No Clear Nemesis, Neutral Characters

Elephant Milk
By Diane Sherry Case
Miraculous Books (2010),
Paperback, 164 pages
Rated 3 stars of 5 possible

Elephant Milk is a surreal, coming of age story that takes place in 1969, mostly in Mexico. Amid her experiments with sex, drugs and finding herself, 17-year-old Sean also has to deal with her dysfunctional family and her mother's obsession with being a famous movie star.  After finding some black clothes beside the road that are wet with blood, Sean makes the decision that the best way to deal with her problems is to run away to Mexico, after her boyfriend.  Once in Mexico, Sean needs a way to get around, so she joins a traveling Circus... and that's where the real fun begins.

I should preface my remarks about this book by saying I'm not the intended audience for this book. Still, I appreciated some of the events in the story and the characterization. Diane Sherry Case has created some interesting characters, and has caught the flavor of the time depicted.  So, with that said, why did I rate the book only 3 stars?  Admittedly, this story even had 4 star potential, but the good characters just weren't likable enough... in fact, with the exception of Sean and her circus master/boss, and his wife, Ana, I found all the characters to be fairly neutral. There also is not any clear nemesis in the story, which could have made the book more interesting, if a bit longer. I had such high hopes for that too, when Sean found the bloody black clothing.

There are points in the story that would make for good discussion group material and the intended audience may appreciate Sean and her confused time of self-enlightenment more than I could. Oh, and the cover art - absolutely wonderful. That's what drew me to this book in the first place.

This book was received free from the author in exchange for this review. This review has been simultaneously posted at Dragon Views, LibraryThing, and Amazon.com

 

Still Sucks To Be Me Launch Contest - (Now Over)

Oh Coolness! Kimberly Pauley's new book is coming out on May 11 and you can win a copy! That's right, You can win a copy of Still Sucks To Be Me, signed by the author. But that's not all.  Kim has put together prize packages containing both of her fantastic books and other cool stuff. See the details and enter the contest on Kim's author website: http://www.kimberlypauley.com/2010/05/03/still-sucks-to-be-me-launch-including-epic-contest/.  Don't forget to come back here and read my review of Still Sucks To Be Me, which I expect to post on Sunday May 9th... but I'm not going to commit to an exact posting time.

Sucks to Be Me: The All-True Confessions of Mina Hamilton, Teen Vampire (maybe)
By Kimberly Pauley
Mirrorstone (26 Aug 2008) Hardcover, 294 pages
Mirrorstone (11 Aug 2009) Paperback, 304 pages
Mirrorstone (26 Jan 2010) Kindle edition
Rated 5 Stars

"...I'll have to say, my only regret is that it had to end... Who would have known that a vampire story doesn't have to be scary?Yes, Sucks to Be Me is a vampire story, but nothing like you've ever read before... so throw all your old notions and pre-conceived ideas about vampires out the window because that's not what you'll find in Kim's new book. What you will find is a barrel of fun... vampire style." Read the rest of my review of Sucks To Be Me

Still Sucks to Be Me: The All-true Confessions of Mina Smith, Teen Vampire
By Kimberly Pauley
Mirrorstone (11 May, 2010), Hardcover, 384 pages

Coming soon... and every bit as good as her first book. Kimberly Pauley has done it again... and yes, I can say that because I'm one of the lucky recipients of an advance copy, which arrived in my possession on May 6 and which I've almost finished reading already. Kimberly writes in a fast, easy-breezy style that will charm you and keep you turning the pages to see what happens next. Aimed at the young adult market, Mrs. Pauley's books also appeal to the teens inside the adults we've become. 

Cookie Cutter Characters

Dirty Little Angels
By Chris Tusa
Pdf review copy 170 pages
Publisher: Livingston Press (2009)
Rated 3 stars of 5 possible

Dirty Little Angels is the story of a dysfunctional family living in the slums of New Orleans. The story is somewhat dark and suspensful at points... While this story is fiction, it is all too accurately reflcted in real life. Financial hardship, adultry, drug usage, psychotic instability and more are depicted front and center in this book. Tragically, none of the characters seems willing to accept responsibility for or try to correct the deficits in their characters.

