Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds
I have heard a lot of good things about this book, so when I saw it made the list, I knew it was one I would have to read. Good choice. It's told in verse, so it is a quick read, even though there are 306 pages. (Hello? I just started it this morning while my students took midterms!)
This is told by Will. His brother was shot and killed the night before, and according to "the rules," Will has to avenge his brother's death. He finds his brother's gun, and gets on the elevator to take care of business. Seven floors he has to go down. A minute's time, and this is what Will sees and hears. Each floor, someone he knows gets on the elevator with him. People who have died. Each one to help him see what he has to do.
With each person, Will seems to get a bit more confused as to what he has to do. Doubt has been introduced-- is it really the person he thinks killed his brother? What if he misses? He sees all these dead folks, is Will himself alive or dead?
So, take this journey and decide for yourself.
Thursday, December 20, 2018
TAYSHAS 2019 #2
Losers Bracket by Chris Crutcher
It's that time of year again. The TAYSHAS list was released last week, so in my effort to read at least fifteen, I got started. If they hadn't changed the way they did the nomination list this year, I likely would've gotten started earlier, but they did so I didn't.
I opted to start with this one because I discovered I really like Chris Crutcher. Usually, it seems, he writes books that appeal more to teenaged boys, which is awesome, but this time, he wrote about a girl. Crutcher also tackles social issues, and at the crux of this book, there is a social issue. On top of all that, it was just a really good read, which is what I have come to expect from this author.
It is the summer before her senior year, and Annie is in a basketball tournament with her friends. She purposely loses, at first, because it means that she will have more opportunities to play. She loves basketball, so you may not be surprised that she wants to play as much as she can, but the real reason she starts in the losers bracket is because it gives her biological family more opportunities to see her play. She was placed in foster care at a young age, and doesn't get to see her "real" family terribly often because her foster father has more or less forbidden it.
Annie's family is a mess. Her biological family, as well as her foster family, but for different reasons. Her foster father is a narcissist, so everything has to be his way or the highway. He threatens to "give her back" of she doesn't follow his rules to not see her biological family. Her biological family is messed up because her parents and older sister are into drugs and other unsavory activities.
Annie's older sister, Sheila, has a son, Frankie, who goes missing at one of Annie's swim meets, and Annie feels like it is up to her to find Frankie and make sure he is ok. A large chunk of the book is devoted to this.
What is important about this book, I think, is that it gives a glimpse of the foster care system. Maybe the more people who read this, the better the system can become.
It's that time of year again. The TAYSHAS list was released last week, so in my effort to read at least fifteen, I got started. If they hadn't changed the way they did the nomination list this year, I likely would've gotten started earlier, but they did so I didn't.
I opted to start with this one because I discovered I really like Chris Crutcher. Usually, it seems, he writes books that appeal more to teenaged boys, which is awesome, but this time, he wrote about a girl. Crutcher also tackles social issues, and at the crux of this book, there is a social issue. On top of all that, it was just a really good read, which is what I have come to expect from this author.
It is the summer before her senior year, and Annie is in a basketball tournament with her friends. She purposely loses, at first, because it means that she will have more opportunities to play. She loves basketball, so you may not be surprised that she wants to play as much as she can, but the real reason she starts in the losers bracket is because it gives her biological family more opportunities to see her play. She was placed in foster care at a young age, and doesn't get to see her "real" family terribly often because her foster father has more or less forbidden it.
Annie's family is a mess. Her biological family, as well as her foster family, but for different reasons. Her foster father is a narcissist, so everything has to be his way or the highway. He threatens to "give her back" of she doesn't follow his rules to not see her biological family. Her biological family is messed up because her parents and older sister are into drugs and other unsavory activities.
Annie's older sister, Sheila, has a son, Frankie, who goes missing at one of Annie's swim meets, and Annie feels like it is up to her to find Frankie and make sure he is ok. A large chunk of the book is devoted to this.
What is important about this book, I think, is that it gives a glimpse of the foster care system. Maybe the more people who read this, the better the system can become.
