Princess Academy: Palace of Stone

This is the newest release from one of my favorite authors, Shannon Hale. This is the sequel to her Newberry Honor Award winning book The Princess Academy. It had been awhile since I had read that one so I reread it before I read the sequel. I still enjoyed reading the first one. I really enjoyed the second one as well. I loved the development of characters and the story line. This one has a smattering of Revolution in it and it got me to thinking about how change comes about in the world. When you think about it, there are "revolutions" going on all over the world all the time. Probably even some in your own home. The kids start thinking life is unfair and request certain changes to be made. Or the kids are acting unruly a lot more lately and the parents start making changes and requests on the children. Political events drive people to think revolution thoughts all the time. I loved the conflict the main character, Miri, found herself in and how she handled things. It's sad how the evil thoughts can overwhelm sometimes and we truly believe that violence is the only way things will change for the better. Even though it's a made-up world I learned more about it this time and I really enjoyed that. There's action and romance and some humor and it's a good ol' Country Mouse, City Mouse kind of a story. Just because you're a country bumpkin doesn't mean you can't think like a scholar! A great read and I can't wait until my daughter reads this so we can talk about it together!

Edenbrooke

There has been a lot of hype with this book, and with good reason! This book is fabulous! I love this kind of book anyway but it definitely was a book that captivated me and made me wish I was the main character. It's set in the Regency or Victorian Era in England so you know right there it's going to be a good book. I love that Era. It's a romance novel that also has some humor in it. This is one of those books where you just want to shake the main character and say "you're in love with him! Why can't you see that!!!" Marianne and Philip are the main characters. Don't you just love that name? I think it has a sophisticated ring to it. Marianne's grandmother promises to make her the heir if she can prove herself to be a lady. The problem is that Marianne is the sort of girl who loves the outdoors, wants to learn fencing and enjoys a good twirl every now and then. Philip is meant to be Marianne's guardian while she is on a little vacation and struggles with falling in love with her but can't because that's inappropriate. Marianne doesn't know he has taken on the role of her guardian and knows that her twin sister is actually hoping to ensnare Philip-but not for the right reasons. It has intrigue, love, humor and a little bit of action in it-all the ingredients to make the perfect book. Read it! I know you won't be disappointed!!

The Silence of God

This is an LDS, Historical Fiction book that is about the very first Mormon saints in Russia. The characters and main story are true but mingled with fiction. It's during the time in Russia of Lenin and socialism and communism and the overthrow of the Tsars.
It's very interesting but it did not hold my attention. Plus, socialism and communism make me mad. I also didn't like that the people of Russia tried to get God out of their country...which obviously didn't work. Reading books like this remind how very grateful I am to live in a free country where I am free to worship as I may and believe in God. Even though there are those people who are trying to squeeze God out of this country I think they will see-as the Russians and everyone else who tries to do that-that He will not be mocked and that it is simply impossible to get rid of your Creator!
Anyway, the story is fascinating, but just kind of a slow moving book. I didn't really fall in love with any of the characters and while I enjoyed reading the actual facts that happened, it wasn't captivating enough to hold my attention. Perhaps I am just not in the right mood for this book. Sorry!

Possession

Ok, yet another Dystopian book! I really need to check out the genres before I read a recommended book or a book for book club! This book is written by Elana Johnson and I have to say that I enjoyed it but still had a hard time with it. When I read the first chapter I got really mad because it is another Uglies/Hunger Games/Maze Runner book-people controlling other people. However, that being said, I always try to give a book 100 pages unless the language is too bad. So I gave it 100 pages and I was hooked! It's very suspenseful and has action and is a thinking book. I don't know if this is what the author had intended but for me it made me think about what the world would have been like if Satan's plan had been accepted instead of the Lord's plan. So basically we would have to do everything that Satan said so that we couldn't make any wrong choices instead of having our free agency to make our own choices. I totally fell in love with all of the characters and I especially liked the main character, Vi. I had a little bit of a hard time with the swearing in it because again-it's teenagers saying those words. That's like nails on a chalkboard for me. Even though I say them I'm an adult. I probably disliked it because I'm a mom.

