Category: About books

Anni’s Book Pick: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain

“You don’t know about me without you have read a book by the name of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer; but that ain’t no matter.”

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn , by Mark Twain, is about a young boy, Huck, in search of freedom and adventure. The shores of the Mississippi River provide the backdrop for the entire book. Huck is kidnapped by Pap, his drunken father. Pap kidnaps Huck because he wants Huck’s $6000. Huck was awarded $6000 from the treasure he and Tom Sawyer found in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. Huck finally escapes from the deserted house in the woods and finds a canoe to shove off down the river. Instead of going back to the widow’s house, he decides to run away. He is sick of all of the confinement and civilization that the widow enforces upon him. He comes across Jim, Miss Watson’s slave, and together, they spend nights and days journeying down the river, both in search of freedom.(www.bookrags.com)

This book is a classic that I think everyone should read. Some people say that you need to read Tom Sawyer before you read Huck Finn. I read Huck Finn first and had no problem understanding it. I like this book because it teaches the values of friendship, as Huck learns these values so do we. When reading this book I laughed, cried, and got mad several times all while going on an adventure with Huck and his friend.

Note: This book has language.

What’s Ashley Reading?: The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V. E. Schwab

First line: A girl is running for her life.

Summary: It’s 1714 in a small village in France. A young woman of twenty-three is being forced to marry but she does not want to be tied down. She wants to live and see the world. So she makes a bargain with one of the old gods. She promises her soul for the chance to live forever. But there is always a catch. No one will remember who she is.

For centuries she lives her life by stealing, lying and relying on “strangers.” Love has come and gone for Addie but nothing ever lasts when everyone she meets forgets her as soon as she is out of sight. Until one day she meets a young man who remembers her.

My Thoughts: At the beginning I was enthralled by the story and the idea of this book. How can a person live when no one knows who you are? While I was reading I kept thinking that things wouldn’t be hard to live like this until I remember that from one minute to the next every person becomes a stranger again. You could not have an apartment, a job, friends, or anything really. Sounds terribly lonely.

I liked being able to see Addie change and make her way through the turbulent 300 years from the beginning of her curse and meeting Henry. She learns very quickly how to get by on her wits and luck. But as I continued through the story I felt it getting a little repetitive. The author did throw in some twists to the story which helped liven up some of the slower parts.

But the ending was the best part of all. It was imaginative and perfect for this story. I won’t spoil it but I will say that I cannot think of a better way to end the story.

FYI: Language, death, curses.

Courtney’s Book Chat: Planet Earth is Blue

Planet Earth is Blue by Nicole Panteleakos

First Line: Bridget was gone. And Nova was broken.

Summary: In this historical middle grade novel, Planet Earth is Blue follows twelve-year-old Nova, who is autistic and nonverbal, as she adjusts to a new foster family. Nova and her older sister Bridget both love astronomy, but when Bridget goes missing, Nova eagerly counts down the days until the space shuttle Challenger launches, which Bridget promised they would watch together.

My Thoughts:

This story is really heartwarming. I loved seeing Nova become friends with her special education peers and feel more at home with her foster family. Though Nova is nonverbal, Panteleakos richly conveys Nova’s inner world through her letters to Bridget and flashbacks depicting their relationship. Each letter followed a regular chapter, giving insight into Nova’s thoughts and actions, and the flashbacks intermingled throughout the book perfectly capturing the tone and Nova’s emotions. 

Nova and Bridget’s strong relationship made me eager to read what happened, as well as Nova just being a great character. She is deeply imaginative and passionate about space.

The narrative also always treats Nova with respect, and her autism is never framed as weird or a punchline. Panteleakos is autistic herself, and she crafts a sensitive, nuanced depiction. She makes it impossible not to care about Nova.

This book is written beautifully. Its prose is simple but well-crafted. References to space, David Bowie’s lyrics, and The Little Prince are interwoven throughout the book and add depth to the story. All of this builds to heartrending climax and ending. It broke my heart but also filled it with hope.

