LIfe as we knew it

Life as we knew it
by Susan Beth Pfeffer
Young adult Sci-fi
4/5

I am a fan of books related to post apocalyptic story lines. I always have wondered what I would do or if I had the wits about me to stay calm and survive. Most books I have read are a matter of survival after the damage has occurred the struggle to maintain humanity, hope and faith. Life as we knew it is written from the prospective of 16yr old Miranda and her journal entries. When life was normal as it could get for a sixteen year old and her biggest concern was if she was ever going to be able to get a date in her lifetime. But when an asteroid has targeted the moon things begin to change and bigger concerns present themselves. First its just a matter of getting used to the moon being so close to the Earth but life is still manageable and goes on. School is still in session, prom will continue, swim meets and college applications are still apart of everyday living in her small town in Pennsylvania. When the moon starts to have a gravity pull on the ocean, tsunamis begin to destroy the countries coastline. Missing people turn into the dead lists. Volcano's start to erupt and leave a blanket of grey across the land and sky. Fresh foods become extinct and a meal of canned green beans and onions is a luxury. I thought this book was pretty simple to read and fast. I just like the gradual progression of the Earth becoming extinct and how Miranda and her family struggled to survive in a dying world. How little things became most important and simple pleasures became luxuries. But most of all family looking out for each other and trying to maintain a normal life while adjusting to a fading world. There is another book by Susan Pfeffer called The dead and the gone that reads of the same asteroid hitting the moon but in a different part of the world. She is also coming out with a sequel to Life as we knew it.

The Road

The Road
by Cormac McCarthy
young adult Science fiction
5/5


What a great book. I really enjoy books that are sharp with detail but not dragged out because of it. The Road was perfect in that way. The world has been destroyed by fire and ash. The only way for survival is for the man to stay close to his son and travel the road south to stay warm. They rummage through charred homes and farms finding bits of food and sooted water. Danger is all around them. Humanity is gone and people have resorted to being cannibals. "We are the good guys" the boy says. "yes we are" says the man. "okay." "okay." The relationship between the father and son is so Strong. Fetuses and children our a source of food for many. But the father struggles for maintain civility. He does not believe in God. Because if there was a God he would not punish him like this. His faith wasted with the rotting world.

At first I wasn't sure about this book because the entire book was about the man and the boy traveling a road. But it grabbed me. It was so much more. It was about survival. Not just physically staying alive but surviving a damned world with little hope and civility

The Lovely Bones

The Lovely Bones
by Alice Sebold
Young Adult Fiction
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Currently Reading.

This has already proven to be a tough read for me. I am about eleven pages into it and my heart is beating fast. I usually do not read anything pertaining to violence against children or women because of my own inability to understand and absorb the harsher realities of life. This is a fictional work of course but the violence of rape and murder are very real and possible. I am continuing to read this book because I have a feeling it will triumph and bring a possible understanding to what may lay beyond.

The Hourglass Door

The Hourglass Door
by Lisa Mangum
young adult fiction
4/5


Finished! At first I thought this book was predictable like I knew everything that was going to happen from the beginning but it took a turn and I ended up reading all four hundred pages in about a day and a half. I really loved the romance side to this story. I think I am becoming a hopeless romantic myself as I get older. It was nice to read something different other then wizards and vampires. It was a first for me to read a story based on time travel, mystery and young love. I loved the story line. A young Italian boy, Dante, wrongly accused of a crime he did not commit in the late 1400's. As a punishment he was sent through a door to be banished from his own time and entering into another time over five hundred years later where he meets Abby, a young girl tired of her predictable life and longing for some excitement and spontaneity. I kept reading through the night as their love started to unfold and the mysteries of time travel unveiled but towards the end it started to fall flat for me. But then then the ending took me for a ride. It was suspenseful, thrilling and romantic to the very end. It was left open for the next book in 2010. The Golden Spiral. AH! please oh please let Dante and Abby get back together and have some crazy out of know where tie to each other.

Moonraker's Bride

Moonraker's Bride
by Madeleine Brent
young adult fiction
4/5

Finished!. I was sad when I finished this book. I loved the mystery with just a touch of romance. It was one of those books that as you were reading it drew you in and when you put it down it left you forgetting something. When ever I paused from reading, I was still thinking about Luci and her trials of running an orphanage in China all by herself and only being seventeen. When her luck changed and the mission field came in to relieve her of her duties, Luci was sent to England to be with a family that agreed to donate money to the orphanage and take her in as her their own daughter. Of course there was a down side to all this and Luci was finding herself entangled in a dark mystery of treasure hunting and family feuds extending from generations before she was even born. I really enjoyed this book. I am not one for heavy romance nor mystery but I was pleasantly surprise at how smoothly the author kept me interested.