Aside from being set in the south and the dark tinge to the plot, this novel does not stand comparison with To Kill a Mocking Bird or any contemporary literature of which I'm aware. Other novels have at least some characters that the reader can like and care about, but the characters in Dirty Little Angels are all the same - flawed and black-hearted with few redeeming characteristics that I could find.

Sixteen year-old Hailey Trosclair is no different from the other characters in that she has her own twisted sense of right and wrong. She values her family but is far too willing to cross the faint line between legal and illegal, between sanity and insanity.  A few times, I really wanted to slap her silly; hanging out with the wrong sort of people just about got her what she deserved.  If this story had gone on much longer, I could see everyone caught in the downward spiral of self-destruction.

This review is simultaneously published on Amazon.com, Dragonviews, and LibraryThing.

Almost A Changeling

The Secret Garden
By Frances Hodgson Burnett
Hardcover: 375 pages
The Phillips Publishing Co (1910, 1911)
Rated 4 stars of 5 possible

Written nearly 100 years ago, The Secret Garden is one of many coming of age stories in existence. Mary Lennox, a very unpleasant young girl, is suddenly orphaned. She travels from India, where she was born and spent the first part of her life, to England so that she may be cared for by her only surviving relative, an old Uncle, who has a secret that he has kept for ten years.

The author had me intrigued first with Mary, then with her Uncle's secret... and after that, with Mary's progress as she becomes more civilized, changing from a half-wild and completely unlikable person into someone the reader can care about and who is important to other characters in the story...

Despite variances in the English language which have occurred within the last century, I found this refreshing and delightful tale was easily understandable and quite different from most of the YA novels of today. I recommend it to all readers from age 10 and up who are looking for something different. 

While this book can probably be found either used or in a new edition at many bookstores, the reader will also be able to download The Secret Garden free from Project Gutenberg. There are several different formats from which to choose at the first link, Or, if you prefer to listen, Project Gutenberg has several different audio formats available as well.

Worthwhile, but Not For Everyone

The Little Giant of Aberdeen County
by Tiffany Baker
Hardcover: 341 pages
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing (January 8, 2009)
Rated 4 stars of 5 possible

The Little Giant of Aberdeen County explores the prejudices and discriminatory practices used against a girl born with a hormonal disorder that causes her to become enormous. How she deals with the townspeople makes an intriguing story, but some parts push the suspension of disbelief a little too far.

For instance, in one chapter, the main character talks about things that happen before she was born. She could not possibly know these things from personal experience, yet she speaks as if she were watching on the sidelines or directly involved. She does not say "I was told..." or any similar phrase to qualify her narration of these events. Fortunately, the chapters in this book are not extremely long and the author does not obviously continue this disturbing practice in later chapters.

In all, the novel is a nicely paced, smoothly narrated page turner that I found well worth reading. Most parts of the story are so realistically told that I had to keep reminding myself "this is fiction."  The author does a credible job of making the reader a part of the world of this story, which has an appropriately satisfying ending.  Recommended to readers age 14 and up who are looking for something very different to read and who can tolerate the bit of pushing on the suspension of disbelief envelope which happens early in the story.

Intricate and Touching

Lark and Termite
by Jane Anne Phillips
Hardcover: 272 pages
Publisher: Knopf (January 6, 2009)
Rated 4 stars of 5 possible

There are times when a book crosses my path that I would not have purchased for myself, but I read the book because it's there in front of me. Most of these are disappointing and a discouraging waste of my time. After all, I should know what I like, should I not? However, sometimes there are surprising exceptions to that rule.  One such exception was a book I received at Christmas in 2007; For One More Day by Mitch Albom haunts me still, though I've only read it the one time. 