Sunday, December 9, 2018
P&P With a Twist
Pride and Prejudice and Mistletoe by Melissa de la Cruz
It's no secret that I am a fan of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. I will read anything I can that is even remotely related, so when I saw this at Target, I bought it. The downside to always reading these iterations of the same story, is you never know when one is going to be original. This one wasn't terribly original. The biggest difference is that Darcy is female and Elizabeth Bennett becomes Luke Bennett. Whoa.
This is also set in modern times, split between "Pemberley," Ohio and New York City.
Don't get me wrong, this was a cute story, but when all you're doing is telling Austen's story in the modern time, it doesn't really hold my interest. Add something different; it's ok as you aren't canon anyway. Perhaps it's time for people to stop ripping off the classics to make a buck?
Oh, and this is a Hallmark Channel movie, so you know the cheese factor is high.
It's no secret that I am a fan of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. I will read anything I can that is even remotely related, so when I saw this at Target, I bought it. The downside to always reading these iterations of the same story, is you never know when one is going to be original. This one wasn't terribly original. The biggest difference is that Darcy is female and Elizabeth Bennett becomes Luke Bennett. Whoa.
This is also set in modern times, split between "Pemberley," Ohio and New York City.
Don't get me wrong, this was a cute story, but when all you're doing is telling Austen's story in the modern time, it doesn't really hold my interest. Add something different; it's ok as you aren't canon anyway. Perhaps it's time for people to stop ripping off the classics to make a buck?
Oh, and this is a Hallmark Channel movie, so you know the cheese factor is high.
Monday, November 26, 2018
Thought I Might Find a Familiar Location
Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward
Reason I bought this #1: It takes place in Mississippi, where my mom's family is from. Parchman is specifically mentioned in the blurb on the back, and I have visited Parchman farm a time or two, as I have family who worked there (and lived on the grounds).
Reason I bought this #2: They had some books 2 for $30 at the Montreal airport, and I am a sucker for books.
The back of this book sounded good--part ghost story, part road novel--and it was good, it just took a little bit for me to get into. Still wasn't a book I couldn't put down, though.
This is told from three perspectives: Jojo, Leonie, and Richie. Jojo is a thirteen-year-old boy. He has a three-year-old sister named Kayla, and his parents are sucky. They live with his grandparents, Pop and Mam, near the coast in Mississippi. Jojo loves his grandparents and his baby sister, but not so much his parents. His mother has made it apparent that his white father who is in the penitentiary for drugs is more important than he and his sister ever will be.
Leonie is Jojo's mother, but she's one of those women who should never be a mother. She doesn't really care about her kids. It kills her that her daughter loves Jojo more than she loves Leonie, but that is the bed she has made for herself. She takes her children and her dope fiend friend, Misty, on a road trip to Parchman farm when her boyfriend is released from prison. She even lets her young son be handcuffed and have a gun pointed at his head when they are pulled over. What kind of crappy mother does that?
Richie is the spirit of a friend of Pop's from his days when he was incarcerated at Parchman. Not everyone can see Richie, but Jojo and probably Kayla can. Richie needs Pop to tell his Parchman story to the end so that his spirit can move on.
It's not terribly hard to follow, and, obviously, there's more going on, but once you get into this, you do want to see how things turn out.
Reason I bought this #1: It takes place in Mississippi, where my mom's family is from. Parchman is specifically mentioned in the blurb on the back, and I have visited Parchman farm a time or two, as I have family who worked there (and lived on the grounds).
Reason I bought this #2: They had some books 2 for $30 at the Montreal airport, and I am a sucker for books.
The back of this book sounded good--part ghost story, part road novel--and it was good, it just took a little bit for me to get into. Still wasn't a book I couldn't put down, though.
This is told from three perspectives: Jojo, Leonie, and Richie. Jojo is a thirteen-year-old boy. He has a three-year-old sister named Kayla, and his parents are sucky. They live with his grandparents, Pop and Mam, near the coast in Mississippi. Jojo loves his grandparents and his baby sister, but not so much his parents. His mother has made it apparent that his white father who is in the penitentiary for drugs is more important than he and his sister ever will be.