Anyway, one thing I absolutely loved....NO VIOLENCE!!!! Finally, a Dystopian book that doesn't involve everybody trying to kill each other as a solution to the world's problems! What I didn't like...the ending. But let me explain. I was told that this was the only book and that it wasn't a series. So when I got to the ending I thought LAME!!!!! Once again we have a book that totally has this climactic build to a really stupid ending. HOWEVER, upon further research I found out that the author had announced on her blog a THIRD book which means that there is a SECOND book which then changed my opinion of the ending from LAME to GOTTA FIND OUT WHAT HAPPENS NEXT!!! Once I got hooked I couldn't put the book down. It's a total page turner and very well written. It's kind of futuristic because it has a lot of technology in it. But you basically have the "Goodies" and the "Baddies." The Goodies follow all the rules. They have to wear long sleeve shirts to their wrists and pants and large hats so that the sun never touches their skin. They aren't allowed to walk with the opposite sex, talk to them or touch them until the age of sixteen. Even parents aren't allowed to touch their children in anyway-not even hold their hand. They have to listen to things called "Transmissions" which essentially is brainwashing. If you are caught walking with a boy then your transmission would be about how evil and bad and dangerous that is and the things you have to do to be good. You can get arrested for doing things like that. The Baddies live in a total different area-banished basically-and they are the people who choose what they wear and live "freely". They don't have the level of technology that the Goodies do. One example of the Goodies thinking vs. the Baddies thinking is mail. Vi (raised as a Goodie) is just appalled when her friend Jag(raised as a Baddie) tells her that mail is like the Goodies e-comms only written on paper. Vi in her mind thinks that this is bad because of all the trees that are cut down and the damage that does. E-comms are basically texts.

So, like I said it gets you thinking. The story is about Vi who thinks that some of the rules are just stupid and is labeled as a rule breaker. After 8 offenses (the last one being that she was walking in a park, after dark, with a boy while holding hands) she is sent to prison where she meets Jag who is Baddie who was caught bringing illegal tech into the Goodlands. The story is about their adventure that these two completely different lives brings. It has so many twists and turns and like I said the ending is lame-until you realize there is more to the story and you want to run right out and get the second book! I think you will enjoy it. If you like books like "The Uglies" and "Hunger Games" you will like this...except there's no violence-yay for me! Boo for you others who enjoy that sort of thing! ;)

Maze Runner

I know that I am sensitive to things but I really just can't continue on with this series. I totally got sucked into this book. It's such a page turner! I couldn't put it down and I read clear until like 4 in the morning to finish it and then I was so disappointed with the ending. I read the first two chapters of the next book because they were included in my book and I just got even more upset and decided I couldn't read the next one. It's about a group of boys who get dropped off into some unknown place and the only way out is a maze. Their memories have been erased and each month they get food and supplies and a "new boy." Everything is perfect and simulated. It kind of reminded me of "The Truman Show." You don't really know what's real and what isn't. There are some evil machines that will kill you if you are stuck out in the maze at night-called Grievers. What I liked about this book is that the boys built a community for themselves. Each boy had a specific job and role and they grew their own veggies and butchered their own livestock and so on and so forth. They had the "maze runners" who went out everyday trying to find a way through the maze. Well, the last two people to get put into the maze are kind of "special." One is a boy and the last...is a girl...the only one...who comes with a message. Basically it means that you have to figure out the maze or perish forever. Very adventurous and suspensfull and I found myself trying to figure out the maze along with them.

So the things I didn't like-it has a lot of violence and these are teenage boys. What is it with teenagers and violence in books?? The way that they figure out how to get out of the maze is totally dumb...all this hype and suspense and climatic things happen and then...really? That's how they get out and destroy the maze? Lame! Then you get to the very ending where you find out basically why they were put in the maze. Apparently the sun is too close to the earth and it's burning everything up and causing all kinds of diseases and destroying the world. These boys are the smartest, strongest, bravest-basically the best of the best. They are put into situations to see how they will figure things out and react and respond. The ones left standing will be considered the ones who will know how to solve this major problem with the world. So at the very end these adults who are controlling the environment for these teenage kids decide to have one of their own turn on them and kill a few of them so they can see what the reactions will be. I just don't get it. Then the kids get rescued but that's all a setup as well and all the rescuers get killed in the next book.

I DO NOT like having teenagers be the entertainment for the adults and that this entertainment is pure torture for the kids. I disliked it almost as much as I disliked Hunger Games for the same reason-too much violence involving teenagers who mostly don't want to be put in these situations.

