Missing

Missing
by Becky Citra
4/5 stars
Reviewer: Deb

If you like horses and suspense this book is for you.  Set in Canada, we learn about Thea and her dad who move from town to town.  Thea is never able to stay long enough in one place to make friends.  This time Thea’s dad gets work renovating a guest ranch on Gumboot Lake. Thea makes friends with a local boy and works at building the trust of an abused horse.  When Thea tries to solve a decades-old mystery, she starts to come to terms with the losses in her life.

This book is fast reading and has enough suspense to make the reader want to know what happens next.

Geek Wisdom

Geek Wisdom, the Sacred Teachings of Nerd Culture

Editor: Stephen H Segal

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reviewer: Cheryl

Who knew that the secrets of Life could be found in science fiction movies, fantasy novels and comic books?  Geeks did.  You don’t just go around quoting lines from the nerdy reaches of pop culture unless you’ve found something truly worthwhile therein.

Geek Wisdom is a collection of essays on the philosophical meaning of some of the most commonly quoted gems.  Each is presented in a comfortably browsable format that explores the context and the layers of significance in the quote.  They are also often followed by some bit of trivia you can use to impress your geek friends.  The sources for these meditations are varied, from television and movies to literature to video games and internet memes.  In general, the sources are overlooked by the mainstream as being too modern or too fun to hold any true wisdom.  Still, the authors reveal what fans have known, at least subconsciously, all along. Regardless of the context, mankind seeks meaning in life and can’t resist sharing what they find along the way.  This book will entertain, but it will also have you watching the latest sci-fi blockbuster with new eyes.

I am the Messenger

I Am The Messenger

By: Markus Zusak

4.5/5 stars

Reviewer: Marina

I Am The Messenger is a novel of mystery, triumph, change, making a difference, and playing cards.  Narrator Ed Kennedy is a somewhat lost 19 year old taxi driver.  His life is stagnant and not really going the way he wants it to.  After accidentally foiling a bank robbery Ed starts receiving mysterious playing cards in the mail with puzzles written on them.  The puzzles direct him to his tasks once he can decipher them and Ed starts making a difference in people’s lives. 

This novel is a powerful and engaging story sure to keep you reading on.  Ed is a likeable character that you’ll want to see succeed.  Some of the scenes of the book can be a bit harsh and therefore possibly more suitable for older teens.  The book ultimately has a very positive message and will definitely leave you with things to think about. 

When You Wish Upon a Star

When You Wish Upon a Star
by Ned Washington
4/5 stars
Reviewer: Ana

Review:

This a wonderful book in which you can dream and hope your wishes might come true.  Everybody needs to believe that a wish may be possible. This book includes a CD which has 3 songs by Judy Collins. You can sing or read while listening to the CD.  And as you’re reading, don’t forget to look out the window. Find a star and make a wish; it just might come true!

Cleopatra: A Life

Cleopatra: A Life

Author: Stacy Schiff

Rating: 3.5/5 starts

Reviewer: Lydia

I was extremely excited to read Cleopatra: A Life because of all the hype, controversy and mystery surrounding the subject. I love Cleopatra and ancient Egypt and the premise of this book— peeling away the “myth” of Cleopatra and discovering the real woman—was intriguing and different. Unfortunately, even though Stacy Schiff’s novel won a Pulitzer Prize, the novel ultimately failed to deliver on what it set out to do.

            However, I still enjoyed the book. Schiff’s writing is descriptive and she is highly adept at describing history in a way that really brings it to life. I normally don’t read biographies, but because Schiff’s writing style is more literary, descriptive, and fanciful, it read more like a novel than a dry record of the past. I believe that Schiff worked well with what was available to her, as very few records from Cleopatra’s time exist (and nothing which Cleopatra wrote herself survives today). Therefore, I understand Schiff’s struggle in presenting a story in which all the records are lost, and the remaining records are biased, mistaken, or downright fabricated.

In the end, I enjoyed her writing, but felt that she focused far too much on other characters, instead of the sole person behind the book, the myth, and the mystery: Cleopatra herself. I would still recommend the book as a good foundation on the subject of ancient Egypt and Rome during Cleopatra’s reign.

