Top Ten Tuesday #20 - My Top 10 Reads So Far This Year

     Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly event hosted by The Broke and the Bookish, which allows bloggers to share lists of some of our favorite (and not-so-favorite) things.  This week we'll be highlighting the top ten books we've read so far this year!

     I had read about twice as many books this time last year as I have now.  I have a much smaller pool of reads to choose from, so I will try to make it to ten but I don't know for sure if I will.  I'm going to link the pictures back to my own reviews of the books, so that you can read in my own words what I enjoyed/loved about these books! :)

Top Ten Books I've Read So Far This Year (2014)

Somewhere, Beyond the Sea

Published:  April 1st, 2014

The Mermaid and the Shoe

By: K.G. Campbell

Kids Can Press

ISBN-13:  9781554537716

Each of King Neptune's 50 mermaid daughters boasts a special talent, except for little Minnow, who seems to be good only at asking questions.  When she finds a strange object, Minnow follows her questions to a wondrous place and finds answers, including an answer to the most important question of all:  Who am I?  A gorgeously illustrated story about finding one's purpose.

Review

     Minnow is the youngest and smallest of King Neptune's mermaid daughters, and unlike her sisters, she hasn't discovered her talent and special place in the family yet.  One day she finds an object floating near her and doesn't know what it is.  She thinks it's interesting and goes about asking all her sisters, the other sea creatures and anyone she can think of what it is!  Minnow goes above the surface, hoping to find the answer up there.  And lo and behold, she sees a little girl and eventually learns what a shoe is and what its purpose happens to be.  Minnow goes home to her father and sisters, and tells them the story of what a "shoe" is for, and her father proclaims her an adventurer and storyteller!  Minnow has finally found her place in the family and what she is meant to do in life.

     This picture book is a very sweet, short look at finding yourself in a family that seems to have it all figured out.  Minnow starts off feeling lost, in a sea of talented sisters.  By the end of the book, she's recognized her own importance in their lives.  The illustrations were beautiful, and I loved the disgust Minnow has for feet!  It's so funny, especially after seeing mermaids traditionally envy the ability to walk on land.  Minnow definitely prefers her tail to the feet of the humans (whom she describes as "half mermaid, half octopus legs").  One thing I missed in this was the bright, primary colors associated with a lot of children's picture books.  This one is beautiful, full of soft blues, greens and grays, with the occasional pop of color.   But as its set under the ocean, everything is rather muted.  I could definitely see myself reading this one to my four year old niece.  It's a very cute book, and I recommend it if you'd like new book to reinforce to a child how special they really are! :D

VERDICT:  3.5/5  Stars

*I received this book from Kids Can Press, on NetGalley.  No favors or money were exchanged for this review.  This book was published April 1st, 2014.*

Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?

Published:  September 30th, 2010
Dust City
By: Robert Paul Weston
Razorbill
ISBN-13:  9781595142962

When your dad is the wolf who killed Little Red Riding Hood, life is no fairy tale.

Henry Whelp is a Big Bad Wolf.  Or will be, someday.  His dad is doing time for the double murder of Little Red Riding Hood and her grandmother so everyone assumes crime is in Henry's blood.  For years, he's kept a low profile in a Home for Wayward Wolves on the outskirts of Dust City -- a gritty metropolis known for its black market, mind-altering dust.  And the entire population of foxes, ravens, and hominids are hooked.  But it's not just any dust the creatures of this grim underground are slinging and sniffing.  It's fairydust.

When a murder at the Home forces Henry to escape, he begins to suspect his Dad may have been framed.  With a daring she wolf named Fiona by his side, Henry travels into the dark alleyways and cavernous tunnels of Dust City.  There, he'll come face to snout with legendary mobster Skinner and his Water Nixie henchmen to discover what really happened to his father in the woods that infamous night...and the shocking truth about fairy dust.

