Coleen
Everything about this book said it should've appealed to me more than it did. Ghosts, retellings of Macbeth, diversity of the characters. However, it was just okay. I have no problems with unlikable characters main or otherwise, but these characters never got that strong of a reaction in either direction. I did like the ghosts instead of the witches in this retelling though. Overall just okay.
My mom bought this for me after I started reading a library hold. On page 168. So far so good. I really like it.
I'd actually give this more of a 3.5, but since half stars aren't allowed I'll upgrade this to 4. Julian(the main character) has a great voice, and this is a decent coming of age story. The author wrote from a first person P.O.V. about being an average kid who sometimes makes bad decisions and mistakes. Also didn't feel as if the author was writing this as he might imagine or remember how a gifted 12 year old might, instead it did feel as if maybe Julian's character became “real and he was telling us about his little slice of life. I'm usually a sucker for coming of age stories and feel this one was pretty well done. I would definitely recommend this to children ages 10-14 who were looking for a decent realistic fiction book.
Inteeresting coming of age, mystery. Told in differing p.o.v. Lucy is the main character but you do get to see other characters side of the story. Lucy is trying to figure out who killed a her childhood friend and in a way feels if she solves this maybe she can figure out what happened to her mother who disappeared when she was a baby. Overall I think the authors voice was interesting,and even though it isn't much of a mystery as to who the perpetrator I was think the story is well written enough for you to continue the story and see how Lucy figures out and deals with this.
Fast read; paranormal young adult gothic fairy tale/myth. The main story told from the p.o.v. of Sterling who is a loving younger sister who's older brother disappears one day into the swamp that everyone in the local town fears only to be replaced by some girl. Everyone is convinced that everything is hunky dory and this girl has been Sterling's older sister her whole life. You read this book to see if Sterling is crazy,or the swamp or something that lives in the swamp replaced her brother.
I did enjoy the fairy tale and paranormal aspect and I wasn't annoyed by the romance. The main character was just okay though. You're supposed to feel for her plight but mostly I was just interested in her journey to figure out what happened. I think this was pretty good but not great.
I just reread this in preparation for reading Out of My Heart which was gifted to me. It was still great. Melody's can do spirit is wonderful. I still loved how she got “Elvira” and found her voice. I didn't remember Mrs V but I loved her so much a great cheerleader for Melody. I did however remember that she had two girl bullies and was rightfully upset with them. I'd forgotten the outcome of the Quiz Team I just remembered her being disappointed by them but not the details.
This book was my first Diane Chamberlain book but if all her works are similar in quality it definitely won't be my last. Necessary Lies is set in rural North Carolina during 60's. Ivy, is 15 and practically running her poverty stricken family which consist of her grandmother who is diabetic and doesn't take good care of herself, Mary Ella, Ivy's 17 year old sister who is mentally handicapped and Mary Ella's two year old son William. Jane is a young social worker, newly married and new to the job. Jane becomes very invested in Ivy and her family and of course as the reader you do too. This book delves into the Eugenics programs that the U.S. had in place, and unfortunately can still be seen as being practiced in smaller ways with coerced consent being still practiced when giving tubal ligations to female prisoners as late as 2010 in California. This book makes you care very deeply about what happens with Ivy and her family and with Jane. Even though I've never been in either women's shoes I found them both very relatable. This story transports you very succesfully back to 1960 rural North Carolina, and into Ivy and Jane's lives. Great book, and I highly recommend it.
I'm very impressed by the author's skill in character building. I became so attached to Willow and the mismatched characters who come into her life that I was actually anxious for Willow to have a happy ending. Even though there were some aspects of the book I had trouble with I'd definitely recommend this to kids who are looking for an interesting and introspective book.
This book sounded nice and spooky. It had ghosts, snow(which as a Tucson, Arizona native and now midwesterner freaks me out) and a smaller town feel. However the premise didn't pay up. I wanted characters I actually cared about, more ghost action or at least building up of ghostly tension. There is some nice ghost scenes but those were few and far between. I also felt none of the characters were written in depth enough for me to worry about them. I think there were too many characters Mr. Golden tried to write about and didn't deliver in writing about people I cared about. I've liked other stories by Christopher Golden, but this wasn't one of them.