My friend explained to me that this particular Genre is called "Dystopian" which is basically the opposite of "Utopian." Ok, so that makes total sense. Utopia is a perfect world where everything is total bliss. The opposite would be the world in total chaos. The worst case scenario of what could happen. I guess I don't like to think about that. I know the world isn't perfect but I hate to think that other people think the worst that can happen is that adults throw their own children into torture and watch them kill each other for fun. Maybe it's because I'm a mom and I'll have teenagers soon but really? Parents these days wouldn't want MORE for their children? They wouldn't fight to protect them? Even if it was a worse case scenario I don't think that I could let this happen. Maybe I'm thinking too much and reading between the lines too much. But I like to read for entertainment and to "get away" to new places and adventures...this book did not do that for me. I have no intentions of finishing the series especially because I talked with others who did like it and read them all and they told me it doesn't get any "better" as far as the violence is concerned and I will not let my children read this book!! So disappointed James Dashner. I expected greater things from you!

39 Clues

I haven't read them all yet but I am totally hooked on these! Yes I know these are for Juvenile readers but you learn so much in them! I started reading them because I thought my daughter might be interested in them but I wanted to know what they were about. Now I'm addicted and I love them!! I'm thinking about getting a map and then doing that push pin with yarn thing while we read the books so we can follow all the places around the world they go. Great read for boys and girls. Filled with action and suspense and they learn things to without even knowing it! I also like that each book is written by a different author. So it's kind of like that game you used to play when someone would start telling a story and then leave it in a cliff hanger spot and the next person would pick up from there and so on and so forth. Don't know if this is what they had in mind but I love the idea! Rick Riordan is one of the authors and I love all of his stuff anyway. If you haven't read them go get them...but be prepared to be sucked into the treasure hunt!

Righteous Warriors-The War Chapters

I love John Bytheway! He is so funny and I love that he writes specifically to teenagers because then I can understand it too. :) But I enjoyed him as a teenager too.

For Book Club this month we read one of his books about the war chapters in the Book of Mormon. I read this book several years ago and before I read this book I usually fell asleep during the "war chapters" or didn't really pay any attention to them. Now they are some of my favorite chapters. It is so interesting to me to see all the military tactics that are used but also see where the Lord helped his Righteous Warriors. And I love Capt. Moroni and Helaman as it is but to learn more about them and their character just increases that love.

I appreciated how he wrote this book. He talks about certain verses and discusses them. Often times he gives bullet points such as "Observation" or "Major Lesson" and it helps to break things down. Then at the end of the chapter he lists the lessons that are learned in the chapters he discussed. If you need a quick reference that is very helpful.

My other favorite books of his are the "What I learned in High School" books. He wrote two of them and they are awesome! I've used them in lessons before because he has great quotes in there from other prophets and also great insight on things. He also has great talks on CD that I recommend. I think one is called "What are you Carrying in your Backpack?" and if I remember correctly this one talks about the Book of Mormon but more specifically about Jacob. If that's not the right one, oh well, whatever the one about Jacob is it's a great one! I love all of his stuff. I don't think I've read one or listened to one that wasn't good. He has a great talk specifically for mothers and the women of the church that I also enjoy.

If you haven't read or listened to any of John Bytheway's things then you are missing out! Go check him out (not literally-he's married!)

Gravity vs. The Girl

Gravity vs. The Girl by Riley Noehren was a pretty good book. I don't know why, but every time I read this book Gravity won...I would fall asleep or lose all of my energy! It wasn't a boring book by any means. I actually really liked it and I felt like I was really getting into it...but I fell asleep every time. I wasn't always laying down when I was reading it either. I don't know, quite the mystery.

Anyway, despite that it made my gravity increase, this book was very interesting. It's about a young woman who has a midlife crisis, essentially, when she turns 30. She's a big shot lawyer who, when the books begins, has been in her bed and in her pajamas for about a year eating mostly jell-o cups. She is then "haunted" by 4 ghosts of her past self: 6 year old, attorney, law student and high school. It's about her journey out of bed and out of her pajamas and how she deals with things to make the ghosts go away.

For me, this was a great perspective on life. Sometimes we think we've dealt with things but we find that those incidents creep up on us at some point in our lives and now that we're in a different place we can try to finally resolve them. This book was a little depressing to me because it was a little true to life for me. Not the attorney part or the ghost part, but the spending your life in bed and in pajamas part. I'm sad to admit it but the past nine months I have found myself just in a complete rut with absolutely no energy or motivation to do anything. I pull myself out of bed to take care of the necessary things for my children...but then I crawl right back in when I'm no longer needed. My house is atrocious, I only shower when it is absolutely necessary and because I'm too lazy to wash my make-up off when I actually do put it on I'm breaking out worse than I ever did in high school. So this book was kind of a wake-up call on just how pathetic I let myself become.