Now, Lark and Termite has moved into my mind right beside For One More Day... yes, Lark and Termite haunts me in that same inimitable way.  It is a story of the power of loss and love, the echoing ramifications of war, family secrets, dreams and ghosts and the unseen, almost magical bonds that unite and sustain us.  Lark, a girl on the verge of adulthood cares for her younger brother Termite.  As the story unfolds, we see into the hearts and thoughts of the leading characters, even Termite, who, unable to walk, talk or express himself in a normal fashion, nevertheless has ways of making his wants and needs known to those around him, if only they would listen.  Lark listens to her brother.

Lark and Termite is nicely paced and each of the main characters tells a portion of his or her story in turn. While the point of view shifts with each chapter, the transitions are very well done. The kaleidoscopic viewpoint does not jar the senses as could be the case with a book written by a less skilled author.  I could not put it down.  Lark and Termite is a relatively short novel yet has as much or more impact on the reader's senses as longer books do.  Recommended for readers ages 15 and up who may be looking for one of those stories that touch your heart.

Bitter Sweet Disappointment

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet
by Jamie Ford
Hardcover: 290 pages
Publisher: Ballantine Books (January 27, 2009)
Rated 3 stars of 5 possible

This novel is a bitter-sweet story of love, coming-of-age, and personal relationships. It examines the racial discrimination practiced against Japanese-Americans during World War II. While the war-time story of the 1940's is rich and complex, the part of the story taking place four decades later falls flat.

The war-time portion of the story, when Chinese-American Henry Lee, befriends a Japanese-American girl Keiko Okabe, and deals with his father's anti-Japanese sentiments holds the reader's interest well. The conflict Henry experiences with his father seems to dominate this portion of the story, yet there are the sweeter moments too; the time Henry spends with his friends; his budding relationship with Keiko.

The post-war segments are woven throughout the novel and deal with Henry's relationship with his son as well as Henry's memories of an earlier time. Henry's search for another copy of the rare Jazz recording he and Keiko had bought together, dealing with the loss of first his wife, and then his sax playing friend add some dimension to this part of the story but are handled in a less satisfactory manner than the wartime portions.

While I found Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet to be worth reading, and the parts of the story based on historical incidents accurately depicted, the inter-woven style of the narrative proved to be more than a little distracting, the transitions between decades a bit hard to assimilate.  Clearly, this novel isn't for everyone.

American Revolution

April Morning
By Howard Fast
Hardcover: 184 Pages
Madison Park Press (2006)
Rated 4 stars of 5 possible

Well written and researched,April Morning is about the start of the revoutionary war. The story follows 15-year-old Adam Cooper who, though still months short of his 16th birthday, feels that he should be treated as a man. Adam's father has other ideas until that fateful April morning when Adam signs the muster book with the other men.

The events in this vividly described but short novel all happen either the day before or the morning after Paul Revere's famous midnight ride, and later that same day. Despite the short length of this novel, the character development is superb. While the story's main characters are fictional, the events portrayed are historically accurate without much "literary liberty" being taken with history for the sake of the novel.

Though I am usually not big on war stories, I must say that Howard Fast is a master story teller and that, without reservations, I enjoyed reading this novel. April Morning is easy to read and fast paced but I still only recommend it to readers of historical fiction ages 15 and up. The events depicted may be too graphic for younger readers.

Analysis and Symbolism

To Kill a Mockingbird
by Harper Lee
Hardcover: 296 pages
Publisher: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins (June 1960)
Rated: 5 stars of 5 possible

“...They don't eat up people's gardens, don't nest in corncribs, they don't do one thing but sing their hearts out for us." That's why it's a sin to kill a mockingbird.”

This brilliantly told story of two motherless children takes place during the great depression. Some of the events depicted in the story are based on real events of the time; the town and the characters are fictional. The lessons Jean Louise (Scout) Finch and her brother Jem learn are priceless lessons on courage, prejudice, honesty, justice, and injustice and more.

To Kill a Mockingbird grabbed my attention immediately. While this novel is entertaining, it is not a "fluffy" read. The story also bears deep analysis of the symbolism used by the author.  For instance, the mocking bird is symbolic of innocence.