It was my first horror book when I was 8. I call it the book that started it all. All being my love of horror stories.
This book was interesting. Kind of a Stephen King “Under the Dome” concept but first with a mass rage virus then you find out about the survivors who are trapped in some sort of force field. There is gore at the beginning when all these people go murder happy, but then it's kind of how the very few survivors cope with being trapped. Pretty good overall.
I was not expecting to enjoy this book as much as I did. This book is a roller coaster of emotions. Some of them dark and sad. I was really enamored with both Helen and Hanna. Their relationship reminded me many times of my own childless Great Aunt who treated loved me with her whole heart and only wanted what was best for me. I really loved Helen and Hanna. I think this might definitely be an older teen/more mature teen book because of the tough subject matter at times. However, I can do nothing but sing it's praises and put it on my list of books I loved even though they made me cry.
Lou is a former famous true-crime writer who has fallen off the best seller list. So when he gets to interview a killer who has refused to talk to anyone in the press he can't pass it up. You know that saying if it's too good to be true than it probably is. See the catch is he has to live in the house where the murders happened with his daughter Virginia..
At first you think oh it just a haunted house story but the descriptions make you get goosebumps. Nothing is gory but it is definitely frightening and. It is easy for you to picture the creepy ghost reflected in the washroom mirror, the creaky rooms of the old house, or the abandoned orchard. The unsettling book fills you with dread. The ending is pretty intense in my opinion. Something I've read in books or seen in some movies but well done.
The only other memoir I've read is Jenny Lawson's AKA The Bloggess Let's Pretend This Never Happened. This memoir was definitely a totally different type of memoir than that for sure. Thankfully I've never been in Catherine Tidd's shoes, but I thought her book was really well written. It was funny and sad sometimes in the same sentence. I also appreciated the advice in the back for those going through this or for those trying to support someone going through the death of a spouse. I hope this book makes into the hands of all who need it.
I checked this out from my library and started reading and didn't stop until I finished a few hours later. This book really appealed to me in a way I feel I can't express well. The story is about 5 year old Anna and her family and a tragedy while their family is camping. This is told from Anna's prespective of how her parents are attacked by a bear. Anna doesn't understand what is going on, but as a reader you surely do. Through her father's quick thinking Anna and her younger brother are saved, but unfortunately her parents perish. Anna does come across her mother who is still barely concious and she follows her mother's instructions to get her brother and herself in the canoe and go and wait for them (her parents) to come. Anna is given a lot of responsibility that she is too young to understand but wanting to be a good girl she tries to take care of her brother and herself like she was asked. The narration is very stream of conciousness and definitely struck me as a small child trying to figure out what is going on. Great book!
I hadn't read a Graham Masterson in a while and I'd really liked his previous work that I read. However, this one not so much. I know this is harsh but I'm glad I borrowed this from the library instead of buying it so I don't feel like anything was wasted except my time.
Not as good as the first one. I think I had the most problem with the ending. It wasn't as good as the first. Also, there was a lot of rehash of the first book. I liked it a lot just not as much as I liked the first one. However, this won't keep me from reading the 3rd book.
This is a little less for adult's than Go the F*K To Sleep, but it is definitely written more for the parent than a child. At least in my opinion.
I LOVE this book! Every time someone is looking for a funny picture book and it is available at the library I work at I suggest it! Cow on a joy ride is all sorts of fun.
Just the right amount of creepiness in my opinion. Abby knows something is going to happen in her town and she tries to convey those things the problem is she is autistic and at first, her parents dismiss some of her weird segues as normal for her. I don't know if the characterization of Abby as an autistic teen is correct but I do know I liked her character a lot. The different P.O.V. Carole (Abby's mom), Abby, and The Ceiling Man was well done and ratcheted up the creepiness factor in my opinion. Oh and for those who don't like gore I'd say there aren't a ton of details for most of the murders.
After I read this book I felt like I was channeling my 17 year old daughter when I said “meh”. I like different perspective books, I like time shifts and I admit I can take or leave historical fiction. However, this book was just so so. I didn't dislike it at all, but I didn't feel more then okay about it.