It has a great ending and I was really pleased with how the author wrapped things up. I hope my life has a happy ending as well. I haven't had any ghosts come to help me yet...if things get that bed I'll probably just think I'm dead!

Supernatural

I am totally loving these books! Kirsten White has such a great perspective on the whole supernatural thing and it is so refreshing. I love the main characters and the challenges they are faced with. Because they are "real life" issues mingles with that paranormal twist. Even though I don't put much stock into paranormal beliefs, this comes across as "believable" to me. If these things truly did exist I could totally see these trials and things coming to pass. It's just so funny and refreshingly clean that it's such a great recommendation for any age. I would even let my nine year old read it. It's a little beyond her comprehension but I don't have to worry about language, or details, or romance passages getting out of hand. I love this book and can't wait for the third one to come out!

Son of Neptune

This is the second book in Rick Riordan's series "The Heroes of Olympus" series. It had been quite awhile since I had read the first book and so I didn't remember what happened but that was ok. The characters in this book are very likeable and good ol' Percy Jackson is back. It picks up with Percy having amnesia of sorts. He has some fuzzy memories of a past life but can't seem to put them all together. Weird monsters are after him and he's not quite sure why. He finds himself at the Roman camp and learning about the Gods whom he calls by their Greek names. The Romans are a little skeptical of him because they can tell he's Greek and they don't get along with the Greeks very well. The war between the Gods is continuing and Percy and two of his new friends have to go on an impossible quest and make it back before the clock strikes midnight when all hell breaks loose and the world as we know it will be destroyed! Such great reading. I love the way Rick Riordan writes and the mythology that you learn along the way. It ended with such a great twist that I'm mad I have to wait until the fall for the third one to come out!! I very much liked this book!

Midnight at Austenland

Well Shannon Hale has done it again! I absolutely LOVED this book! It has everything in it: humor, murder, intrigue, romance, adventure, and just a hint of actual real life problems. I loved the characters in this book and even though I figured out the mystery it was still so much fun to read and follow. Once again we go to Austenland to escape life's drama and get into some "let's just pretend that we're in one of Jane Austen's books" drama. The chivalry, the culture, the fancy dresses. One thing I liked about this book is that the main characters all had a hard time sticking to their "script" and more of the life behind the actors came out. This heroine was just as hilarious and fantastic as the heroine in the original Austenland. And while I didn't identify with her as much as I had the last character, I still found a soft spot for her in my heart and just cheered her on the entire book. My favorite part that made my husband and I laugh out loud for three solid minutes and then continually chuckle to ourselves for weeks on end was the "...long note from the buttocks bassoon..." You'll have to read the book if you want to find out what it means. Who doesn't love a good Shannon Hale book anyway! Read it. I promise you won't be disappointed!

Lemon Tart- A Culinary Mystery

I read the first book in a culinary mystery series called Lemon Tart. It was very well written and I enjoyed it. I cannot think of who the author is at the moment...wait...it's Josi S. Kilpack. The main character is kind of a Ms. Marple kind of person: she's a widow who likes to look out her window and watch everyone and everything and has it all timed down to the exact minute. I admit that for me, this was a fairly easy book to figure out. There were a few twists and turns, but none that I didn't already see coming. This is one reason why I don't read a lot of mysteries-they are just to easy to figure out. I like Agatha Christie's because I can never figure them out.

Well, in this particular story the murder victim is a young single mom that the main character befriends. She teaches her how to make a lemon tart because her last name is Lemmon. The main character tries to solve the case (against the wishes of the authorities) and happens to unravel a family secret in the process.

It's very well written and it has a good plot and story line. Plus there is an added bonus-the author puts in the recipes of all the food mentioned in the book. I told the ladies at book club that whoever hosts the month we read this has to make all the recipes in the book. They range from not only the infamous lemon tart but anything from homemade alfredo sauce to carrot cookies. I read the first chapter of the next book in line: English Trifle and it was very intriguing. I have to say that one thing Mrs. Kilpack does is get straight to the point. The murder has happened within the first chapter. At first I didn't like that because there was no set-up and as I looked at the thickness of the book I cringed at all the "wild goose-chasing" that had to happen in order for this mystery to be solved and we were only through the first chapter! I noticed that the next book starts out the same-murder happens in the first chapter. Well, I guess I'll have to read it and see what happens. Besides, I absolutely LOVE English Trifle!

