A Departure From the Norm....

In more ways than one. First, I usually post in the morning, and 2nd, I usually review books I've read. Well, okay, this is sometihng I've read, but not by choice.

The Sneaky Pony series by Hadley Higginson
I'm not even going to bother rating this :D

Book 1 is called Keeker and the Sneaky Pony. These very silly chapter books are for early readers... or in our house, young pre-readers who are too smart for their own good. Each book tells about an adventure of Keeker (whose real name is Catherine Corey Keegan Dana... I'd go by Keeker too) and her pony Plum. My 4-year-old finds them hysterical and we have to read them over and over until I put my foot down and send it back to the library!
The books are cute and can be read out of order, though it makes a little more sense if you read them in order. Especially for very young readers.
Reading them outloud takes about 15-20 minutes, which should give you an idea of length. I think they're probably geared to 2nd graders, with pictures on basically every page.

The one we have currently desparately needs to go back to the library! :D

The Spellman Family

The nuttiest family ever!!

The Spellman Files
The Curse of the Spellmans
by Lisa Lutz

5 Stars
R- 2-3
HILARIOUS!

Okay, so these are some of the funniest books around! When the entire family works in the family business... and the family business is a Private Eye firm... Well, you can probably imagine the kind of things they do! By age 12, the kids in the family have learned to install deadbolts on their bedroom doors. Not that it matters, since everyone knows how to pick them by the age of 15 or so.
Like I said, hilarious!

And coming in March-- Revenge of the Spellmans!!
Learn more at http://lisalutz.com/

Nursery Crimes

Happy Black Friday. I am not out shopping. I have no intention of going out shopping. And that makes me happy.

The Big Over Easy by Jasper Fforde
5 stars
R- 1

Oh my gosh! Hysterical!! Join Investigator Jack Spratt as he investigates crimes for the Nursery Division! What really happened to Humpty Dumpty? Evidence says he was shot, but who shot him and why? What a mess. With his new assistant Mary Mary, Jack is on the case.

There's also a sequel, which I believe is called The Fourth Bear, but I've not read it yet. I'm sure it's just as zany as the first!

Also by Jasper Fforde-- The Eyre Affair. Someone is hopping around copies of Jane Eyre trying to change the story! Thursday Next (Yep, that's her name. I think it took me the first quarter of the book to figure that out!) is on the job. Related, but not technically connected to the Nursery Crimes books. At least I don't think there's a connection anywhere, but I haven't read the rest of the Thursday Next books, of which there are several.

Anyway, much fun to be had in the realm of literary mystery!

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Hope you're all having a wonderful holiday! I need to make pies.... maybe if I act stressed enough my husband will go do it for me.... hmmmm....

Sisters of the Sword by Maya Snow
4 Stars
R-0
V
Juvenile or young adult fiction

In the world of the samurai, two sisters must hide their identities and master the sword if they wish to avenge their father and brothers. Dark, but I really liked it. I love the culture and I thought this was a good representation. It is the first of a series, I warn you, which I did not know until I got to the end of the book and things weren't all nicely resolved. It came out this year, so no others are out yet.
On a similar note, check out the book Little Sister.... by... someone. I can't remember. Kara Dalkey. The sequel is called The Heavenward Path.

The reports of my death were greatly exagerated...

Which I quite possibly spelled wrong. Oh well.
Nope, I didn't die, just my internet. I HATE not having internet.

Barbara Cleverly's Joe Sandilands Mysteries
5 stars
R- 2-3 (varies some from book to book)

The first is The Last Kashmiri Rose. I have really been enjoying these. I'm hoping there are more coming...
Joe Sandilands is a London policeman who has risen through the ranks quickly. As the series starts, he's on detachment in British India. A great blend of humor, mystery, and period. In case you haven't noticed, I'm into period pieces. Movies, books, whatever-- I love them all.
Anyway, I really recommend these. They're fun. (Yeah, I'm brimming with witty reviews today... I want to go back to bed. Actually, I want to reread these books in bed. But my kids might object.)

