Gimme A Call

Gimme A Call
By Sarah Mlynowski
Delacorte Press, 2010. 307 pgs. Young Adult

A new life is just a phone call away!
Devi's life isn't turning out at all like she wanted. She wasted the past three years going out with Bryan—cute, adorable, break-your-heart Bryan. Devi let her friendships fade, blew off studying, didn't join any clubs . . . and now that Bryan has broken up with her, she has nothing left. Not even her stupid cell phone—she dropped it in the mall fountain. Now it only calls one number . . . hers. At age fourteen, three years ago!

Once Devi gets over the shock—and convinces her younger self that she isn't some wacko—she realizes that she's been given an awesome gift. She can tell herself all the right things to do . . . because she's already done all the wrong ones! Who better to take advice from than your future self? Except . . .what if getting what you think you want changes everything?

This was a pretty good book. I enjoyed seeing seventeen-year-old, Devi’s life change as she makes varying choices as her fourteen-year-old self. I would recommend this book to teens looking for a light, humorous book.

AMM

Love, Football, and Other Contact Sports

Love, Football, and Other Contact Sports
By Alden R. Carter
Holiday House, 2006. 261 pgs. Young Adult

This is a series of interconnected short stories revolving around a small town high school football team. They show the growth of some of the players, as well as their softer sides. Also featured are the girls who both loathe and love them. The characters vary from short story to short story, but the way they work together still gives a good picture of both the serious and silly side of high school life.

As with any short story collection, I liked some stories better than others. Overall, I definitely enjoyed the collection, and as a character-driven reader, really appreciated getting to spend more time with the characters (most of whom were quite likable) than I would in the average short story. A good one for fans of Dairy Queen by Catherine Gilbert Murdock.

AE

We Shall Overcome: A Song that Changed the World

We Shall Overcome: A Song that Changed the World
By Stuart Stotts
Clarion Books, 2010. 72 pgs. Young Adult Nonfiction

Stuart Stotts presents the background behind the song "We Shall Overcome," tracing it back to African American spirituals as well as folk singers like Pete Seeger who adapted it or added lyrics. The book also shows how the song evolved to be the anthem for the Civil Rights Movement and then, to a lesser degree, a song of the anti-Vietnam War Movement. It concludes with interesting information about how the song has spread worldwide.

This book didn't quite flow as well as I would like; the different aspects of the song's history weren't explained as clearly as they could have been. However, the information provided is interesting, the photographs included add depth to the topic, and the bibliography useful for finding additional information. It comes with a CD of Pete Seeger performing the song, which definitely enhances the experience.

AE

A Sweet Disorder

A Sweet Disorder
By Jacqueline Kolosov
Hyperion, 2009. 418 pgs. Young Adult

Miranda’s perfect life comes crashing down when her father dies abroad in Ireland. With the estate in debt and her father’s stipulation that upon his death, Miranda becomes the ward of others, Miranda leaves her home and joins the household of the austere Earl and Countess of Turbury. Here Miranda studies the Bible and other pious texts instead of the romance novels she favors and the Countess looks down on Miranda’s elaborate embroidering. To add further insult to injury, Miranda’s intended, Henry Raleigh, can no longer honor the arrangement between them. When Queen Elizabeth invites Miranda to court to be one of her Maidens, Miranda jumps at the chance to escape her new life. But court politics, even among the Maidens, makes Miranda wary and shows that she cannot trust anyone, especially as she realizes that perhaps she can engineer her own escape from the Countess. A pleasant enough read, and a predictable one, this book is not a bad way to spend an afternoon.

MN

Stones Into Schools

Stones into Schools
Greg Mortenson
Viking, 2009. 402 p. Nonfiction

“If you educate a boy, you educate an individual. If you educate a girl, you educate a community...” is the African proverb that directs Greg Mortenson’s life. He’s the now famous author of the bestselling Three Cups of Tea and his work for peace through education in the war torn countries of Afghanistan and Pakistan continues in Stones into Schools. Mortenson recounts the stories of hard work and adventures that accompany “The Dirty Dozen”—a hodge-podge gang he’s assembled to aid his school and community center building endeavors. They’re a funny, motley crew and their quirky traits and adventures are beguiling, ranging anywhere from the saliva-producing yak feasts to out-running violent characters through the chaos of these stricken countries.

However, it’s the quest for schools that drives the plot and Mortenson argues that female education is paramount in this region of the world--reaching far up the clan hierarchy where life-changing decisions are made. It’s not a quick-read, but an admirable choice if non-fiction is your thing and peace and education your aspirations. One reason Mortenson might have achieved so much success is the personal philosophy he always applies--“Listen with Humility”. It’s served him well and provides grand advice for us all.

