Dairy Queen by Catherine Murdock
I loved this book.
Loved, LOVED this book!
DJ is just your typical farm girl in Wisconsin, except that she's really NOT typical - at 15, she is running her family farm and trying to stay afloat in school when suddenly Brian Nelson shows up on the farm, being made to help out for the summer in order to stay on the football team.
The duo begin a cautious friendship, and begin football training together, all while baling hay, writing English papers and trying to find their places in a football-crazy county.
This is just such a sweet, lovely YA novel - sarcastic, cute, endearing, and full of good vibes...work hard, train hard, love what you do, love who you love.
I've already checked out the follow-up, The Off Season, and I can't wait to read more about DJ, who already feels like a friend or a little sister. So, so recommended!
Note: I listened to the audio edition, narrated by Natalie Moore, who did an AMAZING job sounding like a sarcastic 15 year old, complete with the Wisconsin accent and just the right pace and voice. I think the narration made me love the story even more!
I loved this book.
Loved, LOVED this book!
DJ is just your typical farm girl in Wisconsin, except that she's really NOT typical - at 15, she is running her family farm and trying to stay afloat in school when suddenly Brian Nelson shows up on the farm, being made to help out for the summer in order to stay on the football team.
The duo begin a cautious friendship, and begin football training together, all while baling hay, writing English papers and trying to find their places in a football-crazy county.
This is just such a sweet, lovely YA novel - sarcastic, cute, endearing, and full of good vibes...work hard, train hard, love what you do, love who you love.
I've already checked out the follow-up, The Off Season, and I can't wait to read more about DJ, who already feels like a friend or a little sister. So, so recommended!
Note: I listened to the audio edition, narrated by Natalie Moore, who did an AMAZING job sounding like a sarcastic 15 year old, complete with the Wisconsin accent and just the right pace and voice. I think the narration made me love the story even more!
Labels: book review
Vampire Kisses by Ellen Schreiber
Our YA librarian threw this to me when we were talking about "other" vampire books to recommend following the Twilight series. This is an uber-fast read, which is good...
...because I thought it was kind of silly.
Yes, I like the idea of the rebel girl being the main protagonist, but c'mon - the deserted mansion? The boy who *may* be a vampire? The language seemed more juvenile than YA, and the story was just sort of...well, silly.
I'm glad it didn't take long to read, and it might be good for less advanced readers, but I wasn't really feeling it. It is a series, though, so maybe it gets better...maybe...
Our YA librarian threw this to me when we were talking about "other" vampire books to recommend following the Twilight series. This is an uber-fast read, which is good...
...because I thought it was kind of silly.
Yes, I like the idea of the rebel girl being the main protagonist, but c'mon - the deserted mansion? The boy who *may* be a vampire? The language seemed more juvenile than YA, and the story was just sort of...well, silly.
I'm glad it didn't take long to read, and it might be good for less advanced readers, but I wasn't really feeling it. It is a series, though, so maybe it gets better...maybe...
Labels: book review
Envy the Night by Michael Koryta
I am a big fan of Koryta's previous three novels, so I was eager to read his first stand-alone novel, this time taking place in the lake country of Wisconsin.
Frank Temple III is trying to live down the legacy of his father, but when he receives a call that his arch-enemy is on the way to his family's beloved camp on the lake, Frank hits the road. What follows is a fast-paced thriller with a car crash, a body shop owner who happens to be a girl, blood, guts, secrets, gunplay and a little time spent out on the water.
This is such a well-written book, and makes you feel tense throughout as it slow burns to the very end, just waiting for the inevitable...
Koryta is a great writer, and a great storyteller. Stumped for a good suspense novel? Give him a try!
(Plus, is a Hoosier and is only, I think, 26 years old!)
I am a big fan of Koryta's previous three novels, so I was eager to read his first stand-alone novel, this time taking place in the lake country of Wisconsin.
Frank Temple III is trying to live down the legacy of his father, but when he receives a call that his arch-enemy is on the way to his family's beloved camp on the lake, Frank hits the road. What follows is a fast-paced thriller with a car crash, a body shop owner who happens to be a girl, blood, guts, secrets, gunplay and a little time spent out on the water.
