Beastly

Its been a while since I've done a book review. But today I just feel like it, which is funny, considering I'm not in love with this book.

"Beastly" by Alex Flinn, is very much geared toward a specific audience. That would be passionate, socially current, fashion minded, emotionally charged, young people. All of which I am most definitely not. I take that back. I am most assuredly emotionally charged (post-partum anyone?) but not the teenage angst type of emotionally charged, which powers a lot of this book.

This novel is a new and current take on the Beauty and the Beast fairytale. An arrogant young man is caught in his bad behavior and cursed by a witch. His curse is that his outward appearance match his inner self, which is beastly to behold. And thus starts the young man's journey to discover a truer and more pure heart. As is expected in a retelling, all the ingredients of the original story are there. The castle, the roses, the household help who stand by him and, of course, a young lady with a pure heart who sees through his exterior beastliness.

The fun of the book is in the current surroundings. High school, New York, subways, dances and modern dialogue. I appreciated how the author took the opportunity to show other ugly (or beastly) parts of society as well, beyond just the young man. It kind of made me realize how ugly begets ugly to some degree and perhaps he was somewhat a sum of his surroundings. I was somewhat put off by the amount of teen angst and that most of it was centered on physical desires. It was not horrible and pretty nit-picky of me to even mention it. In fact, I probably wouldn't mention it if the characters were older, but I guess I'm over sensitive to teens thinking that the crushes they have in high school are the ultimate, most passionate relationships they will have. (Don't get me started on Twilight.)

It was a quick book to read, but definitely geared toward a younger generation than me. Nevertheless, I was interested throughout and really cared about what happened to the young man. And the ending was satisfying. 3 STARS (out of 5)

5 Keys to do the unlocking....plus some.

I just finished reading "Keys to the Demon Prison" by Brandon Mull. It is the 5th and final book in the FableHaven series. And believe me, it did not disappoint. Kendra and her brother, Seth, are off on another exciting adventure trying to stop the plot of the Sphinx, who wants to open the demon prison. He claims he will be able to control the demons. But that seems pretty arrogant to me. Controlling demons? Yeah, right.

Anyway, we soon find out that there is a lot more at play here than just the Sphinx and Kendra and Seth. The scope of good vs. evil is much more broad than that. Soon enough, the 5 keys to the prison are changing hands all over the place and new pieces to the puzzle are found that make things interesting.

One thing I love, and have loved since the first book, about Brandon Mull's writing is that he doesn't just bring you to the edge of a cliff and then resolve the crises. He falls off the cliff and you wonder how could that have just happened and what in the world are they going to do now? He's not afraid to have his characters make major mistakes and then the fun is in resolving it.

This series was so much fun to read. As is his other book, "Candy Shop Wars." If you don't have time for a 5 book series, try "Candy Shop Wars."

Bubba, the Cowboy Prince

I thought I'd review a picture book today for Book Worm Wednesday!

Bubba the Cowboy Prince, a fractured Texas tale.

Written by Hene Ketteman.

I absolutely loooove this book. And so do my kids. I've always loved to read re-makes, re-writes, if you will, of fairy tales. And this is a great take on Cinderella. Only this time, the poor soul with wicked "steps" is Bubba, a ranch hand. This story comes complete is fun illustrations, wild west sayings and is particularly fun to read outloud with a western drawl. Its as fun to read as it is to listen to.

I completely agree with this excerpt from "Childrens Literature" taken from the Barnes and Noble website.

"The text is full of outrageous Texas-size sayings, such as "darker than a black bull at midnight" and "another ten dollar Stetson on a five cent head." The paintings are brightly colored and fanciful, with wonderful perplexed expressions on the rest of the cattle when the fairy godcow shows up. Great fun and a wonderful twist on the Cinderella story."

You really need to read this book!!!

 

Three Cups of Tea

I finished reading "Three Cups of Tea" by Greg Mortenson, about a week ago. I found this book to be so inspiring -- awe-inspiring as well as motivational. Greg Mortenson is motivated by the simple belief that all children, everywhere, should have the opportunity to gain an aducation. More specifically, that girls should have that opportunity - for it is through women that communities are educated and are able to make true social progress. But Greg Moretenson doesn't seem to do things the easy way.

His book relates the long and detoured path he takes in establishing schools in some of the most remote areas of Pakistan. Perhaps to the credit of his co-writer, David Relin, his experiences read like a novel and keep the reader interested in each new development or roadblock. The individuals Greg works with and the areas he visits are described in a way to bridge the distance from Pakistan to the U.S. so that we feel like we are sharing a cup or two of tea with them ourselves.

 

Getting ready for summer reading

There is one book that stands out above others as my favorite summertime read. Harry Potter? No. Twilight? No. Don't misunderstand. I love those books and am waiting with bated breath for "Breaking Dawn." But my summer fave is "The Count of Monte Cristo." I love the depth of the passion found in both the charity and forgivness and the revenge. I love the frailty of human nature and the weakness of character, even in noble and honorable men. I am sorrowed at the betrayal, the lost love and the hardships thrown upon the characters. I am impressed and delighted by the discovery of knowledge and intelligence in the lowliest of places. I am captivated by the pursuit of revenge and judgment over love and mercy. I was swept away by the passion, vigor, love and hate of this novel and say to anyone looking for a summer read...read "The Count of Monte Cristo." (Abriged version recommended.)