DAP

The Maze Runner

The Maze Runner
By James Dashner
Delacorte Press, 2009. 375 pgs. Young Adult

When Thomas wakes up in the lift, the only thing he can remember is his first name. He has no recollection of his parents, his home, or how he got where he is. When the lift's doors open, Thomas finds himself surrounded by kids who welcome him to the Glade, a large expanse enclosed by stone walls. Just like Thomas, the Gladers don't know why or how they got to the Glade. All they know is that every morning, for as long as anyone can remember, the stone doors to the maze that surrounds them have opened. Every night, for just as long, they've closed tight. And no one wants to be stuck in the Maze after dark.

Every thirty days a new boy is delivered in the lift, so the Gladers were expecting Thomas's arrival. But the next day, a girl is sent up - the first girl ever to arrive in the Glade. More surprising yet is the message she delivers. And something about her arrival is starting to make Thomas feel different. Something is telling him that he just might have some answers - if he can only find a way to retrieve the dark secrets locked within his own mind.

This is the first in a trilogy, and was quite a page-turner. I was hungry for more as each part of the story unfolded, and as soon as one secret was revealed I was eager for the next. I kept wondering if this book was going to turn into something like Lord of the Flies, but it wasn't as dark as that. I think fans of The Hunger Games will really enjoy this, though I did see some mixed reviews. The most common complaint was about weak characters, but I never noticed. I think readers who like to experience different worlds or alternate realities and adventure in their reading will get the most out of this book. I'd say books similar to this are: The Hunger Games, The Knife of Never Letting Go, Ender's Game, and Unwind.

BHG

Provenance: How a Con Man and a Forger Rewrote the History of Modern Art

Provenance: How a Con Man and a Forger Rewrote the History of Modern Art
By Laney Salisbury and Aly Sujo
Penguin Press, 2009, 327 Pages, Nonfiction

What makes art great and who has the right to pronounce it great? Is it the style, the artist, the price? Provenance “paints” a fascinating and colorful picture of a devious con man, John Drewe, who sells fake art to high-priced galleries and rich clients. Rationalizing that if they thought what he was selling them was great art, then he was only giving them what they wanted, he sold hundreds of paintings created to look like the works of modern masters. His intrigues included gaining access to the archives of famous galleries where he introduced forged documents to create faked provenance for the art he was selling. His exploits were so prolific and convoluted that to this day there are still fakes hanging in famous galleries and forged documents in archives. Tracing some of the faked art from the painter, John Myatt, who was employed by Drewe, through middlemen, dealers, archives and galleries, investigative reporters Salisbury and Sujo have created a book that very is hard to put down.

Nobody's Princess

Nobody's Princess
By Esther Friesner
Random House, 2007. 305 pgs. Young Adult

Helen of Sparta (who will someday be known as Helen of Troy) gets a little tired of always being told she's beautiful. She gets very tired of doing women's work, such as carding wool, especially as she has no talent for it. So she begins sneaking away to train to be a warrior with her brothers. And when her brothers go on a quest to kill a boar sent by angry goddess Artemis, Helen goes along and befriends Atalanta, a woman warrior who is also determined to kill the boar. From there, Helen encounters the Oracle of Delphi--and learns how to shape her own destiny.

This book was an interesting contradiction to me; Helen is supposed to be this independent, strong female--and while she is sometimes, other times, it seems like she's content to sit back and watch, rather than to try to be involved or truly stand up for herself. I was also irritated by the strange emphasis on moments such as Helen learning to ride a horse rather than ones of higher action, such as the actual boar hunt (which Helen does manage to witness). The book does have a sequel, Nobody's Prize, and perhaps that manages to round Helen into a complete character who forges the life she desires.

AE

The Accidental Bestseller

The Accidental Bestseller
By Wendy Wax
Berkley Books, 2009. 419 pgs. Fiction

Years ago four aspiring authors met at their very first writers’ convention. Ten years later Mallory, Faye, Tanya, and Kendall are still friends. When Kendall’s career and marriage begin to tank her friends gather around her to give her emotional and literary support. Together they collaborate on a book using their own lives and individual secrets for the novel’s material. They assume this book will not receive much press, but when it becomes a sudden bestseller, the friends realize how little they’ve known about each other even after all the years of friendship.

I liked getting an insider’s look at the world of publishing as I read this novel. I was surprised by the secrets each of these authors revealed and how their friendship was affected by the secrecy. Although this book is not squeaky clean; I had a hard time putting this book down.