Review

     In case you didn't get it by the bunches of other reviews on fairy tale infused books on this blog, I'm a bit of a nut for anything involving fairy tales or magic.   So when I saw this book on the shelf at my library, I was intrigued.  The concept of a retelling (in an urban setting, with humans "hominids" and animalia [ravens, foxes, wolves, etc.] as each others' antagonists, mind you) was interesting to say the least.  And Weston does manage to establish a world that is fairly easy for the reader to picture.  He has a great descriptive turn-of-phrase, that really brought things to life for me as a reader.  But there was some slightly annoying repetition of language, and overall stupid decisions, especially on the part of Henry Whelp.  I liked the integration of characters like Jack, the one friend Henry has at the reform school.  Jack is a mischief maker, and obviously some form of the kid from the "Jack and the Beanstalk" story.  The Detective who is always waiting for Henry to slip up (she also put away his Dad) is Detective White, aka Snow White.

      The main story of this book is a mystery of what happened to all the fairies in the land.  They disappeared years ago, and with them went the magic that kept people's lives on track - and their hopes up.  Another mystery interconnected with it is what really happened that night with Red Riding Hood and her Grandma.  Is Henry's father innocent?  Was he coerced by an influence he had no prayer of ever controlling or subverting?  Just what sinister plan do Skinner and his Water Nixies, not to mention the manufacturers of the new, improved "fairydust" have for the city's animalia?  Overall, it was an enjoyable read if you like noir and fairy tales, and don't mind the two being mixed together.  As I saw another reviewer point out, it was far more of a children's book than I'd have liked, in its overall simplicity and slightly too easy character arcs.  The ending is also somewhat loose and left me unsatisfied.  I did enjoy the idea presented, I just wish it would have been better executed.

VERDICT:  3/5  Stars

**No money or favors were exchanged for this review.  This book is now available in stores, online, or maybe even at your local library.**

Top Ten Tuesday #19 - Beach Bag Reads!

     Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly event hosted by The Broke and the Bookish, which allows bloggers to share lists of some of our favorite (and not-so-favorite) things.  This week we'll be highlighting the top ten books that will be in our beach bags this summer!

     

     I am ashamed to admit that this is my first TTT since February!  But I will say that my personal life has been kind of crazy.  My Mom was in the hosptial for the entire month of February, and I was basically running the household with my Dad during that time.  Then she spent most of March recovering, and in April and May I was working 70-80 hour work weeks at two different jobs, one of them very physically demanding.  I am still kind of exhausted and mentally drained, but I am making a comeback! :D  So, here are the ten books that I want in my beach bag this summer!

Top Ten Books In Anna's Beach (and Park) Bag this Summer

One Good Knight (The 500 Kingdoms #2) by Mercedes Lackey:  This is the last book in the series that I haven't read yet!  Desperately want to finish it, and it's light (and humorous) enough for a beach read.

We Were Liars by E. Lockhart:  I keep hearing everyone talk about how great this book is!  Is it good enough to be my intro to E. Lockhart?  It's definitely small enough to take to the beach.

My Faire Lady by Laura Wettersten:  This sounds so cute, and like the perfect summer book!  The main character works at a Ren Faire!  What's more summery than that? :)

The Scandalous Sisterhood of Prickwillow Place by Julie Berry:   It sounds like a historical kid's book version of Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead - it's bound to be hilarious and kick-ass in other words!

Nantucket Red (Nantucket #2) by Leila Howland:  Nantucket Blue, the first in the series, was one of my favorite reads last summer.  I'm excited to read what happens next with Cricket!

Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt:  I read this book every summer, because it's a classic that I love.  It's about life, death and the consequences of both.

Making Money (Discworld #36) by Terry Pratchett:  I need to get on this already!  I loved Going Postal, so I don't know why I haven't read this one yet.  And I think there's a third one coming out with Moist, Adora, et all coming out soon.  I'm behind!

*Edit: It's called Raising Steam and has been out since November 2013!  I am officially pathetic!

Fortunately, The Milk by Neil Gaiman:  Because I need more Neil Gaiman in my life, and I seem to gravitate more to his kid's books (they are wonderful).  This sounds like fun!

