A Little Wanting Song

A Little Wanting Song by Cath Crowley
Alfred A. Knopf, 2005
262 pages
YA; Contemporary
4/5 stars

Source: Library

Read for YA Overlooked Book Battle.

This is told in alternating perspectives from Charlie, lonely city-girl, and Rose, smart country-girl dying to attend school in the city.  That marks the beginning of their friendship: Rose's desire to get out of the small Australian town where she has always lived and Charlie visits for the summer (as this is Australia, that summer is over Christmas break which was so weird to this American girl).  Their friendship brings out new aspects of each other.

This was a fine fast novel.  I enjoyed the alternating perspectives although sometimes it shifted so quick (most chapters were about two pages) that I was confused about who was talking; happily each chapter opens with the name of the narrator so it was easy to check.  Both girls have harbored mistaken impressions of each other for years but were desperate for new company.  I adored the way they came to know each other and helped the other heal in some ways.  Both of them have serious difficulties in their life.

However the part I really liked was the love story.  Rose has been dating Luke but troubles in their relationship have arisen.  But Dave has liked Charlie for years and she reciprocates!  Their courtship was super awkward but also super adorable and I rooted for them.

Another element is tidbits from the girls' respective interests.  Rose likes science and shares some cool factoids about rocks and water through her narrative.  Charlie loves music and that largely dominates her section, culminating in a performance at the end.

Overall: A sweet growing up story about wanting more.

Cover: I wish there were two girls but I really like the black and white with the splash of color.

Hollywood Nobody

Hollywood Nobody by Lisa Samson
NavPress, 2007
209 pages
YA; Contemporary
4/5 stars

Source: Library

Read for YA Book Battle Longlist

Scotty and her mother Charley spend their time on film sets as Charley is a food stylist.  This peripatetic lifestyle is largely to Scotty's taste as she has a good relationship with her mother, she gets to meet lots of cool people (including up-and-coming hottie actor Seth Haas), and she's very independent.  There are downsides though.  Charley won't tell Scotty anything about her father, Charley's vegan lifestyle keeps Scotty from her beloved cheese, and sometimes moving around isn't all that fun.

Scotty is incredibly likable, smart, funny, friendly, creative, and adventurous.  Everything you could want in a narrator.  Her constant pursuit of cheese was especially funny to me.  She also loves movies and creates a blog celebrating the hot guys, the normal-sized women, and the talented in Hollywood (among other things).

On the latest film set in North Carolina, she embarks on a new set of adventures from the mundane like reading The Great Gatsby and conquering geometry to keeping the very cute Seth Haas from the clutches of rude Karissa Bonano, exploring Christianity, helping new friend Joy Overstreet, and escaping from the big biker dude.

The presence of said dude leads to a shocking revelation of Scotty and Charley's past. I spent much of the book wondering about the twist and hoping that Samson would tell in this book despite it being only the first in a series.  And we do find out.  There are good reasons for Charley keeping it hidden but I found the reason outlandish and not in keeping with the general tone of the book.

I also mentioned Christianity above.  This is a Christian series but it's not a big part in this first book.  Scotty has no religious background but becomes intrigued by tent meetings in the small town where they're living.  While she finds the events of the tent meetings uninspiring, she does find Jesus compelling.  That rings so true with me; even if ritualistic and legalistic actions threaten to engulf Christianity, I turn to Jesus and it's alright.

Overall: A cute and funny story with a fantastic main character.

Cover: Actually quite accurate with her glasses and not straight hair.

So Shelly

So Shelly by Ty Roth
Delacorte Press, 2011
319 pages
YA; Contemporary
4/5 stars

Source: Library

Summary:  Drawing on the Romantic poets Byron, Keats, and Shelley comes a modern take on love and death.

How much do you know about those poets? Because their (well mostly Gordon Byron's) lecherous side really comes out and quite frankly shocked me.  It covers up to about their eighteenth year and the acts committed largely by Gordon appalled me; it was so different from my own high school experience and disgusting to my sense of morality.  And the real-life guy did pretty much the same things! I struggle with how someone could be so depraved and those elements made it difficult for me to read.

Gordon and Keats are loosely inspired by their namesakes but Shelly is actually sort of a composite of Mary and Percy Shelley as the author shares in his end note. Her premature death is the framework for the story.  Gordon and Keats are two of her friends who she has charged with a final task.  As they set out to complete that commission, their lives are revealed with all of the darkness and debauchery accompanying that.  It covers Gordon's outsize fame and appetites, Keats's imminent death, and what would cause Shelly to kill herself.

I really enjoyed the writing and Gordon did have a magnetism for me despite everything I read about him.  I wanted to keep reading and I flew through this book.  Although I haven't read much about the Romantics, I think it does capture their philosophy of life and would be enjoyable for those who do like the Romantic poets a lot.