This is such a well-written book, and makes you feel tense throughout as it slow burns to the very end, just waiting for the inevitable...
Koryta is a great writer, and a great storyteller. Stumped for a good suspense novel? Give him a try!
(Plus, is a Hoosier and is only, I think, 26 years old!)
Labels: book review
Gentlemen and Players by Joanne Harris
You know, I was initially a little skeptical about this book. I mean, I love Joanne Harris' Chocolat, and I've read her other work, but this one sounded a bit...different. I mean, mayhem and grudges at a stuffy British boys school? Really?
And yet, I got totally sucked into this novel, and couldn't wait to find out what would happen next - what a lovely surprise!
Told is alternating voices, this is the story of St. Oswald's - first from the point of view of eccentric Classics teacher Roy Straitley, and then from the point of view of Snyde, a student from a different school who slowly infiltrates the world of St. Oswald's...with disastrous results. This is a wonderfully told story of the "haves" and the "have nots".
This is a beautifully written, really entrancing novel with such great characterization - I so looked forward to every word uttered by Straitley, and couldn't figure out WHAT the twist was going to be, and boy, was there a twist! This is just great storytelling...
This is a fantastic read - highly recommended!
(By the way, I had to find out the origin of the title - it's based on English first-class cricket from before World War II, when those who paid without pay were "gentlemen" and those with pay were "players". What an apropos title.)
I listened to the audio edition, narrated by Steven Pacey. Pacey had several characters to differentiate, and did a superb job with different voices and pacing. A really enjoyable listen!
You know, I was initially a little skeptical about this book. I mean, I love Joanne Harris' Chocolat, and I've read her other work, but this one sounded a bit...different. I mean, mayhem and grudges at a stuffy British boys school? Really?
And yet, I got totally sucked into this novel, and couldn't wait to find out what would happen next - what a lovely surprise!
Told is alternating voices, this is the story of St. Oswald's - first from the point of view of eccentric Classics teacher Roy Straitley, and then from the point of view of Snyde, a student from a different school who slowly infiltrates the world of St. Oswald's...with disastrous results. This is a wonderfully told story of the "haves" and the "have nots".
This is a beautifully written, really entrancing novel with such great characterization - I so looked forward to every word uttered by Straitley, and couldn't figure out WHAT the twist was going to be, and boy, was there a twist! This is just great storytelling...
This is a fantastic read - highly recommended!
(By the way, I had to find out the origin of the title - it's based on English first-class cricket from before World War II, when those who paid without pay were "gentlemen" and those with pay were "players". What an apropos title.)
I listened to the audio edition, narrated by Steven Pacey. Pacey had several characters to differentiate, and did a superb job with different voices and pacing. A really enjoyable listen!
Labels: book review
Confessions of a Contractor by Richard Murphy
Okay, so I just bought my very first house a couple of months ago, I dig on HGTV, and I love dishy novels - so when I was offered up a copy of this new novel (another fabu cover!), I jumped at the chance to snag a review copy.
Henry Sullivan is a contractor in LA - the land of beautiful people, big mansions, more money than sense and never ending sunshine. This novel swirls all that together into one dishy read - ranging from Henry's dalliances with the women who hire him to *ahem* do a little construction, to his struggles with his crew, to his conflicted feelings on another homeowner and strangely, her cat.
Murphy writes in an easy first person style, and "Henry" will stop the story to talk about home renovation, the rules and regs, and all the stuff they DON'T show you on HGTV, which works surprisingly well for the reader, even if it does forestall the story a bit (which, oddly, I didn't mind). Of course, now I'm a little afraid of my jacuzzi tub...
I found the ending of this novel a bit conflicting for me, but overall, it was a read that promised what I thought: fast, dishy, fun!
Okay, so I just bought my very first house a couple of months ago, I dig on HGTV, and I love dishy novels - so when I was offered up a copy of this new novel (another fabu cover!), I jumped at the chance to snag a review copy.