AMM

Finnikin of the Rock

Finnikin of the Rock
By Melina Marchetta
Candlewick Press, 2010. 399 pgs. Young Adult

Eight-year-old Finnikin of the Rock pledges with Balthazar, prince of Lumatere and Lucien, son of the Monts, that they will keep Lumatere safe and protected. Ten years later Finnikin roams the kingdoms with Sir Topher, looking for a new home for his people and country after the Five Days of the Unspeakable when the king and his family were murdered, half the inhabitants were exiled, and the imposter king took over. Then, in a dream, the prince’s name is whispered to Finnikin and he and Sir Topher meet the novice Evanjalin, who walks through her sleep with the Lumaterans and speaks of the heir’s return. Struggling with conflicting feelings of guilt and hope, Finnikin is unsure of Evanjalin’s knowledge and her determined hope and doesn’t know whether to follow her.

A darker young adult fantasy more suited for sophisticated readers, this does not focus so much on action, but is character-driven; each character struggles with their past and present actions and how they can restore Lumatere, and themselves, to a better state. Finnikin and Evanjalin are perfect foils to each other; Finnikin worries about his own desires (prompted in part by a warning given to him by a powerful witch) while Evanjalin longs to use her mysterious powers to give Lumaterans their country and hope back. Twists and turns abound in this novel that also has romance, magic, and intrigue. This is definitely one of my favorite fantasy novels to date.

MN

The Big Book of Church Jokes

The Big Book of Church Jokes
By Len Jones and Dennis Daniel
Barbour Pub., 2009. 367 p. Nonfiction

If you or your Sunday School could use a bit of livening up, this non-denominational book of religious jokes (complete with cartoons) will have the congregation chuckling. You’ll definitely find some groaners, but that’s half the fun.

One of my favorites was from the “Sunday School” section. When a teacher asked her young students to explain God, one of the girls replied. “One of God’s main jobs is making people. He makes them to replace the ones that die so there will always be enough people to take care of things on our planet. He only makes babies, not grown-ups, because they are small and easier to handle.” While you might not always agree, you definitely have to see the wisdom in her response.

There’s also a section devoted to the spiritual messages seen on church billboards. For the frugal-minded, “Free Trip to Heaven—Details Inside!” and for those with a penchant for procrastination, “Don’t Wait for the Hearse to Take You to Church”. So check it out to see just how fun getting some religion can be!

DAP

Cake Wrecks

Cake Wrecks: When Professional Cakes go Hilariously Wrong
By Jen Yates
Andrews McMeel Publishing, LLC, 2009. 191 p. Nonfiction

You know that saying, “you’d have to see it to believe it”? Well, it definitely holds true for Cake Wrecks—a book based on Jen Yate’s notorious blog highlighting the best (as in the worst) cake disasters known to mankind and the culinary world. The pictures of these tragic sugared confections of frosted goo aren’t complete without Yate’s humorous commentary and she blithely points out the insanity of a cake that reads “I want sprinkles”. Perhaps the sprinkles were to be actually…sprinkled on the cake rather than written but what gets lost in translation is easily spun into a belly laugh that’s rather snarky, but all in good fun.

As Yates points out “A cake wreck is any professionally made cake that is unintentionally sad, silly, creepy, inappropriate—you name it.” (and she does). From a camouflaged wedding tier replete with plastic army men to the surprising news of “I am Pregnanet” announced joyfully in red frosting. There are plenty more sweet horrors where that came from so laugh all you want, because the party just doesn’t stop. Just a reminder for our sensitive readers, some of these cake-tastic creations may need a tad bit of censoring. For more sugarlicious fun check out her blog at http://cakewrecks.blogspot.com/.

DAP

The House at Riverton

The House at Riverton
By Kate Morton
Atria Books, 2008. 473 pgs. Fiction

Grace Bradley began working at Riverton House as a maid before the start of World War I. She is now in her 90’s and feels a need to relive the years she spent in service to the Hartford family. As her mind visits the past she is again faced with doubts concerning secrets she has kept faithfully for decades. But now that she is the last living witness to the events leading to the suicide of a young poet in 1924, she feels compelled to share the truth before it is lost forever.

Kate Morton is the author of The Forgotten Garden, which I loved. Because of this, I decided to read Morton’s first novel. While The House at Riverton is not the worst book I’ve read this year, it certainly is not as enjoyable as her second published work. I felt like the first 450 pages slowly built to the last 25, which I admit ended the book with a surprise twist I had not anticipated. This is a decent suspense novel that does remind me of Du Maurier’s Rebecca, minus most of the suspense and an intriguing storyline.

