whoops
Double whoops: I started this post in February and yet somehow never got around to completing it.
Perhaps my goal should be to update once a month. I might be able to handle that. Maybe.
Just because I'm not posting certainly doesn't mean I'm not reading. Finished recently (really just within my memory): Forever Princess by Meg Cabot, Ransom My Heart by Mia Thermopolis (aka Meg Cabot), Moloka'i by Alan Brennert, and Looks by Madeleine George.
I enjoyed that Cabot linked Forever Princess and Ransom My Heart, the latter being Mia's senior project, a historical romance in medieval England. The main character in Ransom My Heart, in my limited Cabot-reading experience, was different from most of Cabot's heroines in that she was a little more assertive, a little less wishy-washy. However, Finn still didn't think she was much to look at, which is a trait most of Cabot's main characters share. It is a good story, about a girl who kidnaps an earl (but doesn't know he's an earl), and it's a little racy, there being some sex scenes in it (which has Mia rather concerned when she thinks about sharing it with her friends). Definitely an engrossing story, well written and moves at a decent pace. Forever Princess, sadly the last in the Princess Diaries series (sadly for me anyway, I love those stories), begins at the end of Mia's senior year. She's trying to decide what college to go to, whether or not she wants to go to prom, what to do about JP, what to do about turning 18, you know, what to do about life in general. A rather large shocker (and perhaps what turns Mia back to her diary, as she hasn't written in it since her junior year) is that her ex-boyfriend Michael shows up back in New York. Mia has to ask herself, is she really over Michael? Is JP definitely The One? Or is Mia just as confused as she's always been? A happy ending for Princess Diaries fans, but the book definitely should get scooched to the Young Adult area--there's more than just talk about sex in this one.
Moloka'i by Alan Brennert is, as one of my colleagues described it, a character driven story, and Rachel is an intriguing, funny, determined character. I'll be the first to admit that I often do not read books typically chosen by book clubs, but after the insistence and positive reviews of a friend, as well as my own obsession and interest in Hawaiian history, I gave in and read the book. I am very glad that I did. Rachel contracts leprosy at the age of 7 and is sent to a hospital outside of Honolulu. When she fails to get any better, she is sent to the island of Molokai, where most leprosy patients are sent essentially to die. Thankfully, her uncle is on the island, so she is not completely disconnected from all family and that makes being there as such a young girl a little easier. Rachel grows older on the island, adventures out with other teenage girls, gets a job, falls in love, and attempts to live as normal a life as possible, trapped as she is. Major events in Hawaiian history pass over and around the people on Molokai, often not finding out until much later what occurred. This novel is driven by Rachel, so if you begin the novel and do not enjoy her character or are expecting something BIG to happen, you'll not enjoy the book. It is well written and moving and a rewarding read. Highly recommended, if you enjoy well developed characters and are happy to watch a character's life.
Looks by Madeleine George is a tale of a fat girl and a skinny girl, to put it bluntly. Meghan spends her life trying to blend in to the scenery, trying to be ignored, trying to walk past the bullies who tease and torment her, just trying to get to her classes. Meghan is a watcher, she watches and listens to what goes on at the school and speaks as little as possible. Twig thin Aimee is new to the school and is looking for something to enjoy, something to be a part of, and finds Cara and the school's literary journal. Meghan tries to warn Aimee about Cara, but Aimee is a little freaked out by the girl who watches people and appears to have no friends. When Cara does something Aimee finds unforgivable, she and Meghan team up to bring revenge on Cara (and as a bonus for Meghan, humiliate the jock who spends his time torturing Meghan). This is a short book but powerful with strong characters that does not focus on the girls' eating disorders, though there are a couple of scenes that dramatize the hungry--Aimee and her taunting carrot sticks, refusing to allow herself to eat them, and Meghan eating and eating to calm down and not feel so empty. Does their revenge turn out the way they would like? Is revenge the best way to feel better? It sounds great when planning it, but both girls learn that sometimes you can't take things back. Excellent reading.
That's it for this short post; on to the next one to cover some of what I read in the rest of February.
I remain, the (procrastinating) Savage Librarian.