Susan Wittig Albert

A fabulous author, I tell you.
I'm thoroughly enjoying the lastest in her Cottage Tales of Beatrix Potter series. These splendid, fanciful mysteries have a wide cast of characters, including Beatrix Potter, William Heelis, Tabitha Twitchet (Senior Village Cat), Rascal the terrier, and Bosworth Badger XVII, who records the History of the Land Between the Lakes. The dialogue is a fabulously woven tapestry of human and animal conversations and the tone of the narration makes you feel like you're there.
Start at the beginning-- The Tale of Hill Top Farm.
You can learn more at http://www.mysterypartners.com/

I also VERY VERY highly recommend the Victorian/Edwardian mysteries she has written with her husband, under the name Robin Paige. Death at Bishop's Keep is the first. There are 12 currently, and while they have no plans at the moment to write more (sadly), the door has been left open. I, for one, am hoping the write a few more. But if not, I suppose I'll just keep rereading them!

It's the weekend....

and I'm crazy busy! So, I think I'll take a break from Reader's Choice (I tell you, ADD) to tell you about one of my new absolute favoritest series! (Yes, I know, that's atrocious grammar.)

And Only To Deceive
A Poisoned Season
A Fatal Waltz-- all by Tasha Alexander
5 Stars
R- 1

Mystery and intrigue in Victorian England! Lady Emily Ashton has been widowed and when she decides to learn more about the husband she didn't really know well, she discovers much more than she'd planned! Theft, intrigue and murder... oh my!
(This is the first book where all this happens.) Here's an excerpt:

"My mother and I do not particularly enjoy each others company. From the day the queen kissed me during my presentation at court in Buckingham Palace, I heard from Mother constant reminders that my looks would soon fade, and she admonished me to do my best to catch a husband immediately. That I had refused several good offers continued to vex her, and I will not bore the reader with the details of these trivial events. Suffice it to say that I had little interest in marriage. I cannot claim that this was due to lofty ideals of love or outrage at the submission demanded by many husbands of their wives. Frankly, I considered the proposition of matrimony immensely boring. Married women I knew did scarcely more than bear children and order around their servants. Their time consumed by mundane details, the most excitement for which they could hope was some social event at which they could meet one another and complain about said children and servants. I preferred my life at home. At least as a single woman, I had time to pursue my own interests, read voraciously, and travel when opportunity presented."

I'm not going to say another word about them... You just have to go read them!
(But if you want to be sneaky, you can learn more at http://www.tashaalexander.com/)

A short novel in notes...

Life on the Refrigerator Door by Alice Kuipers
5 Stars
R- 1? (I don't remember there being much of anything in it.)

This is a very quick read (I think it took me an hour or less) because it's written entirely in notes that mother and daughter leave on the fridge. Some are simple requests to stop and pick something up from the store, others are thought-provoking and touching expressions of love. It's poignant and I almost even cried (which is saying a lot... nothing makes me cry).
I'd recommend this to anyone, but I think mothers and teenage girls will probably get the most out of it.

Creepy Icelandic Mystery...

(Note: I forgot to say yesterday-- Interred with their Bones was a Reader's Choice book.)

Okay, technically the next book on the Reader's Choice list is The Last Cowgirl by Jana Richman, but I haven't read it. Haven't decided yet if I'm going to....

Last Rituals by Yrsa Sigudardottir
4 stars
R-2
Some descriptions are a little graphic.

This book is actually a translation from Icelandic. Thora, the main character, is a lawyer called upon to investigate the death and mutilation of a German student at the university. Lots of witchcraft... that kind of creepiness. I did enjoy it, but reading it at like 11 at night was not my best idea! I really liked Thora, and I think the plan is for more books about her. I'd read them.
If mutilation and witchcraft don't bother you (it's not promoting witchcraft, certain characters are just involved in witchcraft) then I would definitely recommend this one!

On a completely unrelated note. I recently read Let There Be Suspects by Emilie Richards, which I really enjoyed. It's the second in the Ministry is Murder series. (Yeah, I didn't realize it was the second one. The first book is sitting here right now waiting for me to read it.) It's pretty much fluff, but sometimes you need fluff, right? Anyway, quick and clean and fun. I loved the characters!

A Shakespearean Mystery

Interred With Their Bones by Jennifer Carrell
5 Stars
R- 2
V

LOVED this book! A fabulous mystery about a scholar-turned-director who must solve the mystery of a possible "previously unknown" work of Shakespeare. By herself. Because her mentor has been killed and the new Globe theater, where she's directing, has been burned to the ground.
What can I say, I'm a sucker for scholarly mysteries.

More Reader's Choice

The Good Thief's Guide to Amsterdam by Chris Ewan
4 Stars
R- 2-3

This is a fun read about an author who writes novels about a thief that solves crimes. He also happens to be a thief himself, and life gets interesting when he finds himself in a position to solve a crime of his own.
Entertaining... and it did keep me guessing, which is always nice. I read so many mysteries that I tend to figure them out quickly.