CZ

I Am Nujood, Age 10 and Divorced

I Am Nujood, Age 10 and Divorced
By Nujood Ali and Delphine Minoui
Three Rivers Press, 2010. 188 pgs. Biography

In an honest and heart breaking narrative, Nujood Ali tells of her escape, at age ten, from an abusive marriage. The story she shares is clearly from her point of view and readers are never allowed to forget that they are hearing this tale from a child, still in Primary School, just learning to read and discovering the world with all its beauty and cruelty. Nujood describes her rural childhood which was cut tragically short by her marriage to a man she had never met, the horrors of being trapped without a soul willing to rescue her, and her courageous escape and battle for freedom from a life she could not bear.

It is almost impossible for me to imagine the courage needed for a little girl, completely abandoned by family, to do what Nujood did. To fight for herself and her right to a childhood in the face of such pain, is an example of inborn grace and strength that few of us can claim to possess. I believe that the humility portrayed in Nujood’s short account is what gives it the power to inspire and uplift, despite the abuse and horror it brings to light. This would be a great selection for book clubs and I can easily recommend it to almost anyone.

CZ

Secret History of the Mongol Queens

Secret History of the Mongol Queens: How the Daughters of Genghis Khan Rescued His Empire
By J. McIver Weatherford
Crown Publishers, 2010. 317 pgs. Nonfiction

Genghis Khan rose to power at the dawn of the 13th Century. He conquered a vast empire through bloody campaigns that spanned decades. Because his legacy is one of brutal conquest, you may be surprised to learn of his great respect for and dependence on women to maintain control of such an expansive territory. Not one of his sons was ever entrusted with governing any portion of his empire. Instead, he married his daughters to conquered rulers and gave them power to govern in his stead. Unfortunately, soon after his death, the empire crumbled and his daughters lost power. More amazing female leaders followed throughout the history of the Mongols and this book attempts to tell the stories of their strength and influence, which extends beyond what you may guess.

If you thought the history of the Tudors was filled with intrigue and scandal, you certainly have not read up on the history of the Mongols and the great Khans. I admit to having a difficult time remembering whose name belongs to whom, what their connections and politics were, and what their significance was, but if you get past that, this book is a wealth of fascinating stories about amazing individuals in a cold and inhospitable area of the world. I was completely swept up in the lives of these nomads and their proud history. A must read for anyone who enjoys popular history writing.

CZ

Peace Like a River

Peace Like a River
By Leif Enger
Atlantic Monthly Press, 2001. 313 pgs. Historical Fiction

Eleven-year-old Reuben Land has a special family--his younger sister Swede, a poet obsessed with outlaws and the West; his older brother Davy, stern and strong; and his father, whose faith in and relationship with God bring miracles into their lives. When Davy is charged with murder and subsequently breaks out of jail, the other Lands find themselves on the trip to find him. With the FBI following them, looking for Davy as diligently as they are, Reuben finds himself looking for more miracles--and they do come, but not in the form he expected.

Reuben, as an engaging and honest narrator, enough to draw me into the book even though it's not the type I usually read. The themes of love, family and faith resonate with readers and make this book an enjoyable journey.

**This book is available as a book club set.**

AE

Evidence of the Afterlife

Evidence of the Afterlife: The Science of Near Death Experiences
Jeffrey Long, MD w/ Paul Perry
HarperOne, 2010. 215 p. Nonfiction

There are more questions than there are answers, but one thing Jeffrey Long is certain of--life after death is a reality. When Jeffrey Long was a med student he first encountered the term “near-death experience” in a medical journal. Although fascinated by the subject, he didn’t become a believer until hearing a first-hand account from a friend’s wife. That was when he began collecting and analyzing people's experiences. Long is a radiation oncologist, but his first love is the near-death experience or NDE (an acronym you’ll encounter throughout the book). He’s collected data from people all over the world and the research is just now being published--the largest, first-hand case-study examination ever conducted. This MD isn’t asking for faith, he’s delivering the science.

The most fascinating aspects are the numerous transcriptions of personal near-death experiences and if you want to read more of them, check out his website at www.nderf.org. But whatever religion you subscribe to, this good doctor believes that knowing all NDErs share the same feelings of unconditional love and peace in their afterlife experience should bring the global community closer. If you had solid evidence that death isn’t the end, would it change your life? Read Long’s “Evidence of the Afterlife” and you just might find out.