Henry Sullivan is a contractor in LA - the land of beautiful people, big mansions, more money than sense and never ending sunshine. This novel swirls all that together into one dishy read - ranging from Henry's dalliances with the women who hire him to *ahem* do a little construction, to his struggles with his crew, to his conflicted feelings on another homeowner and strangely, her cat.
Murphy writes in an easy first person style, and "Henry" will stop the story to talk about home renovation, the rules and regs, and all the stuff they DON'T show you on HGTV, which works surprisingly well for the reader, even if it does forestall the story a bit (which, oddly, I didn't mind). Of course, now I'm a little afraid of my jacuzzi tub...
I found the ending of this novel a bit conflicting for me, but overall, it was a read that promised what I thought: fast, dishy, fun!
Labels: book review
Allie Finkle's Rules for Girls: Moving Day by Meg Cabot
I've been wanting to read this juvenile fiction title for a while (hello, Meg Cabot!), but it's always checked out - which is actually a great thing. In any case, I managed to snag a copy and give it aread - as an adult, it didn't take long to read, but I still enjoyed it!
Despite the audience, this novel still has Cabot's trademark wit and writing style, where you can really hear Allie's voice in your head, talking to you. Allie has just found out her family is moving, which means a new house, a new school...and new friends.
This is just a sweet, fun series, and I'm ready to read #2, which I already have (thanks to Meg herself!).
Fun!
I've been wanting to read this juvenile fiction title for a while (hello, Meg Cabot!), but it's always checked out - which is actually a great thing. In any case, I managed to snag a copy and give it aread - as an adult, it didn't take long to read, but I still enjoyed it!
Despite the audience, this novel still has Cabot's trademark wit and writing style, where you can really hear Allie's voice in your head, talking to you. Allie has just found out her family is moving, which means a new house, a new school...and new friends.
This is just a sweet, fun series, and I'm ready to read #2, which I already have (thanks to Meg herself!).
Fun!
Labels: book review
Private Wars by Greg Rucka
The best way to get me NOT to do something, is to insist I do something over and over and over again.
Mark, over at Crucial Taunt, learned this the hard way.
He has insisted for many moons that I read a Rucka novel, and I've just not gotten around to doing it!
I picked up a "Queen and Country" novel, featuring Tara Chace, a female James Bond in the British secret service and decided to give it a go.
The bulk of this novel actually takes place in Uzbekistan, where Tara is charged with smuggling out the son and grandson of the President, before the President's daughter can assassinate her brother and assume control of the country. There's a lot more to it, but that's the main thrust of the novel.
I found this really, really difficult to read, actually. Rucka makes PROLIFIC use of abbreviations, and I found my flow was interrupted at least once or twice a page when I had to stop and look up the glossary to see what the hell he was saying. Chace began as an intriguing character, but by the end, I just didn't really care about her or her charge - one of the secondary characters held the most sway for me, and even then...
I'm a big action-y, James Bond, Navy SEAL story fan kind of girl, but this one was like...homework. And it just didn't get a good grade from me.
Sorry, Mark...
The best way to get me NOT to do something, is to insist I do something over and over and over again.
Mark, over at Crucial Taunt, learned this the hard way.
He has insisted for many moons that I read a Rucka novel, and I've just not gotten around to doing it!
I picked up a "Queen and Country" novel, featuring Tara Chace, a female James Bond in the British secret service and decided to give it a go.
The bulk of this novel actually takes place in Uzbekistan, where Tara is charged with smuggling out the son and grandson of the President, before the President's daughter can assassinate her brother and assume control of the country. There's a lot more to it, but that's the main thrust of the novel.
I found this really, really difficult to read, actually. Rucka makes PROLIFIC use of abbreviations, and I found my flow was interrupted at least once or twice a page when I had to stop and look up the glossary to see what the hell he was saying. Chace began as an intriguing character, but by the end, I just didn't really care about her or her charge - one of the secondary characters held the most sway for me, and even then...
I'm a big action-y, James Bond, Navy SEAL story fan kind of girl, but this one was like...homework. And it just didn't get a good grade from me.
Sorry, Mark...
Labels: book review