Planet Earth is Blue is a heartwarming story about finding strength and hope in the midst of tragedy, and Nova is the kind of character that will live in readers’ hearts long after the book is finished.

What’s Ashley Reading?: The Midnight Library

The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

First line: Nineteen years before she decided to die, Nora Seed sat in the warmth of the small library at Hazeldene School in the town of Bedford.

Summary: Nora Seed has decided to die. Everything is falling apart around her. She is single, her cat died, she lost her job, her parents are dead and her brother won’t talk to her. What’s the point anymore? As she dies she finds that there is a library filled with possible other lives that would have existed had she made different choices. The librarian directs her to the books of these alternate lives where she can decide if she would rather live in those instead. Which one will she choose?

“Between life and death there is a library, and within that library, the shelves go on forever. Every book provides a chance to try another life you could have lived. To see how things would be if you had made other choices . . . Would you have done anything different, if you had the chance to undo your regrets?”

My Thoughts: I really enjoyed this story. At the beginning it can be depressing as Nora keeps having her world fall apart around her. It almost seems like an It’s a Wonderful Life situation. But this is more inventive and adds another dimension to story. Rather than seeing the world without her, it looks at the world if she had made different choices.

I liked how different each life was because of one small choice. It’s the Butterfly Effect. One decision can change so much for you and every person you come into contact with. But we also see that what may appear to be perfect can still have its challenges. Nothing is perfect.

Everyone has things that they regret. I know I do. I wish I had spent a year abroad in college. But if I did that I would never have gotten my dog, Winston. I regret not staying at K-State in order to save money on college but if I hadn’t I would not have traveled around Europe with a group from Tabor College. There is always something that could be different but with every regret there is something good you would lose too.

Even though this sounds like a depressing book, it is really uplifting. It has a great message to anyone who is struggling with life choices and how to make the best of what we are given. Find joy in the small things.

FYI: Trigger warnings: suicide, drug overdose, language.

Xochitl’s Book Thoughts: All We Knew But Couldn’t Say

All We Knew But Couldn’t Say by Joanne Vannicola

First line of the book: I never know what condition she’ll be in when I arrive at the hospital – if she’ll lucid, rambling, awake, sleeping, in an altered state, or gone.

Summary and Thoughts:

Joanne Vannicola went through a life of trauma and pain before reaching stardom. All of her childhood resurfaces once her abusive mother is on her deathbed. Vannicola’s life was a tale of eating disorders enabled by her mother, abuse from both of her parents, and sibling bonds torn apart from everything going on. Vannicola also delves into her sexuality, especially when she is entering young adulthood, from small crushes to the people she dated. She doesn’t leave out any part of her life so one can see the bad choices she makes in her life and how her upbringing influenced her growth. Vannicola goes back and forth between the past and present. The little things that her mother says or does currently sourly reminds Vannicola of her troubled family life.

I found myself to be easily lost in her world as Vannicola goes into deep detail of her setting and her strong emotions at the time. Anyone who has had a difficult upbringing will relate to the several ways that Joanne Vannicola tried to forget her living situation, especially during her younger years. My favorite one was the children’s obsession with music and always listening to it together in secret since I like to lose myself in music. I also did find some parts difficult and uncomfortable to read as I am a sensitive person. I believe this read is necessary for that reason; when I felt uncomfortable, I realized the points she was trying to make. If I felt horrible or angry then no doubt Vannicola felt it tenfold and would explain her problematic behavior, which I often got frustrated with. Overall, this book brought me a perspective that I usually find hard to think about.

FYI:

I caution others that there are strong themes of abuse (self or to others), prostitution, sexual references, underage-drinking, and drugs. The author doesn’t hold back detail when it comes to these things.