Leonie is Jojo's mother, but she's one of those women who should never be a mother. She doesn't really care about her kids. It kills her that her daughter loves Jojo more than she loves Leonie, but that is the bed she has made for herself. She takes her children and her dope fiend friend, Misty, on a road trip to Parchman farm when her boyfriend is released from prison. She even lets her young son be handcuffed and have a gun pointed at his head when they are pulled over. What kind of crappy mother does that?
Richie is the spirit of a friend of Pop's from his days when he was incarcerated at Parchman. Not everyone can see Richie, but Jojo and probably Kayla can. Richie needs Pop to tell his Parchman story to the end so that his spirit can move on.
It's not terribly hard to follow, and, obviously, there's more going on, but once you get into this, you do want to see how things turn out.
Monday, November 19, 2018
Injustice Still Lives...Unfortunately
Dear Martin by Nic Stone
Books like this are hard for me to talk about. Why? Because I am a middle class, white woman, and this book is about a young, black man who comes from poverty. There's no way I can relate to his struggles, and if I express any empathy at all, there are those who will say it's because of "white guilt." I would like to say that they are wrong, but I don't know that they are. Why shouldn't I feel "white guilt"? I know where I come from, and it's not pretty. I have family who are most definitely racists. My own grandfather used to tell people that he was the Grand Dragon of the KKK in Mississippi, as though that is something to be proud of. It's not. My parents tried really hard to raise my brothers and me to not be racists. I'd like to believe that they did a good job.
I loved this book. It made me think. It makes me want to try even harder to make this world a better place.
Justyce is a senior in high school. He's on an academic scholarship at a fancy prep school. At the beginning of the book, he is arrested for being black. Honestly, that's what it boils down to. He was trying to keep his (ex)girlfriend from driving drunk, and when the police rolled up, they thought he was trying to rob her (or worse). They only thought these things because he was black, and they wouldn't listen to anything he had to say.
Later, we see Justyce's schoolmates are racists, although they don't see it themselves. They seem to think that just because they are friends with black men, that means they aren't racist. They don't hear the things that come out of their mouths, and when they are called on it, they don't understand how it's considered racist. These comments lead to Justyce and his best friend, Manny, going for a drive one day instead of going hiking with friends. On this drive, they are listening to music, and the driver in the car next to them says it is too loud. This driver ends up shooting Justyce and Manny. Manny dies, and Justyce is critically injured. Oh, and the shooter is an off-duty cop.
Unlike most of the similar cases in the news at the time this story takes place, the cop in this instance is indicted, so Justyce has to go to trial. He has to relive that horrible day, all while doubt is being cast simply because he is black.
This book is powerful. It's relevant. It needs to be read--by everyone.
Books like this are hard for me to talk about. Why? Because I am a middle class, white woman, and this book is about a young, black man who comes from poverty. There's no way I can relate to his struggles, and if I express any empathy at all, there are those who will say it's because of "white guilt." I would like to say that they are wrong, but I don't know that they are. Why shouldn't I feel "white guilt"? I know where I come from, and it's not pretty. I have family who are most definitely racists. My own grandfather used to tell people that he was the Grand Dragon of the KKK in Mississippi, as though that is something to be proud of. It's not. My parents tried really hard to raise my brothers and me to not be racists. I'd like to believe that they did a good job.
I loved this book. It made me think. It makes me want to try even harder to make this world a better place.
Justyce is a senior in high school. He's on an academic scholarship at a fancy prep school. At the beginning of the book, he is arrested for being black. Honestly, that's what it boils down to. He was trying to keep his (ex)girlfriend from driving drunk, and when the police rolled up, they thought he was trying to rob her (or worse). They only thought these things because he was black, and they wouldn't listen to anything he had to say.
Later, we see Justyce's schoolmates are racists, although they don't see it themselves. They seem to think that just because they are friends with black men, that means they aren't racist. They don't hear the things that come out of their mouths, and when they are called on it, they don't understand how it's considered racist. These comments lead to Justyce and his best friend, Manny, going for a drive one day instead of going hiking with friends. On this drive, they are listening to music, and the driver in the car next to them says it is too loud. This driver ends up shooting Justyce and Manny. Manny dies, and Justyce is critically injured. Oh, and the shooter is an off-duty cop.
Unlike most of the similar cases in the news at the time this story takes place, the cop in this instance is indicted, so Justyce has to go to trial. He has to relive that horrible day, all while doubt is being cast simply because he is black.