Before I Fall

Before I Fall

By Lauren Oliver

4/5 stars

Reviewer: Nichole

How could one very self-centered, obnoxious teenage girl completely grow up and find herself in one day?  When that one day repeats over and over and over again, that’s how.

In the first chapter of the book we meet Samantha, we dislike Samantha, and then Samantha dies.  Or does she?  She wakes up after a horrible car crash as if it never happened and slowly firgures out she is reliving the day again.  Though Sam isn’t sure why she’s been given this opportunity, if it is an opportunity, she uses it to try to change the outcome of her own death.  That’s logical.  Wouldn’t we all?  But at the end of the day, she finds herself back in her bed, waking up to the same day again.

Are there any consequences to your actions if you just get one day to live any way you want, repeatedly?  Does anything you do matter?  Sam has lived her life without fear of the consequences of her narcissistic ways, but things only get worse when she realizes she can seduce a teacher, pick fights, and behave as badly as she wants, only to be able to redo it all again the next day.  Going through a myriad of emotions, Sam explores different relationships in her life with each new revisit to the same day -- some good; some very bad.  She starts seeing her friends in a whole new light, understanding the complexities of why people act like they do.  She starts seeing  people through clearer eyes, not marred by peer pressure and the drive to be among the most popular girls in school.  She spends time with her family and falls in love, filling holes in herself, watching people around her blossom with her sudden participation in their lives.  With each positive change, Sam gets closer and closer to figuring out why she’s continuing to relive this day and righting the wrongs of her life.  As she learns more about herself, you will like Sam more and more, and you will not want her to die.

How’s it end?  You have to read to find out.  It will surprise you.  And you will need Kleenex.

LaRue Across America

LaRue Across America
by Mark Teague
4/5 stars
Reviewer: Dawn

Summary:

Ike the dog has vacation plans for a peaceful cruise with his human, Mrs. LaRue. His plans come to a screeching halt though, when their neighbor, Mrs. Hibbins falls ill from heat stroke and has to go for an extended stay in the hospital. The problem is that Mrs. Hibbins has two mischievous cats and Mrs. LaRue has suggested that she and Ike take the cats along. Unfortunately, cats are not allowed on the cruise ship so Mrs. LaRue has decided to take them all on a week long road trip. What ensues is a hilarious series of postcards from Ike to Mrs. Hibbins begging for bus fare to send the two cats home. Will Ike and the cats be able to survive the journey and will cats and dogs ever learn to be friends? Find out in LaRue Across America!

Review:

What a fun book this one is! Teague has created a book with gorgeous illustrations, a hilarious story, and a little geographical education thrown in for fun. Ike’s efforts to rid Mrs. LaRue and himself of their travelling companions are laugh-out-loud funny. Readers will really get a kick out of the unique postcard illustrations as well. I’d recommend this book for a child who is old enough to sit through a longer picture book or anyone who enjoys a funny story!

Lost

Lost

Author: Gregory Maguire

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reviewer: Cheryl

Winifred Rudge is an author and the great great granddaughter of Ozias Rudge, a man rumored to be the inspiration for Dickens’ Ebenezer Scrooge.  In search of a story for her next book, Winnie has been researching the international adoption process, but succumbs to the lure of a story idea that has been haunting her lately.  The main character of this budding story is also an author, Wendy Pritzke, who travels to London following her obsession with Jack the Ripper.  Since Winnie doesn’t know where Wendy’s story will lead, it holds a strange fascination for her.

Winnie travels to London herself, hoping to stay with her previously amiable step-cousin in Ozias Rudge’s old house.  When she arrives, however, she finds the place empty, under construction, and apparently haunted.  The mystery of her cousin’s whereabouts, who or what is haunting Rudge House, and where Wendy’s story is going swirl together into a unified tale in which Winnie must face darker secrets than she anticipated.