If you want to read a mystery that is not scary and won't make you jump at every creak the house makes (and get a few good recipes while you're at it) give Josi S. Kilpack's culinary mysteries a try!

Author Lynn Austen

I have another author that I really like. Her name is Lynn Austen. She's a Christian writer and has won some awards for her books. The first book of hers that I read was a part of a trilogy from the Civil War. It's called a Candle in the Darkness. It's about the war between the North and South and this particular book is from the perspective of a Southern Girl. This was very interesting to me because she doesn't quite understand what's going on and when she becomes old enough to understand she is torn. Does she stand up for what she believes in and become a traitor or go with what the "South" believes? I guess I just naively thought that all Southerners believed in slavery. I liked that it showed the conflict of not only standing up for what you believe but also standing up to your own "kind." Like a sheep surrounded by a pack of wolves. The other two books in this trilogy are from the perspectives of the North and the Slave's. I liked the Northern perspective as well, but not as much as the Southern. I don't know if it was because I read the other one first or what. I liked the character in the South better I think. I never did finish the Slave's perspective. It didn't move as well for me as the others did and I was reading several books at the time. I had to return it to the library before I could finish it. I am very passionate about the Civil War and the poor treatment of the slaves. It makes my blood boil!

Her other series is fantastic as well! I can't remember what it's called because I thought it was called the Gods and Kings Chronicles...but that's actually the title of the first book in the series. It is awesome and really strengthened my testimony and got me thinking a lot about things. Like I mentioned before she is a Christian writer. She doesn't quote from the KJV but from the NIV...which is like the Bible only written in "lay-man's" terms. The very first chapter in this book actually made my stomach turn and I almost just stopped reading it. It starts out with a human sacrifice...a human CHILD sacrifice. I can't stand things like this. I pushed myself further and told myself that if it was like this in the next chapter I would definitely not finish it. It got better...but still hard to read. It's about King Hezekiah and his life. It starts with his father King Ahaz who got his people back into idol worshiping and sacrificing. The series goes through his life and his challenges. Remember the famous Hezekiah Tunnel? I cross referenced this with the Bible Dictionary in the KJV and I remembered the Sunday School lesson we had on this story. I loved having it come to life! There are some hard things to swallow...the idol worshiping, the violence from the warring countries and the disrespect that the men of God have to suffer...but it's also a great story on what happens when you follow the Lord's teachings. I totally recommend this series to everyone! It will get you thinking about things and really strengthen your testimony!

I've read some of her other books that are not a part of a series and I have loved them all. Some of them start getting to be the same ideas and follow the same patterns as the others, but in the end I find myself closing the book and feeling like I want to be a better person. I cry, laugh, get angry and feel humbled after all of her books. She is a great writer and even though she quotes from the NIV she has a pretty strong foot planted in the soil of the gospel :). If I ever meet her I'm going to give her a Book of Mormon and say "Here, right a story about this!"

New Favorite Author

I have a new favorite author. Her name is Sarah M. Eden. I love her books so much that I finish them in one sitting! I even stayed up until 4:30 in the blessed a.m. to finish the book. Her books are written in the Victorian Era and are similar to Jane Austen's but much easier to understand. Her first book, Seeking Persephone, has a Beauty and the Beast feel to it. The second book, Courting Miss Lancaster, is about a few of the characters in the first book. It was so light and fun to read and you just wanted to shake the girl and say, "look, look! There he is!!" The third book was actually the first of hers that I read for book club. {this was the book I stayed up all night to read!} It's called The Kiss of a Stranger and it is just so interesting how things can turn out! Reading these books has made me want to live in that era when gentlemen were true and being a lady was glamorous. I tried to be more "lady like" and found that it's very difficult to do in this day and age. I still want to work on it though. Be more proper and have impeccable manners. I don't like the arranged marriage thing or the social classes but the values are great...and so are the clothes! I think it was the romancing that really got me though. Courting is so different in the day and age and so is marriage. I wish my husband would read these books so he would know how to treat me like a lady and behave like a gentleman :) I have yet to read her newest book Friends and Foes. I'm number 7 on the waiting list at the library but I hope to find another copy of it soon.

Anyway, give Sarah Eden a try. I promise you won't be disappointed!

**Update- I just finished reading Friends and Foes and like her other books I read it one night! This one is probably one of my favorites. It made me chuckle, made me cry, made me want to shake the two characters and slap them silly! I loved it!!**