2007 Book Reviews

Rated on a 1-10 scale, with 7.5 and above being a book that I solidly recommend.

12. Iris, Messenger (12.07.07)
By: Sarah Deming
Genre: Young Adult/Fantasy/Mythology
Bex Rating: 7.5

This was a great, quick read about a girl named Iris who discovers that all of the gods from Greek mythology have retired and taken up residence at various places in Philadelphia. She becomes their messenger and has several adventures that are peppered with real stories and parallels from Greek mythology. I picked it up because there was a great review from Daniel Pinkwater on the back of the book, and I trust his recommendations.

It was really funny, really fast-paced, and I really feel a craving to brush up on my Greek mythology now.

Overall Rating: 7.5

11. Horseradish: Bitter Truths You Can't Avoid (11.04.07)
By: Lemony Snickett
Genre: Satire/"Advice"
Bex Rating: 9

I have only read the first book in Lemony Snickett's Unfortunate Events series, and though it was funny, it didn't really inspire me to keep going (though I did enjoy the movie version--especially Meryl Streep's character).

But this little gem was delightful! I picked it up at the library and was laughing out loud as I read it. It's filled with quirky, sarcastic aphorisms, somewhat in the tradition of Jack Handy's Deep Thoughts. And so I have pasted my top ten personal favorites from this fun book for your enjoyment.

1. Perhaps if we saw what was ahead of us, and glimpsed the crimes, follies, and and misfortunes that would befall us later on, we would all stay in our mother's wombs, and then there would be nobody in the world but a great number of very fat, very irritated women.
2. It is not very polite to interrupt a person, of course, but sometimes if the person is very unpleasant you can hardly stop yourself.
3. Most schools have a system of loud bells, which startle the students and teachers at regular intervals and remind them that time is passing even more slowly than it seems.
4. Just because something is traditional is no reason to do it, of course. Piracy, for example, is a tradition that has been carried on for hundreds of years, but that doesn't mean we should all attack ships and steal their gold.
5. Labor Day is a holiday honoring those who work for a living. Laborious Day is a lesser known holiday honoring those who cannot stop talking about their work.
6. A library is like an island in the middle of a vast sea of ignorance, particularly if the library is very tall and the surrounding area has been flooded.
7. A passport, as I'm sure you know, is a document that one shows to government officials whenever one reaches a border between countries, so the officials can learn who you are, where you were born, and how you look when photographed unflatteringly.
8. Members of your family may say that they are working hard all day long, while you are off at school or clarinet lessons, but the only way to know this for sure is to follow them at a discreet distance.
9. If an optimist had his left arm chewed off by an alligator, he might say in a pleasant and hopeful voice, "Well, this isn't too bad. I don't have my left arm anymore, but at least nobody will ever ask me if I am right-handed or left-handed" but most of us would say something more along the lines of, "Aaaaah! My arm! My arm!"
10. One of the remarkable things about love is that, despite very irritating people writing poems and songs about how pleasant it is, it really is quite pleasant.

10. The Subtle Knife (10.23.07)
By: Phillip Pullman
Genre: Fantasy/Science fiction
Bex Rating: 8.5

I wish I could give a synopsis of the plot, but it would just be too difficult. This trilogy (it's called "His Dark Materials" . . . the first book, The Golden Compass, is reviewed below) is like nothing I've ever read. It's incredibly original and fantastic--I can't believe that Pullman didn't win a Hugo or Nebula for one of the books. I am immediatley moving on to the third book, The Amber Spyglass, and am glad to see that it's about twice as long as this one. I'm sorry that this review is vague on the details . . . just know that I can't put it down.

9. Tofu and T-Rex (re-read 10.18.07)
By: Greg Leitich Smith
Genre: Young Adult
Bex Rating: 9

Just as fun as I remembered. Both this book and Ninjas, Piranhas, and Galileo take place at a fictional school in Chicago, and they have some of the same characters, but you can read either one without the other, and they are both excellent. Tofu and T-Rex has a lot of fun information about dinosaurs, vegans, and German cuisine. It's funny and smart and a very quick read, and I hope Greg Lietich Smith has more books on the way.

8. Lawn Boy (10.14.07)
By: Gary Paulsen
Genre: Young Adult
Bex Rating: 7.5

I ususally read whatever Gary Paulsen writes, and I pretty much like it all (with the exception of The Beet Fields). This book was incredibly short--only 88 pages, but it was a pretty fun read. It's about a 12-year-old boy who is given a riding lawnmower by his Grandma . . . he starts mowing lawns, and suddenly the cash is flowing and he's making more money than he knows what to do with. It was fun because it's exciting to read about someone making lots of money :). It's the same reason why I like Andrew Clements Lunch Money (young adult), and Orson Scott Card's Treasure Box (adult fiction). All three of these books have sections where the main characters steadily accrue a lot of money, and it's fun to be part of that . . . if only imaginarily and momentarily :).

7. The Golden Compass (10.11.07)
By: Phillip Pullman
Genre: Fantasy/Science Fiction
Bex Rating: 9

Wow! Totally original fantasy that's fast-paced and well-written. There's no way the upcoming movie can have the depth that this book does. I am getting the next two books in Pullman's trilogy as soon as I can.