Landline by Rainbow Rowell:  If you have not read anything by this lady, do yourself a favor and pick up her stuff!  If you have, you get why I'm dying for July to get here already!

Llanview in the Afternoon: An Oral History of One Life To Live by Jeff Giles:  What's more perfect to read about at the beach than the history of a soap opera?  I watched this on and off from 1998-ish till it went off network TV in 2012.  I would love to get my hands on a copy of this book!

That's my list for the week, I hope you find something interesting on it!  I can't wait to see everyone else's beach read hopefuls, and I would love to have a conversation in the comments.  I'll see you all again next week! :D

Mary Poppins (Mary Poppins #1) by: P.L. Travers

Published:  June 1st, 2006

Mary Poppins (Mary Poppins #1)

By: P.L. Travers

HMH Books for Young Readers

ISBN-13:  9780152058104

From the moment Mary Poppins arrives at Number Seventeen Cherry-Tree Lane, everyday life is forever changed at the Banks house is forever changed.

It all starts when Mary Poppins is blown by the east wind onto the doorstep of the Banks house.  She becomes a most unusual nanny to Jane, Michael, and the twins.  Who else but Mary Poppins can slide up banisters, pull an entire armchair out of an empty carpetbag, and make a dose of medicine taste like delicious lime-juice cordial?  A day with Mary Poppins is a day of magic and make-believe come to life!

Review

     I have read all manner of classic and modern classic children's books, during my childhood and as an adult.  But somehow while reading about red-headed orphan girls, wardrobes that led to magical worlds, a great Emerald city, and the immortal Tuck family, I somehow never managed to read any of the books about Mary Poppins.  This, the first book in the series, introduces us readers to Mary Poppins, a magical nanny who comes to the Banks family in their hour of need.  The children Jane, Michael, and the baby twins (John and Barbara) are in need of a nanny.  Mary herself is somewhat vain, no-nonsense, strict and yet somehow bordering on magical.  The most peculiar things truly do happen when Mary is about - but you'll never get her to admit to them.  This book follows Mary's adventures with the children, through a series of vignettes chronicling their life together.  That is, until Mary leaves on the wind just as she first came to them.

     Sometimes a series of vignettes instead of structured chapters can do a book some good.  It certainly didn't hurt Jean Webster at all and looking back, L.M. Montgomery's style was similar and on the border of it, if not quite uniform to this particular format of writing.  In regards to how much it resembles the Disney movie based on it, the answer to that would be not all that much.  There are a few scenes, such as the chalk picture day, although its a date between Bert and Mary, and doesn't include the children at all.  Also, Bert is only in the one chapter of the entire book.  Noticeably the same was the scene with Mary's Uncle Albert, who serves them tea in midair and the Bird Lady was also included.  The next door neighbor's dog Andrew has his own story, all about how he wants to be a common street dog, rather than the coddled thing that he is currently.  

     There are other stories with zero similarities whatsoever.  Mary Poppins takes the children Christmas shopping and they help one of the stars (Pleiades to be exact) find gifts for her sisters.  The one involving the night zoo, with all the humans as the attractions, quite possibly wins for most bizarre story.  And the one with the gingerbread lady and the paper stars was beautiful.  But the absolute best was John and Barbara's story, about losing their ability to speak to the winds and the starlings.  It was so melancholy for a kid's book!  It did seem somewhat choppy at times, and there was also the conundrum of Mary.  She definitely came across as a cold, strict, sarcastic bitch for a good portion of the book.  Then you'd get a glimpse of her caring heart and it would soften the blows of her words/actions.  All in all, I enjoyed it and I'm glad that I read it.  But I think that I would have been better served to be introduced to this world as a child and not a cynical adult.