Please indulge me in sharing two favorite excerpts.

(When Dantes first sees the island, Monte Cristo)
"At seven o'cock the next evening all was ready, at ten minutes past seven they rounded the lighthouse just as the beacon was kindled. The sea was calm with a fresh wind blowing from the south-east; they sailed under a sky of azure where God was also lighting up his lanterns, each one of which is a world."


Having repaid, in kind, those who had treated him kindly, Dante prepares to repay those by whom he has not been treated well.
""Now, farewell to kindness, humanity, gratitude," said he. "Farewell to all the sentiments which rejoice the heart. I have played the part of Providence in recompensing the good, may the god of vengeance now permit me to punish the wicked!" Muttering these words, he made a sign, and the yacht immediately put out to sea."

And then again, the movie is pretty great. But the book is better. Let me refer you once again to the excerpts provided above. :)

Great passage

I've been reading "A Long Fatal Love Chase" for bookclub this month. What kind of trashy romance-addicted, froo-froo, shallow bookclub do I attend, you ask? Its actually a great bookclub and this novel is not trashy. In fact, it is written by Louisa May Alcott. She wrote it a couple of years before "Little Women." It was actually deemed "too sensational" to publish when she originally wrote it and was later discovered by this current publishers in 1993.

Anyway, it was a fun romantic thriller to read well written. I feel compelled to record one of my favorite passages. It is set after the hero and villain fight and the hero wins. The following is a description of the hero.

"Few men had ever conquered Tempest in anything and he felt
superior to most; but this man surpassed him in strength, skill,
courage and magnanimity, for, hard as he was, Tempest still felt the beauty
of a generous act, a noble word.

"Ignatius had conquered in love and war;
had borne insult meekly for himself,
had avenged it manfully for another,
had given compassion for contempt,
and having won the victory generously spared his enemy."

But the story is far from over at that point and Tempest is not so changed as he may seem at that moment of defeat. So if you want a good romance thriller to read during the Valentine season, this is a good pick.

The Hunger Games review

Its not easy to live in District 12. The Capitol of Panem makes sure of that. Because if it were easy or even a little more convenient to simply survive, there may be an uprising of people who think they deserve things like sufficient food, comfortable shelter and a decent way to make a living. In a word, Freedom. These are the things Katniss can only hope for. Instead of sufficient food, she has resorted to passing under the electrified fence surrounding District 12 and hunting in the meadow and forest, with her best-guy-friend, Gale. She's able to take home and enjoy some of the animals, roots and herbs she gathers and the rest she sells for money to buy other items her family (consisting of her mother and younger sister) needs.

But even then, there are still things like grain, oil, and heat, to name a few, that her hunting does not provide for. To make up for this lack, she must enter her name more than once in the pool to be picked as a tribute to represent their District in the Hunger Games. Each district is required to send 2 tributes, a boy and a girl, each year. The Capitol sponsors the Hunger Games as a way to remind the citizens of Panem how lucky they are to have a government (corrupt as it is) that protects them and controls them. And the Hunger Games drives that home in a truly vicious and cruel way. Each tribute, 24 in all, is placed in an "arena" several acres large and they fight to the finish, to the death, on live TV. The citizens are required to watch their children battle it out. The winner will never go hungry again. Reality TV at its worst. And this is the story of Katniss, who finds herself in the middle of the game, an unintended contender, who could possibly win. But does she want to? Can she do what has to be done to win?

As you might assume, this novel is exciting, gripping, and violent. It is set in a post-apocolyptic world, where the Capitol has replaced the government of North America. Suzanne Collins mixes famileal love, friendship, romantic love, self-love and violence in a way that immediately engages us. Should I admit at this point that I enjoyed reading it? Because I did. It was a quick read, one that I didn't have to think about (i.e. not deep, kind of like "Twilight"). It kept moving along at a quick pace and the action was always driving me to read 'just one more chapter.' A really great adventure and an interesting look at an alternative future.

I really enjoyed this book. Katniss is a likable character who steps up to the responsibilities given her, both in her village as well as in the Hunger Games arena. The point is well taken about the pitfalls of reality TV and desensitization, a close parallel to our society today. My only peeve is the ending that clearly sets us up for the next book in the trilogy, which doesn't come out until September. I'll be ready when it does.

A note on the violence: The violence was nothing worse than what is seen on crime-time dramas nearly every night or most of the action-adventure movies you see in the theater. But after watching a few video interviews with the author, I started to wonder if, in trying to point out the dangers of desensitization, she is actually contributing to the problem. Some of her comments really started to bother me, especially when she talked about the recommended age of readers. You can view these interviews here.

Other apocolyptic, alternative future books: "Brave New World", "Farenheit 451", "1984", "The House of the Scorpion"