6. These is My Words (10.01.07)
By: Nancy Turner
Genre: Historical Fiction
Bex Rating: 9

Three different people (Cori, Lindsey, Carol) recommended this book to me, and all of them are people whose book opinions I trust, so it was no surprise that I loved it. It's the fictional journal of Sarah Agnes Prine, a poor, barely-schooled girl who sets out to settle a new homestead with her parents and siblings. Tragedy after tragedy hits the family . . . in fact, the beginning was incredibly difficult to read and I was worried the whole thing would be one big horrible and depressing affair. But Sarah is such a strong character and she keeps her spirits up despite all the hardships she faces. There's a lot of incidental history about settlers of the American southwest, mostly in the Texas and Arizona territories.

The book actually turns out to be a sweet love story. Here is one of my favorite excerpts, when Sarah describes a book that she finds and has started to read:

I have started to read a book called "The Happy Bride." It is all about how a girl should act and what men expect from the girl they want to marry and such.

This book says "a young lady is never safe when in close physical proximity to a gentleman, and although he would pursue her, he thinks all the more of her if she rebuffs him heartily." So I have thought of a hearty rebuff that I will tell that Captain Elliot if I ever see him again, or any man who presumes to be in close physical proximity.

I will study this book so the first chance I get not to be an old maid I will be ready.

5. Ninjas, Piranhas, and Galileo (re-read at the end of September)
By: Greg Leitich-Smith
Genre: Young Adult Fiction
Bex Rating: 8.75

This is on my list of favorites, along with its companion book, Tofu and T-Rex. It's the story of three friends who attend a magnet school in Chicago, and their misadventures during the school science fair. It's very funny and there's lots of great information about science and music and Japanese culture. Loved it even more the second time.

4. Holiday Concert (listened to book on cd 9.06.2007)
by: Andrew Clements
Genre: Young adult/middle school fiction
Bex rating: 7.5

Andrew Clements never disappoints. I checked this out of the library and listened to it on the way home from taking my sister Ali to the Dallas airport. It was very fun and covered a lot of themes about the power of music, the price of leadership, the value of hard work, and the importance of compromise. Clements' books are great to listen to in the car, because they are all between four and six hours, and they appeal to the whole family--Allen and I both get into his stories. His characters are very real and he has an amazing ability to write about middle school-aged kids in a way that makes you remember what it was like. My other favorites of his are Frindle, A Week in the Woods, The Report Card, and Lunch Money.

3. I Capture the Castle (8.26.2007)
By: Dodie Smith
Genre: Contemporary English Fiction
Bex Rating: 6

I enjoyed the first half of this book much more than the second half. The whole book is the journal of a young girl named Cassandra who describes what it is like living in a rundown castle in England. Her family is very destitute, but when some rich Americans move in next door, things start getting better for Cassandra and her older sister, Rose (very Pride and Prejudice influenced, methinks). I was excited to see that JK Rowling really loves this book, but I thought it was a bit disappointing in the end--not quite enough resolution.

2. Eclipse (8.9.2007)
By: Stephenie Meyer
Genre: Young adult/Gothic/Romance (plot spoiler warning)
Bex Rating: 7

Overall, this was not as good as either the first or second books by Stephenie Meyer. I hated that Bella kissed Jacob and realizes now that she “loves them both.” Stupid stupid stupid. And I don’t like how understanding Edward is about it, even if it is just a ploy to make Bella choose him.

And what will the fourth book be? Is the whole thing going to be from Edward’s point of view, or do we get to see what happens next? Because the author left it hanging with Jacob running and running into the woods at the end, and Bella still not a vampire. It seems like there is some foreshadowing about Jacob “imprinting” with someone else so that Bella and Edward are free to be vampires together. “In love with them both”—stewpid.

However, though the general plot of this one was the weakest of the three books, I did think there was some great story-telling. I loved the legend of how the werewolves came to be in the Quileute tribe. And I loved Rosalie’s “back-story” (especially when she carried out her vengeance, I admit). And the stuff about the newborn vampire armies was cool. I loved Edward killing that wretched Victoria. But I felt disgusted with Bella throughout the book. I kept wondering why either Jacob or Edward liked her, and I kept waiting for evidence that she was worth being liked, but I don’t feel like it came. And the thing I hated the very most was the over-use of the word “Ugh.” Do people really use that word? And do they say it three times in a row like Bella did? Ugh, ugh, ugh!

Despite my strong feelings about all of this, of course there is no other course of action for me to take but to buy and read the next book as soon as it comes out. Hopefully it will be better.

1. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (7.22.2007)
By: JK Rowling
Genre: Fantasy
Bex Rating: 10!

Loved it! Never wanted it to end! I especially loved Kreacher's transformation after we read what happened to him. I cried for Harry when he walked into the forest with the shadows of his parents going with him. I loved Ron's birthday present to Harry "How to Charm a Witch" and when he confided in Harry that "It's not all wand-work, either," I laughed out loud. I thought that the destruction of the horcruxes was a little too fast-paced at the end (I wanted more information about the dragon they rode out of Gringott's) and I desperately wanted more falling action after the INCREDIBLE climax to all seven books, when Harry let Voldemort destroy himself! I relished in Harry calling You-Know-Who "Tom" and "Riddle"--yes! In short, it was as wonderful and magical and incredible as I hoped, and I am as filled with dismay as the rest of the Potter fans who wished it could go on forever.