Back to Reader's Choice...

End of the Alphabet by C S Richardson
4 Stars
R- 2(?)
Sad

This is kind of sad. It's poignant. It tells the story of a husband and wife trying desperately to complete an alphabet of travels in the month he has left.
It's short and sweet. I enjoyed it.
(I did read it in July, though, which is why the risquety has a ? by it. I know it wasn't worse than a 2.)

The next book on the Reader's Choice list is Escape by Carolyn Jessop. It's about polygamy in the FLDS community. I'm not really planning to read it.

After that though, is--

Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen
5 Stars
R-2-3 I think

This is a wonderful story about a quiet woman whose quiet life tending her magical garden is completely disrupted when the prodigal sister returns. Very disrupted! But in all the best ways. I loved it! It was just so much fun!
I really recommend it; it's a fun quick read.
Equally fun is Sugar Queen, also by Sarah Addison Allen. Written in a similar style, it's a great story about a girl who, at 27 or so, finally becomes her own person.

Taking a break from Reader's Choice...

Which, yes, I just started. What can I say, maybe I have ADD.
Cankered Roots by G G Vandagriff
5 stars
R-0
LDS Mystery

I LOVE these books! Cankered Roots is the first in a series-- so far there are 4. Alex and Briggie are professional geneaologists who get themselves into all sorts of trouble when Alex decides to confront her parents about her own family history. (The first 2 books relate to her family history.)
Learn more about the books and the author at http://www.ggvandagriff.com/
These are all quick reads. I read the first 2 yesterday. They are murder mysteries, but they're entirely tame. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend them for a teen or even a preteen that reads a lot.

Reader's Choice Nominees July-October 2008

This seems like a good place to start.
Twice a year, the local county library systems holds their "Reader's Choice" thing. Librarians select around 28 books, put them on display, and have people read and vote. For the last couple of years, I've been trying to read ALL of the books in the allotted time. Some months that works better than others. I think this time around I had read... 14 of them. Which is actually pretty good considering only one of those was NOT read in October. I've read a few more since, too.
So, here's the list: http://www.slco.lib.ut.us/booklists/readers_choice.pdf
They haven't posted the winners yet, but I'll let you know when they do. And if I don't agree with the winners, I'll post my own list. :)

And I'll review the first one on the list now:
Along Comes a Stranger by Dorie Lawson
1 star
Risquety- 0

Wow.... I've never been so bored. Seriously, never. I mean, I completely understand the day to day life of a stay-at-home mome, I am one, but I'm not crazy enough to think people would want to READ about the day to day life of a stay-at-home mom! (Hence my blogging about things OTHER than daily life in my house!)
This one starts out with major hints about a HUGE event happening in the life of the main character... of course, nothing happens until the last 10 pages of the book. Frankly, by that point, I really didn't care anymore. As a mom, I vaguely felt for the little girl, but it was hard to care much when it didn't seem like the main character cared!
Blah, I don't even want to spend any more time writing about it. I would say, don't waste your time. Obviously, though, not everyone agrees with me. The quotes on the book jacket say things like "I couldn't put it down" and I noticed on the sign posted at the library that at least a couple of people had voted "loved it". I would love to know what they were on when they read it. I'm sure that would make all the difference. ;)

A word about "ratings"

On each review, I'm going to give the book in question some "ratings". The number of stars indicates how much I enjoyed the book-- 5 stars being the highest. The "risquety" (sure it's a word, I just said it, right?) will be how, well, risque the book is. A "0" is completely clean, "1" has some inuendo, but I would still recommend it to, say, my teenage sister. A "2" indicates that I probably wouldn't recommend it for most teens, but wouldn't worry about recommending it to adults. A "3" means I would recommend it to most adults, but I would include a disclaimer. A "4" means I finished the book, but there's enough in it that I probably would not recommend it. A "5" means I didn't even finish the book.
Violence and language don't bother me as much, so I'm not going to rate those as much, but if the violence is heavy, I'll put a "V" and if there's a lot of language, I'll put an "L" or "L+".
Clear as mud? I thought so.
I'll also try to include little details like number of pages, genre, etc.

Here we go....

I decided I needed a place to post about books I'm reading, and voila a blog is born!
I got the idea from a friend-- the link to her book blog is in the sidebar. Bookscoops is lots of fun!
Feel free to comment on any reviews, whether you agree or not! Just keep it clean, please! (I will remove any comments containing profanity)