What Have You Been Reading?

Well, as promised, here is a trying-to-be-short review of some books I read last month.

East by Edith Pattou

This is a retelling of a classic fairy tale I hadn't really heard before. Which was nice, since most fairy tales don't really have surprise endings. It is quite a bit longer than this retelling which I actually read first. Both are quite well done written in gorgeous lyrical style. The story is similar to the Psyche and Cupid myth and Beauty and the Beast combined. I am now a big fan of the tale (usually called East of the Sun and West of the Moon).

The Host: A Novel by Stephenie Meyer

I was actually really impressed with this new novel by the extremely popular author of the Twilight series. She makes the transition to adult books quite easily (mostly because that distinction is really only the age of the characters). It was engaging and I kept wanting to find out what happened. I also enjoyed the way she depicted the humans' imperfections and the aliens' "humanity."

Amazing Grace by Eric Metaxas
I already mentioned this book in a previous post about the movie. It is still good.

Out Of The Dust by Karen Hesse

I was really impressed with this story about a girl trying to grow up in the Midwest during the depression era, written in verse. I will admit, sometimes reading poetry is too much of a hassle for me to bother with. But, Hesse's style is very accessible and I never had a hard time deciphering meanings. The story was quite poignant and unapologetically real, making it easy to sympathize and relate to the characters.

Lawn Boy by Gary Paulsen

This light fast read is very loosely based on Paulsen's own experiences. The ideas seem really far-fetched, but if you ignore it as having any factual basis, it is fun. I spent most of the book waiting for something bad to happen. It never did. So, short, sweet, and funny.

A Girl Named Disaster by Nancy Farmer

I enjoyed most of this tale of a young girl's journey in Africa. It gave some interesting perspective to the traditions and perceptions of remote villages in eastern Africa. I got bored in some sections of the book and kept trying to hurry Nhamo along on her journey. It didn't capture my attention quite as well as this book by the same author.

Whale Talk by Chris Crutcher

I would have really loved the story of this book, but I became so distracted by the prolific swearing, that it pretty much ruined it for me. I would like someone to write an equally powerful story without the profanity. That would be worth reading. This, not so much.

The Professor by Charlotte Bronte

This less well-known novel by the author of Jane Eyre is obscure for a reason. It is really just not engaging or intriguing. The story doesn't seem to be going anywhere. Some of the characters are interesting, but I just didn't feel like it was worth the time it took to read it.

Fablehaven: Grip of the Shadow Plague by Brandon Mull

I mentioned this series a while ago. The third installment is equally well done and kept me interested to the end. Good fantasy.

Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin

All the hype I heard about this was accurate. This is a great book with an inspiring true story. Mortenson is the "Real American Hero" they were calling him (I kept singing the G.I. Joe theme song...). He seems like a very likable, humble, nice person. I think he would make a great Mormon :) I was slightly annoyed by some of the political statements made, even if they are true, but it was still an amazing book.


Oh, and for Rach, here are some possible books/series for your young reader:
The Magic Tree House Series
Ramona Quimby or Henry Huggins books by Beverly Cleary (love her!)
Junie B. Jones series (BTW, she uses awful grammar, so these are good for explaining grammatical mistakes :)
Little House on the Prairie books

I think some of the girl-narrator books will still appeal to young boys (my nephew is devouring the Little House books).