Lost is the kind of story that gradually sneaks up on you, revealing elements of the main character’s psychology and history as the mystery progresses.  The book is appropriately disturbing and sad in all the right places as befits Winnie’s predicament.  Maguire, best known for authoring Wicked, the novel that inspired the musical, elegantly blends reality with the supernatural.  Although this was not my favorite of his novels for adults, it was the one I read first and the one that hooked me on his special style of exploring the frailties of human nature through reimagining classic tales.  This is not a traditional ghost story, but readers should find it haunting just the same.

The Hitchhiker's Guide To the Galaxy

Hitchhiker’s Guide To the Galaxy

By: Douglas Adams

5/5 stars

Reviewer: Marina

“Space,” it says, “is big. Really big. You just won't believe how vastly, hugely, mindbogglingly big it is. I mean, you may think it's a long way down the road to the chemist's, but that's just peanuts to space, listen..."

One really lousy Thursday afternoon the Earth is destroyed to make way for a hyperspatial express route.  Arthur Dent and alien friend Ford Prefect are able to escape by hitching a ride on a Vogon Spaceship making Arthur probably the last Earthling in the universe.  Ford and Arthur go on a wild hitchhiking ride around the galaxy full of quirky adventures and characters.  The paranoid android Marvin is probably my favorite, but the two headed alien, super intelligent mice, the creator of Norway, and of course Vogon poetry are not to be missed. 

What it comes down to is this book is a blast and you need to read it.  Now.  Go Get it.  It’s awesome. 

Born To Fly

Born To Fly
by Michael Ferrari
5/5 stars
Reviewer: Sue
(Caudill 2013 Nominee)

Summary:  

This WWII story of adventure seeking 11 year old Bird is sure to capture your attention.  Bird’s mechanic father teaches her to fly, is her best friend, and really believes she can do anything.  When he is sent overseas after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, he leaves behind a young girl who is struggling to make sense of things.  A Japanese-American boy joins Bird’s class and after a tense start, they become friends.  Finding evidence of an enemy submarine in the area, discovering a spy conspiracy, and having a murder and sabotage case at the local plane-engine factory keep Bird and Kenji thinking and busy.

Review: 

Be ready for a lot of action with this book.  Not only is there planning and plotting, there is also conflict between characters.  It is not a predictable story line, and I couldn’t put this book down!

Chicken and Egg

Chicken and Egg: A Memoir of Suburban Homesteading with 125 Recipes

by Janice Cole

4/5 stars

Reviewer: Nichole

If chickens could write a book for us about how to better appreciate them and what they have to offer, it wouldn’t differ much from the book Ms. Cole has written.  The only exception would probably be that they wouldn’t have so many chicken recipes included.

Put together almost like a calendar, this is a charming collection of interesting recipes which aims to guide the reader toward using seasonal foods, and the eclectic variety presented have only two aspects in common -- chicken and/or eggs.  Like most cookbooks, there is ample explanation about terminology, techniques, equipment, etc., and where there are pictures they are inspiringly beautiful.  There is bound to be something for everyone, but I was particularly drawn to mouth-watering things like Bittersweet Fudge Pound Cake, Rosemary Chicken Burgers with Fried Onions, and Bacon and Egg Breakfast Tarts, which look like delectable breakfast pizzas.  No more bland scrambled eggs or baked chicken for readers of this book.  The author is not only a writer and chicken lover, but a recipe developer, and since she lives in St. Paul, Minnesota, the same general climate as our own.

What makes this book special is the enchanting mixture of personal stories that Ms. Cole includes about why raising chickens is a fulfilling experience for her.  If you haven’t looked at chickens as both a pet and a provider for your family, then this book could be enlightening.  Reaching the memoriam in the end and finding out one of her hens died tugged hard at my heartstrings.  It’s not all for chicken-raisers, either.  You will learn all sorts of interesting things about chickens and eggs, such as the color of the inside of a chicken’s ears will reveal what color egg that hen will lay.  The trick is to find the chicken’s ears!

With ever-increasing interest in knowing where your food comes from, eating organic and local, Chicken and Egg provides us a great background in raising our own chickens, harvesting our own eggs, and eating the bounty that chickens provide.  I dare you to read this while you’re hungry.