Young Adult

The Inexplicables

2013, Books in Bed, Steampunk, Young Adult /

I’m kind of annoyed that I didn’t figure out “what” the Inexplicables were earlier than I did. I mean I knew before the Princess explained it to the boys, but I should have figured it out right away. I was over-thinking it and stuck in the whole zombies thing.

I was kind of bummed by the book in general though, I didn’t really like Rector very much — and I generally like the “bad” kid in books. Or at least feel some empathy for the “bad” kid. I don’t know why he grated on me so much or why I never really came around to liking him even a little bit.

Weird. Very weird.

I’m still looking forward to finding out what happens next.

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Etiquette & Espionage

2013, Books in Bed, Favorites, Steampunk, Young Adult /

I’ve been waiting for the new YA series from Gail Carriger since, forever. OK not forever but it felt that way. Now that I’ve read Etiquette & Espionage I’m back to counting the days (months!) until the next book is out. Grrr. I hate waiting for books.

Sophronia is more Flavia de Luce than Alexia Tarabotti — probably, in part, due to the age of Sophronia and her friends as well as the lack of supernaturals. Oh there are supernaturals, just not so many or so frequent as in the P.P. series. I wonder if we’ll get more supernaturals in future books — and more characters to help us connect the dots to the P.P. series. (the dots we were able to connect in this book were excellent. Well done, Carriger, well done.

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Rebel Heart

2013, Books in Bed, Sci Fi and Fantasy, Young Adult /

We listened to the first book on audio and the spelling/grammar was a little troubling but we got used to it. Reading the print version of Rebel Heart, well, it was jarring every time I picked the book up. I understand its purpose but still jarring. I think we’re going to have to listen to the third book on audio, it seems easier (though it sure took longer to listen to than this one took to read.)

I also can’t decide whether I liked this one better or worse than the first one. I think maybe… both?

Too much Saba. Not enough character development of the other characters. And Lugh? Well I didn’t like him in the first book – I pretty much hated him in this one.

I’m gonna be all sad about the next book, I know that much right now. Poor Tommo.

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Girl of Nightmares

1 Comment / 2013, Books in Bed, Favorites, Sci Fi and Fantasy, Young Adult /

I did that thing that I always do at the beginning of the year – I went through my reading list from last year and reserved a few books from series or sequels to books that we’ve read, to try and keep up/catch up. Girl of Nightmares was one of those – the sequel to Anna Dressed in Blood (one of the best kids horror books I’ve read.)

Girl of Nightmares wasn’t as creepy as Anna  Dressed in Blood – not enough scary stuff, too much talking about scary stuff that might or might not happen. And I guess watching an already dead and gone to hell ghost die over and over again, in horrible ways, is not as creepy, scary as reading about very scary ghosties attacking people.  The suicide forest wasn’t even as creepy as I thought it would be – maybe I’ve always pictured the suicide forest differently?

So while it wasn’t nearly as creepy, it was still good. I really liked the addition of Jestine and how it all played out at the end – Anna went where she was supposed to go, I think … now we just have to see what happens with the Order and its asthame…

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The Clockwork Three

2013, Audiobooks, Books in Bed, Children's Literature, Favorites, Young Adult /

I reserved The Clockwork Three, on audio, last year – after we finished listening to the author’s book, Icefall. Two completely different books, both very good – I really enjoyed every single character in The Clockwork Three. The kids, the adults (even the bad adults) – fabulously done. (I’m sorry he doesn’t have another book for me to reserve because I’m pretty darn sure we’d enjoy it, whatever it was about.)

(The epilogue and the reading of the news stories, from the late 1800s, that inspired him to write this book was interesting, too.)

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The Last Dragonslayer

2013, Books in Bed, Children's Literature, Cybil Challenge, Sci Fi and Fantasy, Young Adult /

Jasper Fforde! For Kids! The Last Dragonslayer is listed on the Cybils (and at the library) as YA but it seemed a little young to me. Not that older teens won’t like it, I think some would – but I can think of a lot more 10 year olds who would really get into it than I can 17 year olds.

Jennifer Strange is a great character. Tiger Prawns is also excellent. I loved the Quarkbeast (and it looks like the next book is Quarkbeast related, so yay!). I’d like to get to know more of the magician people in future books.

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The Apps: From the Cybils Shortlist

2012, Books in Bed, Children's Literature, Cybil Challenge, Young Adult /

I’m not going to commit to reviewing these next year. Not because they aren’t good, most are. But it doesn’t make sense to me to pay for apps that nobody in my house is going to use after I’ve played with them for a few hours. I’ll have to wait til JMP is stateside (and a little older) before I consider reviewing these again…

But, here’s what I thought about these:

Be Confident in Who You Are – This was my least favorite app. I’m not sure I’ve met a pre-teen or teen who would do much more than roll their eyes at this one.

