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!)