Thursday, February 29, 2024

The House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer

There are some authors that never disappoint, Nancy Farmer is one of them for me. I first read her Sea of Trolls and enjoyed her writing style immensely. All of her books are so different and take place in a variety of places around the world. I started this one with just as much anticipation that it would be just as enjoyable as the others I've read and I was not disappointed. 

In this future time in our world cloning happens, although it is illegal. The clones that survive are treated like cattle for various reasons and not considered human for there can only be one person on earth with a unique DNA. This story takes place between the border of the United States and Mexico in the land of Opium where that substance rules everyone. The drug lords are kings and others are mere pawns to do according to their wishes. Amid this back drop enters a young boy who will challenge this system while fighting for his own life at the same time. The characters in this book are rich with description and nuance and are multi-dimensional which is why I love Farmer's writings. The subject matter may seem dark and violent, but because it's written for the teen audience it doesn't get too intense. 

Recommend: Definitely

Science Fiction, Mexico, Drugs, Teen Fiction.



Monday, February 26, 2024

Dead Souls by Nikolai Gogol

My son is a fan of Russian literature. I asked him for his favorite and he recommended this one to me. Gogol has been referred to as the Russian Charles Dickens and wrote this book in 1842. I started the book a number of times and had a hard time getting past the first chapter. I decided to listen to it instead during my walks each day. This was much more successful. The beauty of this story is in the language of the author and not necessarily in the plot or characters, although I became invested in both of those as time went on. The narrator has a wonderful rich voice and the Russian names rolled off his tongue beautifully. 

The premise of the story is not as macabre as the title suggests. This story takes place during the time of Russian serfdom. Owners of these serfs paid taxes on them even after they died. Our hero of the story, Paul Ivanovich Chichikov, decides that to increase his income he will buy the serfs who have passed on from their owners so they won't have to pay taxes on deceased individuals and thus make money off of these dead souls as he will not inform the government that they are actually dead. This, in a nutshell, is the beginning and end of the story. Yet the beauty of the story exists in the characterizations of the colorful characters you meet which becomes very satisfying. I found myself laughing outloud as I was walking, listening to some of the portrayals of the people Chichikov met and attempted to do business with. The descriptive language helped me see 19th century Russia in clear detail. 

Recommend: yes, with the caveat that it's not for the casual reader of fluffy fiction, but well worth the extra effort. 



Wednesday, January 10, 2024

Somebody On This Bus Is Going To Be Famous! by J.B. Cheaney

9 children, 9 different lives, 9 different problems, 9 different pasts and presents, 1 bus. I like this type of writing style where the story is told from different perspectives and slowly the story line is weaved together from each person's eyes. I thought it ended a bit clunky, but overall I enjoyed reading the story. The author does a good job of bringing each student to life and showing how we are all more connected that it seems. The author is a local Missourian and the story takes place in and around South and Central Missouri. 

Recommend: yes



Thursday, January 4, 2024

The Sweetest Spell by Suzanne Selfors

This starts out in typical medieval fantasy fashion. Young girl grows up in extreme poverty, disaster strikes and she loses what little she had, nearly dies, is rescued, finds a new found talent and uses it to rescue her people. Even though it's not a fresh idea, the story is pleasant to read. Emmeline is the damsel in distress and Owen is her longed for love. And there is the typical ruthless bad guy (or bad queen in this case) who will stop at nothing to get what she wants. 

It was an average fantasy story with romance weaved in. I enjoyed it while I was reading it, but probably won't pick it up again. 

Recommend: Sure.

Young adult fiction, fantasy, magic, evil queen.





Tuesday, January 2, 2024

Books in 2023

 As I looked back and counted up the books I've read in 2023 I was a bit surprised to see the low number of 27, with 6 of them rereads. Of the first time reads here are my top picks: 

  • Beauty Reborn by Elizabeth Lowham
  • Eyes of the Forest by April Henry
  • 23 Minutes by Vivian Vande Velde
  • The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho




























Saturday, December 30, 2023

The Skull by Jon Klassen

 Jon Klassen is an author/illustrator of children's picture books. His books are unexpected and surprising and just really good. In 2013 he won the Caldecott Medal as the author/illustrator of This is Not My Hat and in 2015 an Caldecott Honor as the illustrator of Sam and Dave Dig a Hole by Mac Barnett. 

Over the holidays I was in a bookstore browsing with my son (an activity I need to do much more often) and saw this book by Klassen. I immediately picked it up added it to my "look for it at my public library list". This book is more of a chapter book format and not so much like a picture book. It is a very quick read, just 103 pages, with not a lot of text on each page. He took this from a Tyrolean Folktale. Tyrol is state in Austria, so it's essentially an Austrian tale. He put his own spin on it and includes in the Author's Note how his story differs from the original tale. 

The story left me with lots of questions that I discussed with two of my boys as they read it as well. But I don't believe a good book should give you all the answers, just lead you to imagine and discuss the possibilities. 

Recommend: yes please!

Children's fiction, illustrations, runaway girl, skeleton. 



Monday, December 25, 2023

A Hidden Magic by Vivian Vande Velde

 Christmas morning as a child always had my father receiving a book and him reading and finishing the book on Christmas Day. Like father, like daughter. My sister gave me this book, which I have read in the distant past, and which I was all too happy to read again today. Vivian Vande Velde is a favorite of my fantasy authors. It's a quick read, but oh so enjoyable. 

This story mixes bits of many fairy tales: Aladdin and the Magic Lamp, Sleeping Beauty, Jack and the Beanstalk, to name a few. Like all fairy tales it has a moral and a nice one at that. Don't judge a book (or a person) by it's cover. 

Recommend: yes.

Children's fiction, fantasy, forest, magic.