Warning: Content definitely puts this on the older side of YA.

Cover: Haunting-made me think there would be some paranormal aspects but that is untrue.

Read for YA Debut Author Challenge.

The Last Knight

The Last Knight by Hilari Bell
Eos, 2007
357 pages
YA; Fantasy
4/5 stars

Source: Library

Read for Best Overlooked YA Book Battle.

Eighteen-year old Sir Michael has decided to take up the lost art of knight errantry in order to avoid a stultifying existence on his father's estate.  He saves a seventeen-year old Fisk from his criminal existence to serve as his squire.  One night they rescue Lady Ceciel from a tower only to discover the next day that she had been sentenced there for poisoning her husband.  They must track her down and bring her in for justice in order to be redeemed in the eyes of the law.

I really enjoyed the alternating perspectives as first Fisk and then Michael tell their story.  They have many amusing side adventures as they attempt to track down Lady Ceciel and become actual friends.  Michael, raised as a noble, abhors the idea of lying while Fisk, as a pretty successful conman, has lying as his natural instinct. The conflict between the two over this was very amusing; in general, I sided with Fisk because some of their tasks would have been easier with lies.

I wish we could have had more back-story on Fisk's past as a thief; there are hints but I felt more could have been elaborated.  I also would have liked to know more about Michael's past.  I enjoyed seeing the characters as they were but I wouldn't have minded learning more.  The world was also somewhat sketchily outlined.  There are two moons on the cover, which seem to reflect gods but I didn't fully understand their belief system.  Magic is also present in this world.  Luckily there appear to be sequels so hopefully I can learn more through them.

Overall: An nice story about his knight errant and his squire that left me eager for the next book.

Threads and Flames

Threads and Flames by Esther Friesner
Viking, 2010
386 pages
YA; Historical
4/5 stars

Source: Library

Read for YA Overlooked Book Battle.

This book was a great historical fiction novel with its main conflict coming from the famous Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire on March 25, 1911 where the main character Raisa and most of her friends work. But that doesn't occur until near the end of the book.

Raisa just managed to survive typhus in her Polish shtetl before she embarks on a journey to America to meet her older sister Henda who has lived there for the past four years.  On the boat, she befriends Zusa, a young woman about her age, and begins to take care of little Brina whose mother dies on the ship.  Upon arrival, she begins to search for Henda.  Unfortunately Henda had received a letter informing her of Raisa's death and is thus nowhere to be found.  Luckily for Raisa, though, she finds a good room to let and soon starts earning money.  Eventually all of the main young characters end up working for the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory leading to the fire that devastates a community and highlights the inequities of the American economic system.

Raisa was a very brave girl; she turns fourteen on the ship over but she acts much more maturely than me and I'm twenty-one.  She takes on the responsibility of caring for Brina and she works tirelessly to master sewing with a machine as well as learning English.  Of course, she also gets to have fun with her friends Zusa, Italian immigrant Luciana, and dreamy Gavrel, the son of her landlords.

The historical details were fantastic! Although this is not my time period, I felt very immersed in the world described.  Although not much time is spent there, the worst part (and worst because accurate) was the descriptions of the sweatshops, awful places where the cloth is valued more than the people; as Friesner reminds us in her author's note, such places still exist, even in America where they ought not to.  The description of the fire is also powerful with the confusion and the people who jumped out of the window in order to avoid being burned particularly grabbing me.

Despite those sad facts, there is also the optimism of the American dream with Raisa looking to be a teacher and Gavrel looking to be a rabbi, which would give them a better life than they had known and give any children a better life too.  The ending is pretty optimistic.

My biggest quibble was the search for Henda.  Raisa starts strong but as time passes and no sign of her emerges, her fears begin to master her.  The way she finds Henda seemed way too coincidental to me and I rolled my eyes a little.  However I'm glad that Raisa got to find out what happened to her sister so that's good.

Overall: A good historical novel calling attention to the dark tragedies lurking in the American dream.

Cover: I like the title within the charred fabric scraps or paper.

Book of the Month: May

My pick for the month of May is Elizabeth Scott's newest: Between Here and Forever. As I've mentioned before, I love Scott's work and I've seen some very positive reviews already.  I was lucky enough to get an e-galley copy via Simon & Schuster's GalleyGrab program.  A review will be published on the day of release, May 24th.

April Stats

Info (sorry for length):

This was a hard month because I had my thesis due April 15th. I was also sad that I didn't get to participate in the readathon April 9th-10th but I still had an AMAZING reading month with 53 books read.  In fact, I increased my goodreads challenge from 250 to 300 books; we'll see how that goes.