*This book can be found via Hoopla or through Interlibrary Loan.*

What’s Ashley Reading?: Mother May I

Mother May I by Joshilyn Jackson

Summary: Bree Cabbat has the perfect life; a loving husband, beautiful children and a nice home. But one night she sees a witch at her window and the following day her baby son is stolen from her car with a mysterious message containing instructions on how to get her little boy back. As she follows “the mother’s” instructions she finds that there is more to this diabolical plan than she first thought. Racing against the clock Bree tries to find the secrets that could lead them to her son and “the mother”.

My Thoughts: This is my first book my Joshilyn Jackson. I really enjoyed it. It started off with a bang and continued to have the same high drama throughout which can be hard to maintain. As the story progressed I didn’t know how the author was going to continue because the end seemed so imminent but then whole new mystery appeared. As more layers were added the suspense got even higher until the last chapter. I will finally read her other thriller, Never Have I Ever, which I have checked out numerous times but never read yet.

Listening to the audio book I was a little annoyed at the readers voice. It was rather whiny but that could be because of the playback on the app. I liked the reader’s interpretation of “the mother’s” voice. It was witchy and creepy. And you need to stay focused while listening or you may miss something.

FYI: Great thriller!

Monica’s Musings: I Tried to Change So You Don’t Have To

I Tried to Change So You Don’t Have To by Loni Love

“There’s a saying a lot of people live by: ‘Fake it till you make it.’ For me, it’s always been ‘fake it, and then have the whole thing blow up in your face.’” -Loni Love, I Tried to Change So You Don’t Have To: True Life Lessons

Loni Love is one of my favorite comedians and talk show hosts. I have watched her talk show The Real for almost two years. I am always interested in what Loni is going to say because she is honest and funny. When I saw her book sitting on the shelf, I immediately knew I had to read it. It is safe to say I was not disappointed.

This book goes through the author’s life growing up in Detroit and her struggles of making it in Hollywood. Her life was not easy, and despite her comfortable life now, she has not forgotten her roots. She touches on subjects from fake friends, homelessness, to racism that she has experienced. Her life story is not typical, which made this such an interesting read. She is able to use comedy to make her story light, but she does not skirt around the tough details.

I ate this book up from cover to cover. Not only because I am a fan of Loni, but because her life story was so different than anything I have ever had to deal with in my life. Love’s perspective is so optimistic despite some of the cards she has been handed. I admire someone who is able to take their rough situation and use it as motivation to change their life. This book made me feel even more grateful for everything I have, and it also motivated me to be kind and keep working hard for what I want out of life.

What’s Ashley Reading?: The Hunger

The Hunger by Alma Katsu

First line: Everyone agreed it had been a bad winter, one of the worst in recollection.

Summary: A wagon train of settlers head out from Independence, Missouri, who would later be known as the Donner Party. They are bound for the bountiful lands of California. Among them is Tamsen Donner, who some believe to be a witch. And when strange things start to occur along the trail many look towards her for someone to blame. As they cover the long miles over prairie, desert and mountains, members of the party begin to change. Will the group be able to make it to the promised land of California or die trying to take the shortcut?

My Thoughts: Practically everyone has heard of the ill-fated Donner Party. They spent a long winter in the mountains on their way to California. After several of the party are rescued there has been rumors and debate about if the survivors resorted to cannibalism to stay alive. The story is such a dark piece of history which I think is what makes it so fascinating to so many people.

This book was recommended to me and I used it as part of my Traveler’s Reading Challenge. I had really high hopes of a spooky story mixed with cannibals. But I felt that there was a lot of build up to an ending that wasn’t as good as I had hoped. I expected to spend a lot more time in the mountains and the cold months. But this only was a small portion at the very end. It was a fun read for someone interested in a twist on history.

FYI: The author’s next book is The Deep which gives a twist to the story of the Titanic.

Terese’s Thoughts: What is the What

What is the What by Dave Eggers

First line: “I have no reason not to answer the door so I answer the door.”

As a kid, I had a book of science experiments and interesting facts about the world. One page contained a pie chart with a spinner. You had the same odds of landing that spinner in a tiny, designated sliver of the whole pie as you did being born in the United States. At the time, this was a new concept to me. I would spin it over and over again, wondering how life might be different had I been born somewhere else.