While the story is told in first person by an adult Scout reminiscing about her childhood, she recounts a child's observations with an adult vocabulary. This perspective adds a depth to the story that would not be present if the vocabulary used was that of a child. Young Scout appears to be wise beyond her years (not quite nine at the end of the story); she is also a recipient of her father Atticus's unique parenting style. He believes that the instances of disobedience, the mistakes and errors in judgement made by his children, contain valuable lessons which can help them to better understand and deal with life if they can grasp these lessons.

Recommended to readers who like to read and analyze a story. There is much material for analysis here and many study guides available online and elsewhere for the reader who is so minded. Yet unlike many stories deep enough to withstand the extended analysis, I can also recommend this to readers who just want to be entertained.

Alternative Realities

The Journal of Curious Letters
(Book One of The 13th Reality Series)
By James Dashner
Hardcover: 432 pages
Publisher: Shadow Mountain (March 3, 2008)
Rated: 4 stars of 5 possible.

The premise of this novel is based on a few "what if" questions that create an interesting scenario. What if, every time you made a choice that had a significant consequence, a new, alternate reality was created - the life that would have been had you made the other choice? What if these new realities were in danger? What if it fell to you to save all the realities? Volume one of the new adventure series deals with the selection of the smartest, bravest youngsters who will become the realitants entrusted with this important mission.

I found The Journal of Curious Letters to be both creative and fun. The story was well written and the hardcover presentation is beautiful. Chapter titles and page headings are printed in an expressive and playful font to set the adventuresome mood. The nine black-and-white illustrations by Brian Beaus gracing this first edition are placed at strategic intervals to heighten the reader's interest without distracting him or her from the story.

Throughout the story, potential Realitants are given a letter from the Mysterious M.G. and a series of 12 clues, the answers to which will lead them on the adventure of their lives. Some of the clues weren't too difficult to figure out and I had the answer before I got to the point in the book where the characters had solved those little puzzles. Other clues took more time to solve. Some of the answers were surprising.

In all, I had a wonderful time reading this book and would recommend it to most fantasy readers ages 12 and up, with the caveat that some of the scenes - especially those from later in the story - might be a bit scary for the youngest readers.

Dramatic, Fast-moving and Deep

Peace I Ask of Thee, Oh River
Lyda Phillips
Publisher: iUniverse, Inc. (August, 2005)
Paperback: 120 pages
Rating: 5 stars of 5 possible

Peace I Ask of Thee, Oh River is the story of a troubled girl, Tiffin who attends summer camp. While at camp, Tiffin makes life miserable for all concerned. One camp counselor, El Campbell, realizes that there must be a cause for Tiffin's disruptive behavior and depression. In her attempts to get to the bottom of the trouble, El uncovers the facts about the death of the girl's younger sister, who drowned a year or so earlier. Some of the other girls think Tiffin killed her sister. In reaching out to Tiffin, El discovers some things about herself as well.

By turns captivating and nerve-wracking, Peace I Ask of Thee, Oh River addresses some compelling issues. On the one hand, the novel masquerades as a coming of age story about some high school graduates having their first job as camp counselors in the summer before college and dealing with teen issues of sex, drugs and alcohol. On the other hand, it also deals with deeper issues such as suicide, sibling grief, guilt, anger, rejection, abnormal behavior, denial, and bullying, which the author handles in an expert fashion.

In particular, Tiffin's family provoked me since they were in denial of the child's need for serious help, dismissing her behavioral problems as "minor" and rejecting her by placing her in summer camp for six weeks while they went on the campaign trail.

Peace I Ask of Thee, Oh River certainly deals with some very interesting questions. While the reading level is suitable for ages 9 thru 12, the subject matter does handle some mature themes that may not be appropriate for this younger age group. Recommended for ages 15 and up if you like fast-moving, dramatic, thought provoking novels dealing with real issues and depicting real characters that you can care about.