This book is powerful. It's relevant. It needs to be read--by everyone.
Saturday, November 17, 2018
And Then There Were...A Few
An Unwanted Guest by Shari Lapena
I picked this up at the airport in Montreal on my way to Paris last week. I had no idea that Lapena had another book coming out, so I knew I had to pick this one up. Some would say these aren't the best-written thrillers out there, and maybe they are right, but I enjoy them.
The premise is fairly simple: several people go to a hotel for a weekend away. People start dying, and the guests at the hotel aren't sure if the killer is one of them or someone on the outside.
In many ways, this is like Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None. The reader gets to be in the mind of each of the killers, and, honestly, you don't know who did it until the end. In that way, it's well done. Most of the time when I read thrillers or mysteries, and figure out the guilty party before I hit the halfway point. With this one, I had no clue who it could be.
This would've been a faster read for me under normal circumstances, but lately, I just haven't felt like reading.
I picked this up at the airport in Montreal on my way to Paris last week. I had no idea that Lapena had another book coming out, so I knew I had to pick this one up. Some would say these aren't the best-written thrillers out there, and maybe they are right, but I enjoy them.
The premise is fairly simple: several people go to a hotel for a weekend away. People start dying, and the guests at the hotel aren't sure if the killer is one of them or someone on the outside.
In many ways, this is like Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None. The reader gets to be in the mind of each of the killers, and, honestly, you don't know who did it until the end. In that way, it's well done. Most of the time when I read thrillers or mysteries, and figure out the guilty party before I hit the halfway point. With this one, I had no clue who it could be.
This would've been a faster read for me under normal circumstances, but lately, I just haven't felt like reading.
Tuesday, November 13, 2018
Murders at Sea
Escaping From Houdini by Kerri Maniscalco
Took longer for me to get into than it should have, but I think that was me and not the book in this case. I just haven't felt like reading much lately. Once I had some time to just sit and read, like on my flight to Paris, I was engrossed.
Picking up right after the second book in the series, this one sees Audrey Rose and Thomas onboard a ship bound for America. Also on board is a traveling circus, of which Harry Houdini is a part. Everyone is enthralled with the circus at the start, but then a young lady is killed right next to Audrey Rose. Her death was spectacular, but not in a good way, and seemed to reflect a tarot card. Every night of the cruise, someone is killed, and it is up to Audrey Rose to figure out who the killer is.
To top things off, Liza, Audrey Rose's cousin, has gone missing. She later turns up on the ship, under the thrall of Houdini. And the circus master wants Audrey Rose to himself, which makes her question what, or rather who, she wants.
In order to solve the crime, Audrey Rose has to learn from the circus master, Mephistopheles, how to do tricks so that she can infiltrate the performers to find clues. It's not until the killer takes Thomas that she finally figures out who the murderer is.
As with the predecessors in this series, there are a lot of twists and turns. My only complaint is that Houdini plays such a small part in a book that bears his name.
Took longer for me to get into than it should have, but I think that was me and not the book in this case. I just haven't felt like reading much lately. Once I had some time to just sit and read, like on my flight to Paris, I was engrossed.
Picking up right after the second book in the series, this one sees Audrey Rose and Thomas onboard a ship bound for America. Also on board is a traveling circus, of which Harry Houdini is a part. Everyone is enthralled with the circus at the start, but then a young lady is killed right next to Audrey Rose. Her death was spectacular, but not in a good way, and seemed to reflect a tarot card. Every night of the cruise, someone is killed, and it is up to Audrey Rose to figure out who the killer is.
To top things off, Liza, Audrey Rose's cousin, has gone missing. She later turns up on the ship, under the thrall of Houdini. And the circus master wants Audrey Rose to himself, which makes her question what, or rather who, she wants.
In order to solve the crime, Audrey Rose has to learn from the circus master, Mephistopheles, how to do tricks so that she can infiltrate the performers to find clues. It's not until the killer takes Thomas that she finally figures out who the murderer is.
As with the predecessors in this series, there are a lot of twists and turns. My only complaint is that Houdini plays such a small part in a book that bears his name.
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