VERDICT:  3.5/5  Stars

**No money or favors were exchanged for this review.  This book is now available in stores, online, or maybe even at your local library.**

Rollin' Old School, Newbury Style: Holes by Louis Sachar

Published:  August 20th, 1998

Holes (Holes #1)

By: Louis Sachar

Scholastic

ISBN-13:  9780439244190

Stanley Yelnats' family has a history of bad luck going back generations, so he is not too surprised when a miscarriage of justice sends him to Camp Green Lake Juvenile Detention Center.  Nor is he very surprised when he is told that his daily labor at the camp is to dig a hole, five foot wide by five foot deep, and report anything he finds in that hole.  The warden claims that it is character building, but this is a lie and Stanley must dig up the truth.

Review

     Stanley Yelnats is in trouble again, and it's all his dirty-rotten-pig-stealing-great-great-grandfather's fault!  With his family's seemingly permanent cursed state, Stanley is convicted of a crime that he didn't committ.  Given the option of jail or Camp Green Lake, Stanley chooses the camp.  After all, he's poor and has never been to camp before - it won't be that bad, will it?  Guess again!  Stanley and the other boys spend their days digging 5X5 ft. holes (one per day), supposedly to build character.  But Stanley thinks the Warden is looking for something and using the boys to do it.  Spending his days tired, thirsty, and exhausted, Stanley makes friends with a somewhat lost boy named Zero.  Teaching Zero to read, Stanley feels like he has a purpose.  But when things escalate with the other boys, the counselors and the Warden, can Stanley find a survive until he can clear his name?  Or will it be too late.....

     I read this book either at the tail end of elementary school or the beginning of middle school when I was younger.  All I know is that it captured Small Anna's attention and imagination, making me sweat along with Stanley as he dug his seemingly meaningless holes.  I love that there is an intertwined plotline with the history of Camp Green Lake when it was still a town, and how notorious outlaw Kissin' Kate Barlow went "bad."  Also we get to trace Stanley's family from his great-great-grandfather Elya Yelnats (a dirty-rotten, pig stealer cursed by a gypsy if you believe family lore), to his great-grandfather who was robbed by Kissin' Kate and the rest of Stanley's family who are currently affected by the curse; Stanley's inventor father is unable to make his inventions work the way he wants.  We never find out what Stanley's Grandpa's story really is, he's mostly the storyteller, giving the readers the family history.

       I will admit that Stanley is kind of placeholder character in the grand scheme of the book, mostly weak and just there to drive forward the plot.  My favorite characters were honestly Kissin' Kate Barlow and Sam the Onion Man.  My God, was her story devastatingly sad for a kid's book!  And poor Sam and his donkey Mary Lou are somewhat tragic figures as well.  Stanley does develop though, going from and overweight, detached, quiet outsider, to a part of the group (nickname -Caveman- and all) and far braver than he ever thought he could be.  The ending is a little too fairy tale-esque in its happy ever after quality.  But then again, I'm a cynical adult now and this book is basically the equivalent of a modern day, America fairy tale.  I definitely can see why it won the Newberry Award, with its sparse, but infinitely descriptive language and rich characterizations (the Warden still freaks me out to this day, I can picture Mr. Sir with his bag of sunflower seeds, and Mr. Pendanski is easy to see as well).  I will also say that the movie, while not completey faithful, is worth checking out as well.  I very much enjoyed it when I saw it in theaters in 2003/3004 (unsure which) and I rewatched recently.  It holds up very well.  All in all, a great book for teachers and also for anyone who wants to be entertained with a thoroughly original story.

VERDICT:  4/5  Stars

**No money or favors were exchanged for this review.  This book is now available in stores, online, or maybe even at your local library.**

Stubborn Blog Tour - Review and GIVEAWAY ($20 INT. Amazon Gift Card)!!!!!

TOUR SCHEDULE: http://www.itchingforbooks.com/2014/02/blog-tour-sign-upstubborn-by-jeanne.html

Release date: January 6th 2014

Purchase: Amazon

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/19211063-stubborn

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

With a train ticket, a bad attitude, and an unfortunate scribbling of obscenities across her forehead, seventeen-year-old Avery Ross is tossed out of the frying pan and into the fire when she’s sent from New York to the vast oil field region of North Dakota. When a green-eyed boy with a sultry Texan accent comes to her defense, Avery has no clue that his actions will lead her into a passion-charged summer, full of temptation and loss. 