Wings

Wings
by Aprilynne Pike
young adult fantasy
4/5
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While in Borders yesterday I walked passed a table with the name Stephanie Meyer written across the top of a book. Of course I had to stop and pick the book up. It turns out she has given Wings a wonderful review. Stephanie being one of my favorite authors I had to pick it up and read it. After all, she did recommend the Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins and it quickly became one of my favorite books of the year. Wings was very sweet and charming making the even the most skeptical person have doubt that faeries don't exist. Ah.. It was just simply wonderful to read how Laurel discovered her origin. It was also a love story where she was torn between her human world friendship with David and her love Tamani, her fairy companion in the world of Avalon. What a great book. It was one of the fastest 294 pages I have read in one day. Lets not forget where there are faeries there are bound to be trolls and a little magic. I Thought this book would be perfect for young readers between the ages 10-13 years.

A Wind in the Door

A wind in the Door

by Madeleine L'Engle

young adult sci-fi

4/5

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I instantly fell in love with A Wrinkle in Time and went directly to my library and checked out all of Madeleine L'Engles books in the series to get my fix of the lovable and timeless characters of Meg and dear sweet Charles Wallace. ...

A Wrinkle in Time

A Wrinkle in Time

by Madelenine L'Engle

John-Newberry Medal

Young Adult Sci-Fi

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I just did not want this book to end. I loved reading A Wrinkle In Time. Madeleine wrote such an imaginative book of time travels and worlds beyond our comprehension. With characters such as Mrs. Whatsit, Mrs. Who, Mrs Which and we can not forget IT and the Black Thing, I just wanted to read more! Meg who was thought to be flawed really was not without intelligence. Her very real human traits of anger and impatience would soon prove to be valuable in other worlds. Megs stunning and intelligent mother, Mrs. Murray. Her friend Calvin and her protective little brother Charlie Wallace are forever written in a timeless story of bravery. I really am no writer and can not explain what long lasting impressions this book has left on me. It is definitely one that I can not wait to read to my young daughter when she is ready. A well deserved and honorable book of imagination and creativity.

Breaking Dawn

Breaking Dawn
by Stephanie Meyer
Young Adult Fantasy
5/5
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I loved reading the Twilight Saga. Breaking Dawn the final book in the four book series was more then I expected. We all knew what was going to become of Edward and Bella but it was wonderful to finally read the conclusion. The book was lengthy over 700 pages but I was grateful for it. Stephanie has stayed true to her standards in this book and explored the love story from every angle. I did have my moments though. The book of Jacob almost made me fall asleep. It was long and detailed and I never was a team Jacob girl. It bounced back as the story went back to Bella's story and then... very seriously... something happened towards the middle end of the book that made me so upset I closed the book and almost threw it across the room. Yeah! Thats how much it sucks you in. But, I cooled and speculated the entire story line and thought. WOW! Stephanie really put together a fantastic fantasy love triangle. I would spoil the book if I wrote what had me upset but its definitely worth reading to find out. Some friends of mine won't let their younger children read the book due to some of its nature. The birth of Reneseme. I let our 14year old daughter read it and she was okay with it.

The girl who could fly

The Girl who could fly.

by Victoria Forester

Young Adult Fantasy

4/5

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This was a sweet book. I found this book floating around on numerous book lists and picked it up in the juvenile section in the library. However, I am classifying it as more of a younger adult book because there are some scary parts for little kids or maybe they were scary to me because I fell in love with Piper McCloud right from the beginning. It may also have to do with the fact that she really can fly! Piper lived in Lowland Country when she discovered a little itch inside her that made her realize she longed to do something more amazing then just simply float a few feet off the ground. Her parents desperately pleaded with her to keep her feet planted on the ground but Piper didn't understand why she could not share her ability to fly. It was glorious and at the same time lonely up in the sky all by herself and she wanted to teach others. But soon Piper realized that her flying wasn't as wonderful as she thought others would think. They were scared of her! Its not everyday you see a girl fly! Piper is whisked away to a special place with other children in a remote place far away from her parents and her home in Lowland Country. She discovers new friends with amazing talents from super strength to super genius and even in this remote place she finds she is special among the special. But in a place that seems to accept her for her abilities, she soon finds it has its consequences too and she is forbidden to fly. With endearing friendships that form and her eagerness to fly once again, Piper gains the courage to break free and be herself. After all ..."I fly and I like it and I'm not going to stop..there isn't anything else that makes since to me like flying does."