Escape From Reality

Ender's Game
by Orson Scott Card
Hardcover: 368 pages
Publisher: Tor Books 1985
Rating: 5 stars of 5 possible

Ender's Game was first published in August 1977 as a novelette in Analog magazine. Card later expanded that short story into a full-length book, which is now his best known novel. Ender's Game is a vision of the future in which gifted children are used to fight in an adult war against alien invaders. It will challenge your assumptions of reality.

While written with YA readers in mind, Ender's Game can be enjoyed by readers of any age from 12 on up. The book is clearly Science Fiction yet is not so technical that it can't be understood easily. There's enough room to imgaine yourself in Ender's world - which makes this a wonderful escape from the pressures of everyday life. At the end of the story, most readers are hungry for more, which the author has provided. This was the first but is most definitely not the last novel starring Ender and his friends.

If you like Science Fiction, this is clearly a book you should read.

Believe Impossible Things

Cover image used with permission of the author.

Diary of a Teenage Faërie Princess
by C.B. Smith
https://www.createspace.com/3346382
Trade Paperback: 260 pages
Publisher: Raging Squirrel Press
Rating: 4 stars of 5 possible

Jaynie Morrison is a sixteen-year-old girl with an insatiable need for adventure. She satisfies this desire by causing all manner of random mischief, making her material nuisance number one. But with her seventeenth birthday imminent, a snag in her material world arrives - random magical happenings.

Her father once claimed that her mother was a Faërie Queen, who vanished shortly after Jaynie turned three. Jaynie wonders if her father is telling the truth. She wonders if her mother really vanished after all. But mostly she is confused and wonders if her mother's Faërie magic is causing the magical happenings that have invaded her world. In Diary of a Teenage Faërie Princess, Jaynie sets out to answer these questions.

This novel starts off slow, with a description of the cosmos and the creation of planet earth that does nothing for the main story. The entire first chapter could be cut with no harm to, and indeed, with possible improvement of the story. The next few chapters provide a basis for the character of Jaynie with some outrageousness about her shoes and some monkeys that make absoutely no sense... but they are kinda fun chapters at that... still, a condensation of this material to about half the words and only one chapter would move the story along a bit better... Don't let the slow beginning stop you from finishing this enjoyable story, which picks up a bit when Jaynie begins the search for her mother and the answers to her questions. It's well worth the time spent reading.

Over all, Diary of a Teenage Faërie Princess is a fun read for those who like their fantasy chock full of adventure with a few abusrdities tucked in for good measure. Parts of the adventure in Sörmlandia remind me of The White Queen, from Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll saying “Why, sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.” Believing impossible things is good for the imagination and brings out the creative side of humans... we should all get more practice in such beliefs.

Recommended for Fantasy readers ages 14 and up who are looking for a good adventure and a fairly quick read.

A Timeless Love Story

Cover image courtesy of medelgado.com

The First Sandcastle: A Novel
by M. E. Delgado
http://www.medelgado.com/
Paperback: 272 pages
Publisher: Barrio City Press (March 2, 2008)
Rating: 4 stars of 5 possible

The First Sandcastle is a coming of age story about a young man growing up in a dysfunctional family. The main character, Marlo Clemente, attempts to reconcile the love he feels for his mother and the warped view of life taught by his father... that women are evil.

Marlo's art and his friends provide solace from everyday home life. When one of Marlo's friends (Danny) falls in love with a girl who uses Danny for her own purposes and then crushes his hopes and dreams, this only reinforces what Marlo has learned from his father.

How Marlo deals with the further confusion that sets in when he meets a girl he feels is unlike others is a captivating story that gives the reader a lot to think about. The peer pressure of growing up, and the issues a normal teen must deal with, along with the not-quite-separate issues that evolve from the family's dysfunctional relationships among themselves and others are deeply felt by the reader. The timeless feel and the steady pacing of this story should provide a basis for a wide audience, though I have the feeling that it is also the ideal YA novel.

Mr. Delgado builds the highly emotional story to a dramatic climax and makes the reader feel every minute of Marlo's pain when he discovers that he's just as his girlfriend's mother says: "exactly like all the other boys". Marlo's relationship with his own mother improves and she helps him realize that we are all human and fallible.