I will talk no more of books or the long war / But walk by the dry thorn until I have found/ Some beggar sheltering from the wind, and there

Book Reviews! I'd say they are summer-time book reviews, but I've gotten behind, so the first couple are from April.



Saving CeeCee Honeycutt by Beth Hoffman

The Story:
A young girl loses her mother and is sent to live with her great-aunt in Savannah, Georgia. In Savannah, she is surrounded by a bunch of strong old women.

The Review:
This was a cute, light read. My book club picked it and I finished it in a day. The characters were engaging and I was rooting for CeeCee to adjust to a normal life and really be happy. It was a satisfying ending in that way. The one thing that bothered me a little bit was it got a little man-hater. There were only 2 men characters in the entire novel and they were both horrible. It just gave a skewed vibe.

But the story was good and cute, and I would recommend it.

****

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer

The Background:
I chose this for my American Lit class in the Fall. I wanted something really recent that deals with our recent big issues that impact the entire nation.

The Story:
A young boy loses his father on 9/11, and now, two years later, he is still struggling with his loss. He finds things that make him believe that his dad left a message, so he goes all over New York City meeting people that he thinks can help him solve the message.

The Review:
I cried. Which means that this was a great book. I loved Oskar as the narrator, he has a quirky, unusual voice and was just charming from the beginning. The story is a little jumpy, but it really works. Obviously the story is rather heavy, but it moved quickly and was really good.

I totally recommend it.

****

Mao's Last Dancer by Li Cunxin

The Story:
This is a true story of Cunxin who is chosen to be trained as a ballet dancer in communist China.

The Review:
True confession -- I didn't actually finish this book. It was really rough. Obviously his story is amazing and overcoming odds and all of that, but the writing was horrible. I tried really hard to be understanding about a Chinese person writing in English and all of that, but it was really difficult to read. The writing was really flat and unexciting. I kept hoping that something would happen, and it didn't.

Since I didn't finish it, I obviously can't discourage reading it, but I can't recommend it.

****

Any Bitter Thing by Monica Wood

The Story:
A young girl loses her parents and is raised by her Catholic priest uncle. (Are you sensing a theme? I swear I don't just pick books about orphans). Her uncle is accused of molesting her and she is sent away. As an adult, she is still dealing with her past.

The Review:
I liked this one. The story-line is a little unusual and not really what I was expecting. But the writing was good and clear and it was a good story. I felt interested in the characters and was very satisfied with how their stories went.

I recommend this one.

****

Once a Witch by Carolyn MacCullough

The Story:
A teenage girl was raised in a family of witches, but doesn't have any powers of her own. She is an outcast in her family and trying to figure out how to live her life. Then she meets a stranger and her whole life changes.

The Review:
This was a good story. The magic was approached in an interesting way. It was a quick, easy read. I recommend it.

****

Always a Witch by Carolyn MacCullough

The Story:
The second installment of Once a Witch.

The Review:
I liked the second installment just a much. I did get a little frustrated with how Tam made decisions. It was the typical "let me rush off and do something crazy without the people who could actually help me" and I am always like "ugh!" Which I think is how the author wants you to feel ... maybe. But I recommend it.

****

A Brewing Storm by Richard Castle

The Story:
A short-story installment of Derrick Storm -- Castle's character before he started working with Beckett.

The Review:
As always Castle's books are fun. I liked that this was a short story, it was a little cliff-hanger-ish, but the main case was solved.

****

Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake

The Story:
A young man, Cas, is a ghost hunter. He finds and "kills" ghosts that are murdering living humans. He gets a tip about a particularly horrendous ghost named Anna Dressed in Blood and goes to find and dispatch her.

The Review:
I liked this. I read it during my crazy-long layover in the Charlotte airport. It was quick and easy. I liked Cas's voice, he was quirky and cute. But I found the plot a little bizarre. I obviously can't really explain this without giving away the plot, but it was a little odd.

I'd still recommend the book, as long as you are willing to suspend belief.