Prom Nights from Hell

Prom Nights From Hell

by Meg Cabot, Kim Harrison, Michele Jaffe, Stephenie Meyer, and Lauren Myracle

Young Adult

4/5

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This is not my typical read but my favorite author Stephanie Meyer wrote her own short story for this book (Hell on Earth) so I had to read it. I found it humorous really. Not scary. Its a great collection of short stories with the back drop of the most important right of passage for any teen PROM! Filled with vampires, grim reapers and paranormal activity, each author writes a short fast-paced story which is refreshing to read and is a nice break from the typical read.

Gathering Blue

Gathering Blue

by Lois Lowry

Young Adult fiction

4/5

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Another great read from Lois Lowry. Gathering Blue is the second companion read to The Giver trilogy. Kira was born with a twisted leg and was seen as useless and a reliability for the community for which she and her mother Katrina lived. Kira's father had suffered and died from the mutilation of beasts in the forest before she was born, leaving Kira's mother to fight for her daughters life. As years passed, Katrina begun to teach Kira the art of thread. Kira soon discovered that the threads would sing to her creating a special talent that no one else possessed. Before her teaching in the dying of thread had begun, her mother fell ill and passed away. After her grieving and the spirits had left her mothers body, Kira knew she would no longer be protected from the women in her village. She would have to stay strong as her mother would often tell her despite her deformity. She fears for what her future will be but is spared by the Council of Guardians. Her life is spared because of her unique gift of threads. She is relocated from her cot in the village to the Edifice where she finds comforts she has never known before. Running water, a bed above ground and food unimaginable. In exchange for these privileges she is to thread the Singers Robe making repairs and threading the future onto its bare shoulders. But soon Kira realizes that there is a great mystery to the Council of Guardians and secrets that surround the community which she resides. She will discover the truth about her parents deaths, the world she lives in and her purpose to the council.

The Giver

The Giver

by Lois Lowry

Young Adult Fiction

5/5

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I instantly fell in love with this adventurous story! I finished all 179 pages in less then a day. Everything about it kept me turning pages one after the other and I did not want to put it down. Lois Lowry has quickly become one of my favorite young adult authors. This tightly written story takes me to a place where everything is perfect. No pain, No fear, no hunger and no war. Everything is under control and governed by the committee of Elders. All is in the sameness as everyone else. There is no color, no love, no choices and no one knows any different. Progression is placed in age and age only matters once you have progressed to twelve years. This would be the beginning of your adulthood. In your adulthood you are assigned a job given to you in a ceremony before the community. As Jonas sat with his group of twelve year olds waiting for his assignment, great embarrassment came across him as his number (19) was skipped over during the ceremony. Soon after the closing of the ceremony He was asked to step forward. Unsure and filled with anxiety, Jonas walked forward. He was reassured that he was not skipped intentionally by not being assigned but he was "selected" to be trained as one of the most honorable positions in his community. The Receiver. As Jonas starts his training with the Giver, he discovers all the true pain and pleasures of life that he must bare so that all of his community can live with security and order. He experiences the horror of war, pain, suffering and starvation from the passing of the Giver. As well as life pleasures, love, feeling, and happiness all which has been denied his entire life. Lois takes us through a fantastic journey of Interdependence in humanity and ends with Jonas discovering the true motivations behind the community of Elders. Jonas has to make a choice. Something he had never been able to do before. To leave his community and face the unknown and perhaps starvation outside his community or stay within the blindness and security of his community and starve in other ways. He would have to live a life hungry for love, color and feelings. My fingers gripped to the pages as I discovered Jonas's choice and you will too!

Eclipse

Eclipse

by Stephanie Meyer

Young Adult fantasy

5/5

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There is no doubt that I am a twilight addict! I am reading the books over again this year and finished Eclipse. Instead of writing a review because it just seems silly to me. I thought I would just list some of my favorite parts and quotes. If you have not read these books, please do.They are refreshing especially if you have teenagers in the house. My step daughter and I had so much fun running back and forth to each others rooms sharing our favorite parts. If you have seen the movie, please do not judge the books by it. We all know that books are Far better. These are only a few due to limited space but there are so many favorites.