Perhaps my goal should be to update once a month. I might be able to handle that. Maybe.
Just because I'm not posting certainly doesn't mean I'm not reading. Finished recently (really just within my memory): Forever Princess by Meg Cabot, Ransom My Heart by Mia Thermopolis (aka Meg Cabot), Moloka'i by Alan Brennert, and Looks by Madeleine George.
I enjoyed that Cabot linked Forever Princess and Ransom My Heart, the latter being Mia's senior project, a historical romance in medieval England. The main character in Ransom My Heart, in my limited Cabot-reading experience, was different from most of Cabot's heroines in that she was a little more assertive, a little less wishy-washy. However, Finn still didn't think she was much to look at, which is a trait most of Cabot's main characters share. It is a good story, about a girl who kidnaps an earl (but doesn't know he's an earl), and it's a little racy, there being some sex scenes in it (which has Mia rather concerned when she thinks about sharing it with her friends). Definitely an engrossing story, well written and moves at a decent pace. Forever Princess, sadly the last in the Princess Diaries series (sadly for me anyway, I love those stories), begins at the end of Mia's senior year. She's trying to decide what college to go to, whether or not she wants to go to prom, what to do about JP, what to do about turning 18, you know, what to do about life in general. A rather large shocker (and perhaps what turns Mia back to her diary, as she hasn't written in it since her junior year) is that her ex-boyfriend Michael shows up back in New York. Mia has to ask herself, is she really over Michael? Is JP definitely The One? Or is Mia just as confused as she's always been? A happy ending for Princess Diaries fans, but the book definitely should get scooched to the Young Adult area--there's more than just talk about sex in this one.
Moloka'i by Alan Brennert is, as one of my colleagues described it, a character driven story, and Rachel is an intriguing, funny, determined character. I'll be the first to admit that I often do not read books typically chosen by book clubs, but after the insistence and positive reviews of a friend, as well as my own obsession and interest in Hawaiian history, I gave in and read the book. I am very glad that I did. Rachel contracts leprosy at the age of 7 and is sent to a hospital outside of Honolulu. When she fails to get any better, she is sent to the island of Molokai, where most leprosy patients are sent essentially to die. Thankfully, her uncle is on the island, so she is not completely disconnected from all family and that makes being there as such a young girl a little easier. Rachel grows older on the island, adventures out with other teenage girls, gets a job, falls in love, and attempts to live as normal a life as possible, trapped as she is. Major events in Hawaiian history pass over and around the people on Molokai, often not finding out until much later what occurred. This novel is driven by Rachel, so if you begin the novel and do not enjoy her character or are expecting something BIG to happen, you'll not enjoy the book. It is well written and moving and a rewarding read. Highly recommended, if you enjoy well developed characters and are happy to watch a character's life.
Looks by Madeleine George is a tale of a fat girl and a skinny girl, to put it bluntly. Meghan spends her life trying to blend in to the scenery, trying to be ignored, trying to walk past the bullies who tease and torment her, just trying to get to her classes. Meghan is a watcher, she watches and listens to what goes on at the school and speaks as little as possible. Twig thin Aimee is new to the school and is looking for something to enjoy, something to be a part of, and finds Cara and the school's literary journal. Meghan tries to warn Aimee about Cara, but Aimee is a little freaked out by the girl who watches people and appears to have no friends. When Cara does something Aimee finds unforgivable, she and Meghan team up to bring revenge on Cara (and as a bonus for Meghan, humiliate the jock who spends his time torturing Meghan). This is a short book but powerful with strong characters that does not focus on the girls' eating disorders, though there are a couple of scenes that dramatize the hungry--Aimee and her taunting carrot sticks, refusing to allow herself to eat them, and Meghan eating and eating to calm down and not feel so empty. Does their revenge turn out the way they would like? Is revenge the best way to feel better? It sounds great when planning it, but both girls learn that sometimes you can't take things back. Excellent reading.
That's it for this short post; on to the next one to cover some of what I read in the rest of February.
I remain, the (procrastinating) Savage Librarian.
Labels: chick lit, fiction, Meg Cabot, young adult
posted by austentatious at 3:16 PM
0 comments