Summary

The title page calls the book both the autobiography of Valentino Achak Deng and a novel by Dave Eggers. As Achak Deng writes in the preface, “this book is a soulful account of my life.” Eggers spent years interviewing Achak Deng in order to tell his story using as authentic a voice as possible.

Although the story begins with Valentino as an adult living in the United States, we are quickly transported back to his happy childhood in a southern Sudanese village. Through Valentino’s six-year-old eyes, we watch as his village is overtaken by militiamen. Homes are set ablaze and people attempting to flee are murdered. Valentino manages to escape but does not know the fate of his parents. He spends the next several years of his life on the run, evading armed forces (and occasionally wild beasts), battling disease, and struggling to find enough food and water to survive in the African desert. His journey begins alone, but he soon meets up with a group of newly orphaned boys like himself, the so-called “Lost Boys” of Sudan. As they make their way toward a refugee camp in Kenya, the boys encounter unspeakable horrors, but there are also moments of laughter and the teasing typical of young boys.

Once Valentino reaches the refugee camp in Kenya, his troubles are far from over. While learning to navigate the politics of the camp, Valentino is also going to school and improving his English. Eventually, Valentino is chosen as one of the Lost Boys who will be given a chance at a life in the United States.

Now a grown man and full of optimism, Valentino flies to Atlanta to start his new life. Although he has the support of a generous and caring host family, Valentino faces a whole new set of obstacles, including discrimination, isolation, loneliness, racism, and the sense of defeat that comes with toiling day after day to still just barely get by. A deeply religious man, Valentino’s faith is shaken by the sheer amount of loss and misfortune he has endured. Despite this, he never loses his belief in the power of education and the good of humanity.

My thoughts

The story is compelling, but it’s also Valentino’s rare introspective voice that kept me from putting the book down. Through it all, he never loses his wry sense of humor and quick wit. Reading his story felt like growing up with him–seeing what he sees, his thoughts running through my head. I came to feel very close to Valentino; I wept and raised my fist to the sky with each new tragedy he suffered. It is a special soul who can cross this sea of violence, loss, and indifference to human life and come out on the other side with his faith in people intact.

This book is absolutely heartbreaking. It is also eye-opening and inspirational. It is a reminder to me the power of positivity and endurance. Reading Valentino’s story has helped me put my own life and struggles in perspective and keeps me from taking for granted some of the privileges afforded to me simply by being born where I was.

F.Y.I.: This book contains descriptions of graphic violence.

What’s Ashley Reading?: Later

Later by Stephen King

First line: I don’t like to start with an apology – there’s probably even a rule against it, like never ending a sentence with a preposition – but after reading over the thirty pages I’ve written so far, I feel like I have to.

Summary: Jamie Conklin was born with a gift. But not a gift he wants. He can see and talk to dead people. Only his mom and he know of this gift until she tells her friend, an NYPD detective, who then uses this information to help find a killer. Through his involvement in the case, he gets more than he expected.

My Thoughts: I loved this book! Think The Sixth Sense meets crime drama with a Stephen King twist. It is King at his best. He can fit such a great story into 250 pages. I was a little nervous starting this since I loved so many of this older books that it’s scary to start a new one, hoping that it lives up to its predecessors. Starting out I wasn’t sure where the story was going to take us. And that was perfect. I did not find it predictable or cliché. I enjoyed all the characters especially the professor who is like a father figure to Jamie.

I liked how King laid out his story. It starts with Jamie as a young boy, then as he grows up but he flashes farther forward and back to help explain events in Jaime’s life. Plus the layout also gives the reader the meaning behind the title. I knew that there was going to be a big showdown at the end which was just as great as the rest of the book. But King threw in one final twist that I did predict even though it seemed a little farfetched when I guessed it. But as I read it, I yelled out, “I knew it!” All around a fun, quick and spooky little book to read over the weekend.

FYI: Language, death, ghosts, murder and drug use.