Between the Bookcovers

Hello to my fellow bloggers, welcome to my little corner of the net. I hope you enjoy your visit. I am fairly new to blogging so I appreciate your comments and suggestions. Make sure to join me next week for the indie blog hop! Thanks to Parajunkee for hosting the Follow Friday Hop.


The question this week: Who are You? The Boy / Girl, instead of YOU, the blogger?

I am a stay at home mom of two teens who enjoys crafting and reality television in addition to reading.

Author: Eden Unger Bowditch
To be published: March 15, 2011
Publisher: Bancroft Press
Pages: 320
Rating: 3/5 Stars

My Review:

In 1903 five very intelligent children come from around the world and are deposited at Sole Manor Farm, a school outside Dayton, Ohio. They have several things in common: all their parents are well known scientists, they were brought to the school by mysterious men dressed in odd black outfits and now all their parents are missing.

This is the setting of the book as the children try to make sense of their missing parents and the men in black. They fear their parents have been kidnapped and in their efforts to find and rescue them they create an exciting invention. The book explores their feelings of having been left alone and how they form a bond of friendship to find a way out of their situation. Despite being smart enough to invent things and solve scientific problems the children still want to be held, kissed and loved by their parents.

I found this book to be enjoyable. The characters were well developed and likable, and the story was told from each characters point of view during the novel. So many books now use the supernatural to insert magic into the story. Here the magic is found in the way the children see the world around them. I found myself wanting to solve the mystery of their parents disappearance long with the kids. The book kept me engaged throughout and held several surprises along the way. As the book ended some questions were answered, but many more remained, setting up the next book in a planned trilogy. While listed as young adult, I would say it is geared toward the younger end of this group, but is an enjoyable read for all ages.

Rating: An enjoyable read




note: I received this book via netGalley from the publisher for review, but do not get any compensation for my review

There are some great books being released in the next week. They include:

March 8:

Blink & Caution
Author: Tim Wynne-Jones

Description from Goodreads:

Boy, did Blink get off on the wrong floor. All he wanted was to steal some breakfast for his empty belly, but instead he stumbled upon a fake kidnapping and a cell phone dropped by an "abducted" CEO, giving Blink a link to his perfect blonde daughter. Now Blink is on the run, but it’s OK as long as he’s smart enough to stay in the game and keep Captain Panic locked in his hold. Enter a girl named Caution. As in "Caution: Toxic." As in "Caution: Watch Your Step." She’s also on the run, from a skeezy drug-dealer boyfriend and from a nightmare in her past that won’t let her go. When she spies Blink at the train station, Caution can see he’s an easy mark. But there’s something about this naïve, skinny street punk, whom she only wanted to rob, that tugs at her heart, a heart she thought deserved not to feel. Charged with suspense and intrigue, this taut novel trails two deeply compelling characters as they forge a blackmail scheme that is foolhardy at best, disastrous at worst - along with a fated, tender partnership that will offer them each a rare chance for redemption.


Illegal
Author: Bettina Restrepo

Description from Goodreads:

Instead, Nora is on a desperate journey far away from home. When her father leaves their beloved Mexico in search of work, Nora stays behind. She fights to make sense of her loss while living in poverty—waiting for her father's return and a better day. When the letters and money stop coming, Nora decides that she and her mother must look for him in Texas. After a frightening experience crossing the border, the two are all alone in a strange place. Now, Nora must find the strength to survive while aching for small comforts: friends, a new school, and her precious quinceañera.

Bettina Restrepo's gripping, deeply hopeful debut novel captures the challenges of one girl's unique yet universal immigrant experience.

Author: Claudia Gray

Description from Goodreads:

The fourth book in this electrifying vampire series has all the romance, suspense, and page-turning drama that have made Claudia Gray’s Evernight books runaway successes.

Having become what they feared most, Bianca and Lucas face a terrifying new reality. They must return to Evernight Academy, Lucas as a vampire and Bianca as a wraith. But Lucas is haunted by demons, both personal and supernatural. Bianca must help him fight the evil inside him, combat the forces determined to drive them apart—and find the power to claim her destiny at last.

Readers have fallen in love with Bianca and Lucas, and they will be thrilled to read this exciting conclusion to their romantic adventure.

The Piper's Son

Author: Melina Marchetta

Description from Goodreads:

Melina Marchetta's brilliant, heart-wrenching new novel takes up the story of the group of friends from her best-selling, much-loved book Saving Francesca - only this time it's five years later and Thomas Mackee is the one who needs saving.

Thomas Mackee wants oblivion. Wants to forget parents who leave and friends he used to care about and a string of one-night stands, and favourite uncles being blown to smithereens on their way to work on the other side of the world.

