very gratified when I got to the epilogue and found the ending I was looking for...

One of the most interesting and compelling relationships in this book for me was the side romance of Marcus and Blaze. Her need for him, his abusiveness...that story drew me more than Ronnie and Will's.

All in all, I was glad when I finished this book, but I'm not racing to pick up another anytime soon. Maybe down the road, I'll try another one...