DAP

The Postmistress

The Postmistress
By Sarah Blake
Amy Einhorn Books/G. P. Putnam's Sons, 2010. 326 pgs. Fiction

Iris James is a straightforward, play by the rules woman who runs the Franklin post office. Frankie Bard, radio gal, is dedicated to informing Americans of the horrors of war and the plights of the displaced and hunted Jewish people at the beginning of the Second World War. Emma Fitch, newlywed, is thankful to be starting her new life as the doctor’s wife and to have a husband who makes her feel visible once again, after the deaths of her family years ago. Not really connected at the beginning of the novel, these three women become intimately acquainted because of two letters by the end of this thought-provoking read.

I read this book a bit disjointedly and wish now I had had the time to read it in one or two chunks; I believe it would have had more of an impact on me. But I still felt the weight of Blake’s message about truth, what it means to each individual, and how it can burden a person. I loved seeing how the three women came together, all three burdened, but reaching some sort of relief as they were united by one event.

MN

The River

The River
By Mary Jane Beaufrand
Little, Brown and Co., 2010. 215 pgs. Young Adult

Ronnie can’t wait for the day she is back in Portland and, therefore, back to Starbucks, hip clothing stores, and cultured events. In the meantime, she runs, helps out at her parents’ inn, and is friends with Karen, a ten-year-old adventurer who Ronnie babysits sometimes. Then one morning, Ronnie finds Karen dead, murdered, in the moody river that runs through town. Devastated, Ronnie cannot leave Karen’s death alone, and at the prompting of the river, looks into who and why Karen was killed. This realistic portrait of a young woman torn apart by her friend’s death is a somewhat depressing (but good) read, made more haunting by the sad and troubling circumstances surrounding the murder.

MN

The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine

The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine
by Michael Lewis
Norton, 2010. 266 pgs. Non-fiction.

The love of money certainly turns out to be the root of quite a lot of evil, as we learn from Michael Lewis's latest book. Dim-wittedness played its part as well. Lewis begins the book with a prescient quote from Tolstoy: ". . . the simplest thing cannot be made clear to the most intelligent man if he is firmly persuaded that he knows already, without a shadow of a doubt, what is laid before him." What was laid before the corporations engaged in dealing subprime mortgages on $750,000 dollar homes to strawberry pickers making $14,000 a year was that at some point the market would implode. What they could not see--because it was judged impossible that it could ever happen--was the scope of the catastrophe if a global house of financial cards was built on the foundation of a subprime mortgage bond market. Lewis personalizes his international story by telling it through the eyes of several independent dealers who saw what was coming and against all logical odds, made fortunes for themselves and their clients by trading in credit default swaps. Although the reader knows the end from the beginning, The Big Short still crackles with suspense, thanks in large part to Lewis's authorial skills and the tension between how things should have been, and how they were. Or are, alas.

This World We Live In

This World We Live In
By Susan Beth Pfeffer
Harcourt, 2010. 239 pgs. Young Adult
It's been a year since a meteor collided with the moon, catastrophically altering the earth’s climate. For Miranda Evans life as she knew it no longer exists. Her friends and neighbors are dead, the landscape is frozen, and food is increasingly scarce.

The struggle to survive intensifies when Miranda’s father and stepmother arrive with a baby and three strangers in tow. One of the newcomers is Alex Morales, and as Miranda’s complicated feelings for him turn to love, his plans for his future thwart their relationship. Then a devastating tornado hits the town of Howell, and Miranda makes a decision that will change their lives forever.

I enjoyed seeing the characters from Life as We Knew It and The Dead and the Gone come together in this book. I was interested to see how the author would pull together these two stories. I liked this book and it didn’t feel as dark as The Dead and the Gone, but my favorite in this “series” is Life as We Knew It.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoyed the previous two books in this series.

AMM

The Piano Teacher

The Piano Teacher
By Janice Y. K. Lee
Viking, 2009. 328 pgs. Fiction

The Piano Teacher explores two love affairs which take place in Hong Kong, one in 1942 just as the war has begun and the other in 1952 as the aftershocks of that great conflict continue to destroy and shape lives. Claire, in 1952, has just arrived in the Orient as a newlywed. She is hired by a wealthy Chinese couple to teach piano lessons to their only daughter. It is through this connection she meets Will Truesdale and with him, she begins to explore herself and understand a darker side of human nature. Will had arrived in Hong Kong a decade earlier in an equally naïve state that was to be destroyed and darkened by the war as he learns what courage is and what survival can cost.

This was a fast and interesting read. While none of the characters are especially endearing or even likeable, they are so honest and real in their weaknesses that you care what happens to them. The Piano Teacher also presents a side of World War II that few people know much about. The interment of British and American expatriates who had been residing in Hong Kong when the Japanese took up occupation is a dark and fascinating backdrop for this story. This is definitely not a “happy, feel good” read, but very interesting and worth considering.

CZ