But when his flatmates turn him out of the house, Tom moves in with his single, pregnant aunt, Georgie. And starts working at the Union pub with his former friends. And winds up living with his grieving father again. And remembers how he abandoned Tara Finke two years ago, after his uncle's death.

And in a year when everything's broken, Tom realises that his family and friends need him to help put the pieces back together as much as he needs them.

Author: John Green
Published: October 16, 2008
Publisher: Dutton Juvenile
Genre:
Pages: 305
Rating: 5/5 stars

Description from Goodreads:

Quentin Jacobsen has spent a lifetime loving the magnificently adventurous Margo Roth Spiegelman from afar. So when she cracks open a window and climbs back into his life - dressed like a ninja and summoning him for an ingenious campaign of revenge - he follows.

After their all-nighter ends and a new day breaks, Q arrives at school to discover that Margo, always an enigma, has now become a mystery. But Q soon learns that there are clues - and they’re for him. Urged down a disconnected path, the closer he gets, the less Q sees of the girl he thought he knew.

Printz medalist John Green returns with the brilliant wit and searing emotional honesty that have inspired a new generation of listeners.

This week was a great one for my mailbox. I now have books piling up faster than I can read them. I really need to get busy! Kristi over at the Story Siren hosts In My Mailbox each week. What goodies did you get this week?

Author: Lauren Oliver
Published: February 1, 2011
Publisher: Harper Collins
Pages: 448
Rating: 5/5 Stars

Description from Amazon:

Lena Haloway is content in her safe, government-managed society. She feels (mostly) relaxed about the future in which her husband and career will be decided, and looks forward to turning 18, when she’ll be cured of deliria, a.k.a. love. She tries not to think about her mother’s suicide (her last words to Lena were a forbidden “I love you”) or the supposed “Invalid” community made up of the uncured just beyond her Portland, Maine, border. There’s no real point—she believes her government knows how to best protect its people, and should do so at any cost. But 95 days before her cure, Lena meets Alex, a confident and mysterious young man who makes her heart flutter and her skin turn red-hot. As their romance blossoms, Lena begins to doubt the intentions of those in power, and fears that her world will turn gray should she submit to the procedure. In this powerful and beautifully written novel, Lauren Oliver, the bestselling author of Before I Fall, throws readers into a tightly controlled society where options don’t exist, and shows not only the lengths one will go for a chance at freedom, but also the true meaning of sacrifice.

My Review:

"It has been sixty-four years since the president and the Consortium identified love as a disease, and forty-three since the scientists perfected a cure. Everyone else in my family has had the procedure already. My older sister, Rachel, has been disease-free for nine years now. She's been safe from love for so long, she says she can't even remember its symptoms. I'm scheduled to have my procedure in exactly ninety-five days, on September 3rd. My birthday."- Opening from DELIRIUM.


This novel is set in the future where the government has declared love a disease, known as deliria. In order to control the disease everyone gets "the cure" at age 18, basically a laser guided lobotomy to make you forget about feelings, fears and other things that may make you want to rebel against authority. Strictly enforced by regulators, everyone has to have the procedure and then live the life the government has planned for you, from your job to your spouse to the number of children you will have.

This is the world where Lena Haloway lives. She is weeks away from high school graduation and her 18th birthday, when she will be "cured". Her past harbors a dark secret: when Lena was eight years old her mother committed suicide because she was infected with love. Despite three attempts at a cure, none worked and she was left to suffer all the emotions associated with the disease. Lena's memories of her mother include laughter, gleeful dancing and her whispers of "I love you," something unheard of in their world. As she prepares herself for the cure she begins to notice the world around her. She notices how calm and serene those who have been cured seem. In fact they are robotic people, void of emotion and who mindlessly follow what the government tells them to do. Then she meets Alex who introduces her to an underground world where people believe that love is not a disease and that the cure should be avoided at all cost. She learns how they live in the world beyond the restricted borders of her town.

Lena begins to question everything she has been told about the disease of love, especially when she begins to fall for Alex. We follow her awakening to the feelings of love and to her realization that her mother was not crazy, just a woman in love. We follow her journey as she learns more about her mother and tries to escape the mandated cure.

I found this to be a terrible premise that could happen in a society where people do not have the ability to question authority. It would be so easy for a government to control people who feel no joy, love or pain. And I think there are leaders in the world who would welcome having this type of control.

The book is beautifully written and a joy to read. It made me think about how emotions can alter your perception of the world and how different the world would be without love. Lena's journey and her discovery of love reminded me of those early feelings of love one discovers during the teen years. A sample of the wonderful prose is found when Lena realizes she is falling in love:

"I know what the problem is, of course. The disorientation, the distraction, the difficulty focusing - all Phase One signs of deliria. But I don't care. If pneumonia felt this good I'd stand out in the snow in winter with bare feet and no coat, or march into the hospital and kiss pneumonia patients." (p.237).