Defiant and relegated to work at her aunt’s boarding house, Avery discovers a connection between her aunt and the striking boy. He and his brothers are seeking revenge for the wrongful death of their sibling, and Avery becomes entangled in their battle over oil rights, loyalty, and love. Avery falls for the brooding, younger brother, Gabriel Halden, against her aunt’s forewarnings and creates more tribulations than any of them could anticipate.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jeanne Arnold is the author of STUBBORN and other young adult romances. At a young age she found her creative outlet in art, and for years her fictional characters came to life in drawings and paintings, until they demanded a voice. Now they grace the pages of her stories. Jeanne shares her time with her fictional teenage counterparts and her human family in Central New York. 

www.jeannearnoldbooks.com | http://twitter.com/jeannesbooks

Review

     Avery has been sent to oil field rich North Dakota after getting in trouble at home.  Summer with her Aunt Meggie isn't something she's expecting to be very interesting.  After all, she's not there to have fun.  Then she meets the Halden brothers and they totally turn her life upside down...especially the youngest one, Gabriel.  But the boys are still recovering from the death of their older brother Eli, especially Gabriel who it hit the hardest.  Gabe is also still trying to take down Hunt, the guy he holds responsible for the drunk driving accident that killed Eli - and the guy that stole his girlfriend Jordan, who was also in the car.  Avery has her own issues and Gabe definitely isn't looking for a girlfriend, and flat out tells her so.  But they keep being drawn together, inexplicably and sparks are flying.  Now if only it didn't seem like his brothers (epsecially suggestive, flirtatious Caleb), her Aunt Meggie, and the whole universe were conspiring to keep them apart!  Can Avery get through to Gabe before it's too late, or will he just let her slip through his fingers?

     I kind of fell in love with this book.  The summary doesn't really do it all that much justice!  I loved Avery as a heroine so much!  She's just a regular, smart-mouther, tough as nails girl - but she definitely has a vulnerable side that she tries to hide from everyone.  I loved the reasons for the swear words on her forehead!  She consistently made me laugh out loud and her banter with Gabe and his brothers, Caleb and Lane (Caleb especially), was hilarious.  I loved the complexity to these characters, and how even when Gabe was pulling away he'd have moments that completely melted your heart.  And Caleb was a lascivious asshole, who kept hitting on Avery but Jeanne still managed to make me like him!  Probably my least favorite thing was how Jordan was portrayed as a complete and total moron, and like she could've left Hunt's abusive ass at any time.  Anyone who's ever suffered abuse of any type knows that its never that easy.  As one of my favorite T.V. characters ever once said, "We accept the love that we think we deserve."  It is extremely true, not to mention she was motivated by a fear for her own life as well.  Not that I liked the character (she was a sometimes underhanded, bitch in my opinion).  But the abuse storyline could have been played out better.  

     Aunt Meggie was wonderful and I loved the subplot involving her own romantic life and I loved Avery's cousin Josh (maybe a book about him in the future?), who was typical teenage boy, but loyal to a fault.  And you could tell he really loved his Mom and his cousin.  The characters and situations were just SO REAL in this book!  Getting caught making out in the car by a family member, climbing in bedroom windows, and no one was a "damaged drug-addict/rock star/billionaire that needed saving (I don't count Gabe, because its his Dad's money not his).  This was a New Adult book that I could be proud to recommend to a friend and it definitely stands out from the crowd.  Never once did I feel like I was reading a Mary Sue, written in by the author trying to live through her character.  This book exemplifies what I love about romance and the reality that sometimes teenagers are stupid and do stupid things - that doesn't mean that they can't surprise us.  I highly recommend this one!

VERDICT:  4.5/5  Stars

**I received an ARC from the author and tour host for the purpose of this blog tour. No money or favors were exchanged for this review. This book was published January 6th, 2014.**

**GIVEAWAY**

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