April marked the start of judging for the YA Best Overlooked Book Battle of 2011. I couldn't wait to get started; see this post for more info. Asterisks denote the books I read this month for the battle. Some observations: some of these books were probably overlooked because they're LONG!  Also most of the ones I read were contemporary/historical, which confirms for me that paranormal romance gets most of the buzz despite the greatness of contemporary.  I prefer contemporary as I've mentioned before and I enjoyed this chance to read more. I also read very few books with white upper-middle class females; instead more male protagonists and persons of color appeared.  Once the shortlist is posted on The Shady Glade, I will post my personal top 10.

Because of the judging, Netgalley and my challenges were largely ignored so that will be more of a focus for May although I think I'm on track for all because I didn't sign up for many.  A couple of books I absolutely adored will be also be reviewed.  I would say my usual mix of largely YA plus some adult books holds true again for May.

Monthly Stats:

Books Read This Month: 53
Pages Read This Month: 16,154
Average Length of Book: 311
Average Rating of Book: 3.95

Favorite Book: (It's my blog so I'm picking three this month) Sean Griswold's Head by Lindsey Leavitt; The Thin Executioner by Darren Shan; and Whale Talk by Chris Crutcher

Most Disappointing Book: A Tale of Two Castles by Gail Carson Levine

Longest Book: Four Novels by R.K. Narayan at 609 pages (as this is a collection of four novels, that is not surprising)

Shortest Book: Aya by Marguerite Abouet, 96 pages (graphic novel)

Year Stats:

Total Books Read: 157

Total Pages Read: 46,331

Average Length of Book: 295

Average Rating of Book: 3.95

By Genre:
Mystery/Thriller-1
YA/MG-43
Romance-1

Classics-3

Science Fiction/Fantasy-0

Non-Fiction-2
Historical Fiction-0
Short Stories-0
Other-3

Challenge Updates:

Contemps: 2 read, 9 total

Cozy: 0 read, 2 total

British Books: 5 read, 27 total

YA Debut: 3 read, 16 total

Ebook: 8 read, 43 total

Source:

Home Library-0

School Library-37

Own/Borrowed-5

Booksneeze-0

Netgalley-4

Other ebook source-4

Audiobook-1
Amazon Vine- 2

Read for school: 5

Read for pleasure: 48

Stats for Previous Months: January; February; March

Books Read (Link for those reviewed):

105. Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

106. Godaan/Gift of a Cow by Premchand

107. Waterfall by Lisa Tawni Bergren

108. The Spy Who Came In From the Cold by John le Carre

109. The Perfect Scandal by Delilah Marvelle
110. Sean Griswold's Head by Lindsey Leavitt
111. The Goddess Test by Aimee Carter
112. Heretics by Jonathan Wright
*113. Hollywood Nobody by Lisa Samson
*114. The Diamond of Drury Lane by Julia Golding
*115. The Grimm Legacy by Polly Shulman
116. Pancatantra translated by Patrick Olivelle
117. Shift by Jeri Smith-Ready
118. The Summer Before Boys by Nora Raleigh Baskin
*119. The Thin Executioner by Darren Shan
*120. Compromised by Heidi Ayarbe
*121. Keeping Corner by Kashmira Sheth
*122. The Sky Is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson
123. Wrapped by Jennifer Bradbury
*124. Winter's End by Jean-Claude Mourlevat
*125. The Strange Case of Origami Yoda by Tom Angleberger
*126. Saving Maddie by Varian Johnson
*127. Carpe Diem by Autumn Cornwell
*128. The Third Pig Detective Agency by Bob Burke
*129. Song of the Sparrow by Lisa Ann Sandell
130. Samskara by U.R. Anantha Murthy
*131. The 10 P.M. Question by Kate De Goldi
*132. The Remarkable Life and Times of Eliza Rose by Mary Hooper
*133. 13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson
*134. Crowned by Julie Linker
135. The Portrait of a Lady by Henry James
136. Like Mandarin by Kirsten Hubbard
*137. On Viney's Mountain by Joan Donaldson
*138. The Rise of Renegade X by Chelsea M. Campbell
139. A Tale of Two Castles by Gail Carson Levine
*140. Whale Talk by Chris Crutcher
*141. John Belushi is Dead by Kathy Charles
142. Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen
*143. Threads and Flames by Esther Friesner
*144. Keturah and Lord Death by Martine Leavitt
*145. A Little Wanting Song by Cath Crowley
*146. The Hollow Kingdom by Clare B. Dunkle
*147. Adios, Nirvana by Conrad Wesselhoeft
*148. Hold Me Closer, Necromancer by Lish McBride
*149. The Last Knight by Hilari Bell
*150. Alien Invasions and Other Inconveniences by Brian Yansky
151. The Magic World of Orson Welles by James Naremore
152. Prom and Prejudice by Elizabeth Eulberg
*153. Aya by Marguerite Abouet
*154. Eon by Alison Goodman
*155. Kiki Strike: Inside the Shadow City by Kirsten Miller
156. Four Novels by R.K. Narayan
*157. Nevermore by Kelly Creagh