BoBo Explores Light – This was fun and an app that some of the older kids might want to play with a little bit.

Harold and the Purple Crayon – I didn’t get to review this. I’m not a Harold & the Purple Crayon fan so I put it off til this month, only to find that the app is not available for download in the US. Oh well. 😉

Hildegard Sings – This was amusing but not THAT amusing. I found it a little hard to know which items you could manipulate within the pages so I was just touching everything.

Pat the Bunny – I loved this one. Could be that it’s because I love Pat the Bunny but I don’t think so. I was prepared to DISLIKE this app because in my head you need to be able to touch all of the different textures in the book. Which is true, but this app is so nicely done that it’s fun to interact with. I also love that you can record your own voice reading the book. If only I’d downloaded it on Jenn’s phone while I was in Hawaii… sigh.

The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore – This was a fun book for the iPhone. I won’t be uninstalling it.

The Monster at the End of This Book – I had this one installed before the shortlist came out, it was a free download from Starbucks and that’s the only reason I had the app. I am not a fan of this book so I didn’t expect to like it. I LOVE IT. The big kids all love it. GREAT fun app — better than the book ever was.

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Perry’s Killer Playlist

1 Comment / 2012, Books in Bed, Favorites, Fiction, Young Adult /

Perry’s Killer Playlist is Killer… the actual playlist (which I think I’m going to have to create on my iPhone and on Spotify) and the book.  If you haven’t read Au Revoir, Crazy European Chick, read  that first – and then read Perry’s Killer Playlist. Read before the movie comes out.

The Santa Claus convention, nice touch. Lol

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Black Heart (and the Problem with Audiobooks)

2012, Audiobooks, Books in Bed, Favorites, Sci Fi and Fantasy, Young Adult /

When we finished Leverage, on audio, TW asked for a new audio book but made me promise we would never listen to another book like “THAT” again. I laughed and told her not to worry because I knew the perfect book to listen to next. A book that had come in for us at exactly the same time Leverage came in. A book I had to take back to the library because it took us so long to listen to Leverage and because it couldn’t be renewed (others had it reserved, too.) 

Black Heart, the latest book in the Curse Worker series arrived last weekend. I picked it up on Wednesday. We started listening to it on Thursday afternoon. We finished listening to it today, just after noon. That’s not even three days! Which tells you two things – first, it’s not long. A bit more than six hours on audio, I think. But that also tells you that we spend an ass ton of time in the car. Worse yet because there are times when we don’t listen to the audiobook while we are in the car – when TW’s mom is riding with us, for instance. Or when we’re chatting up the girls.

That’s the only thing I don’t like about books on audio. They can remind me of just how much of my life is spent shuttling around, from here to there. No wonder I never have time to lay on the couch and watch Dawson’s Creek. Poop.

Anyway, back to Black Heart.

I loved the ending. Not just the Cassel/Lila part – but the part about Danica and Barron. The only problem is… Black writes trilogies. Gah. Are we really never going to know what happens next? Or is this the lead up to a new trilogy?

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Leverage

2 Comments / 2012, Audiobooks, Books in Bed, Cybil Challenge, Young Adult /

Some books should not be listened to on audio. Some books should come with a warning that says “Gut-Wrenching & Heartbreaking”.

I’ve watched a lot of movies of the intense, graphic, emotionally, physically painful variety. I’ve read a lot of books of the intense, graphic, emotionally, physically painful variety. Rape. Child abuse, physical and emotional. Bullying. Horror. You name it, I’ve seen it or read about it.

I read Push twice. I read The Kid, for goodness sakes.

And I sure as hell didn’t expect a book about a High School football player and a High School gymnast to be the most difficult and stomach churning book I’ve ever listened to.

I had to go through long spells of not listening to Leverage because it’s so horrible. Not the writing or the characters but the violence done to characters by other characters. Horrible.

Once we reached the end, TW said it was a book she would recommend to absolutely nobody. Ever.

I can’t quite agree because this shit does happen. Sports culture IS like this. IN HIGH SCHOOL. People should know this. They should read this. Just know, before you start – I don’t recommend it on audio. Do not read this if you’re looking for a feel good sports story, this is not that book. You will feel dirty and sick and heartbroken over and over and over again as you read.  You might even find it difficult to drive past a damn high school football field while/after reading it – or maybe that’s just me?

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