1. You and Billy gossip like old women. (Bella)

2. If we could bottle your luck, we’d have a weapon of mass destruction on our hands. (Edward)

3. Did you seriously just stamp your foot? I thought girls only did that on TV. (Jacob)

4. As long as she wants me, I’m here. (Edward)

5. First, because you are bizarrely moral for a vampire. (Bella)

6. I’ve chosen my life — now I want to start living it. (Bella)

New Moon

New Moon

By Stephanie Meyer

5/5

Young Adult Fantasy

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Do I really need to write a review on this one? If it were possible to add more stars I would. I have read New Moon several times and it really breaks my heart when Edward leaves Bella Behind for her safety and for the safety of his vampire family. A lot of people talk about Bella and how her heart was broken and her frail human state But I can't shrug Edwards falling out. He had waited for Bella for over a hundred years and now he has to leave her! Ugh! its so sad. "It will be as if I never existed." Edward. In leaving Bella behind he makes her vulnerable to the predators of his world. Bella soon befriends her childhood buddy Jacob Black who has secrets of his own. Bella and Jacob are often viewed as more then friends but in the following books (Breaking Dawn) there is an unravelling or revelation you might find as a surprise and also explains their relationship. If you have not read this saga. Please Do! And for all those interested and have seen the Twilight movie, DO NOT judge a book by its movie. Books are far better in detail.

The City of Ember

The City of Ember

by Jeanne DuPrau

3*/5

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Hmm.. The world had come to an end. In order to preserve mankind, the Builders built a generator underground and locked the secrets of Ember in a box for 200 years before the box would open. The box was then put in the trust of the city's mayor. Handed down from one mayor to the next until the seventh mayor, the box had become misplaced and eventually forgotten. The City of Ember is an underground world were the inhabitants do not realize they are underground. The city is run by a failing generator keeping light in an otherwise dark world. Lina Mayfleet, the descendant from the seventh mayor and her classmate Doon set out to find the secrets of the box after Lina's sister Poppy had discovered its context. Its a journey to the outer limits of Ember before lights go out forever and a race to save mankind once again. The story for me was uneventful and forgettable. The only thing that stood out for me was Poppy. The cute and adorable toddler who had no lines in the entire book! The book was made into a movie. I did see it. There were a lot of things different from the book like most movies are. The producer was Tom Hanks and the Mayor of the City was Bill Murray. I can see were one of my younger sons may like to read this one because of the ghastly sewer rat. But, I thought it lacked detail. I thought there should have been more.

A Great and Terrible Beauty

A Great and Terrible beauty
by Libba Bray
Young Adult Fiction
4*/5
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After her mother was murdered in India by a mysterious force, Gemma at age sixteen was sent to the house of Spence, a boarding school for young ladies to gain all the attractive attributes for a decent suitor. Not only did Gemma find it difficult to fit in with the privileged girls, she was being thrusted into an unknown world of the supernatural through visions she could not explain. When she catches one of the most influential girls in the school, Felicity, in the arms of a gypsy, a sworn secrecy develops between them that flourishes into a binding friendship. A group bond forms between them including two other Spence students, Pippa and Ann. I was confused for the first half of the book about Gemmas visions and the mysterious Kartik, a young man she encountered in India before her mothers death and who continued to follow her to England. Throughout the book he warns Gemma to close to her mind and not bring on her visions. However, the book starts coming together. The girls friendships were growing stronger, Gemma starts to discover her mothers secret of the "order" and her ties to the school from a long time ago. I really enjoyed reading the vivid details of the supernatural world were falling leaves turned into golden dust, flowers turned into butterflies, and anything you wanted or wanted to be would come true in the realms. But without the bad their can be no good. Each time the girls passed through the door to the realms, a dark force was becoming stronger and some of the girls were becoming obsessed with its power. In the end, Gemma has to make a choice about her destiny to close the realm and have her friends turn against her or leave the door open and risk the dark Circe to take control of the realms.

The Hunger Games

The Hunger Games

by Suzanne Collins

young adult fiction

5*/5

Warning! Highly addictive. On the continent formally known as North America, sixteen year old Katniss Everdeen finds herself as a tribute in the 74th Hunger Games. Established by the Capitol as a reminder to the people of Panem and its surrounding districts of the Apocalypse many years ago. Devastating the lands and leaving districts in poverty. It is a game of survival. As all 24 tributes, two from each district file into the arena, it is either kill or die. The winner and their family to be set for life. But its not that simple. With the Capitol in control of the arena, food and water are scarce, dramatic temperature changes occur, and supplies moderated. The games are not just to serve as a reminder but also a source of entertainment. Katniss finds herself out numbered by the alliances of the careers, making out witting them and the Capitol her only means of survival. But this may cost her dearly. I enjoyed reading this book. My only regret was that I was not able to sit and read it in one day. It took me three days to finish and every time I had to put it down I felt edgy. I did not want the story to end. I am looking forward to Suzanne Collins second book. I recommend you set a day aside for reading and indulge!