The book stayed with me for days after I finished it, thinking about Lena's heartbreaking and painful journey to discover herself. In fact, the more I thought about it, the better the story became and I came to appreciate the deep inner meaning of the book. I was sorry to see the story end, but pleased to learn that there is a sequel in the works. I can't wait to find out what happens next for Lena.

Rating:

An outstanding, thought provoking read, don't miss this one

I have decided that on Tuesdays I will post In Book News where I will let you know about new releases, award winners and general news that pertain to the books I read. Today I have several new releases in the coming week:

March 1:


I Am J Author: Cris Beam

Description from Amazon:

Amazon Best Books of the Month, March 2011: Growing up, J (born as Jennifer) always thought of himself as a boy stuck in the body of a girl. In elementary school J shunned his mom’s attempts to stick him in dresses and preferred the rough-and-tumble play of boys on the playground. Now, as a teenager, J’s Puerto Rican mother and Jewish father want him to think about his future and one day start a family, a possibility that makes J feel misunderstood and anxious about what lies ahead. So after an argument with his best friend, J strikes out on his own. He starts classes at a school for transgender and gay teens, but the complications resulting from who he is and who he wants to be prevent J from truly connecting with anyone. Fed up hiding inside layers of oversized t-shirts, J decides to explore testosterone treatments and embarks on a path that will test his patience, maturity, and commitment. Author Cris Beam’s extraordinary understanding of this often overlooked population shows in J--a complex, conflicted character whose emotional journey will resonate beyond the final page. Equally impressive is Beam’s vivid dialog, which illuminates relationships and situations that any teen who has felt isolated will easily relate to. Thoughtfully researched and written, I Am J is ultimately an inspiring novel about deciding to lead the life one is meant to--no matter at what cost.





Recovery Road
Author: Blake Nelson


Description from Amazon:

From acclaimed author Blake Nelson, the story of girl meets boy...in rehab.

Madeline is sent away to Spring Meadows to help with a drinking and rage problem she has. It's a pretty intense place, but there is the weekly movie night in town--where Madeline meets Stewart, who's at another rehab place nearby. They fall for each other during a really crazy time in their lives. Madeline gets out and tries to get back on her feet, waiting for Stewart to join her. When he does, though, it's not the ideal recovery world Madeline dreamed of. Both of them still have serious problems. And Stewart's are only getting worse....

When Kit Corrigan arrives in New York City, she doesn't have much. She's fled from her family in Providence, Rhode Island, and she's broken off her tempestuous relationship with a boy named Billy, who's enlisted in the army.

The city doesn't exactly welcome her with open arms. She gets a bit part as a chorus girl in a Broadway show, but she knows that's not going to last very long. She needs help--and then it comes, from an unexpected source.

Nate Benedict is Billy's father. He's also a lawyer involved in the mob. He makes Kit a deal--he'll give her an apartment and introduce her to a new crowd. All she has to do is keep him informed about Billy . . . and maybe do him a favor every now and then.

As she did in her National Book Award-winning What I Saw and How I Lied, Judy Blundell traps readers in a web of love, deceit, intrigue, and murder. The result? One stunner of a novel.

May feels her life drying up. The sea calls to her, but her parents forbid her from swimming. She longs for books, but her mother finds her passion for learning strange. She yearns for independence, but a persistent suitor, Rudd, wants to tame her spirited ways. Yet after her fifteenth birthday, the urge to break free becomes overpowering and May makes a life-changing discovery. She does not belong on land where girls are meant to be obedient. She is a mermaid-a creature of the sea.

For the first time, May learns what freedom feels like-the thrill of exploring both the vast ocean and the previously forbidden books. She even catches the eye of Hugh, an astronomy student who, unlike the townspeople, finds May anything but strange. But not everyone is pleased with May's transformation. Rudd decides that if can't have May, no one will. He knows how to destroy her happiness and goes to drastic measures to ensure that May loses everything: her freedom and the only boy she's ever loved.

Adam has more than inherited his mother's curse: When he looks in someone's eyes, he not only sees the date of their death...he feels the searing, shocking pain of it. Since Jem died, Adam has lived by the sea with his great-grandmother, Val. But when rising tides flood the coast, they return to London. The city is an alien, exciting, frightening place. Most disturbing of all, Adam can't help but clock how many people's numbers are in January 2027; how many are on New Year's Day. What chaos awaits the world? Can he and Sarah stop a catastrophe? Or are they, too, counted among the "twenty-sevens"?