Since You've Been Gone

Y'ALL. I LOVE THIS BOOK.

Emily, the main character in Since You've Been Gone, is suddenly friendless. Her best friend Sloane disappeared at the beginning of what was supposed to be a great summer. Instead, Emily is at odds with nothing to do and no one to hang out with. Sloane didn't leave her new contact information, but did leave a To Do list for Emily. Emily starts working on the list and makes new friends, including her school's Golden Boy, Frank Porter. The blossoming romance between Emily and Frank gave me butterflies in my stomach. So cute. Emily's transformation over the summer is remarkable. The To Do list takes Emily out of her shell.

I'm always a fan of YA romances, especially when they are stand-alones like Since You've Been Gone. I liked this one so much I first read it in October of 2014. And I just reread it again. Also great is Matson's Second Chance Summer.

Extraordinary, Ordinary People

In reading biographies and memoirs, I am always taken aback by how many varied people the subject knew. Condoleezza Rice is no different. Rice knew the girls killed in 16th St. Baptist Church bombing in Birmingham in 1963. She was friends with Denver Broncos players. She took a class taught by Madeleine Albright's father. And then, of course, there's all the political figures she met in her roles in the Reagan and Bush (41, she doesn't go into 43's administration) presidencies. 

This memoir, while including Rice's jobs, both academic and political, is the story of her family and the impact of her parents. Rice grew up in Birmingham, then moved to Denver when her father got a job at the University of Denver. After getting her PhD at the University of Denver, she went to Stanford. She also had several periods in Washington, D.C. As it's a story about her family, the book ends when her father dies. It doesn't include the last 15 years of her life. 

One of the funniest stories Rice related was when the Berlin Wall fell. She was working at the National Security Council. They were scooped by CNN and learned about the events on TV like the rest of America.

At the end, when her father dies, he knew she was going to become National Security Adviser, but never knew she would also become Secretary of State. This reminded me a little of Obama's grandmother dying just before the 2008 elections. Rice's father gave so much towards Rice's success that it's sad he never got to see her as Secretary of State. 

Rice's mother died of a brain tumor at 61, which hit a little close to home as my mother-in-law recently passed away from the same thing at 60. I cried through most of that chapter. 

I listened to the audio book, which Rice narrated. I liked the fact that it felt like she was talking to me.

All in all, Rice has a fascinating story. She has been a witness to many important historical events. I don't know what she's been up to in the past few years, but it's probably as diverse and interesting as everything in Extraordinary, Ordinary People.  

One downside of most non-fiction audio books is the lack of pictures included in the paper version. Luckily, my library had a copy of Extraordinary, Ordinary People. One notable exception: Tina Fey's Bossypants, which included some great photos in a PDF.

The Reading Promise

What a disappointment. I love reading and books, so a book about reading is a sure winner, right?

The idea of this book had such promise, but the execution was dismal. The book had parts about the reading promise, but a lot of other parts that were just stories about the author's life and not related to books or reading. I found the narrator to be too precocious and her father to be a bit of a martyr about being a single parent and being a school librarian.

I read to my daughter, but probably should read more. I picked this up thinking that it would give me inspiration. Instead it just wasted some of my limited reading time.

I know parents who still read to their tweens and teens. I remember loving being read to. Having a streak like Ozma and her father is something to aim for, but sadly this book didn't entertain.

Famous in Love

Do you ever read and enjoy a book and then see negative reviews on Goodreads? I really hate when that happens. It makes me question my judgment. Famous in Love was one of those books.

Famous in Love the story of a teenager picked to star in the latest YA hit book's movie adaptation. Her two leading men are potential love interests. (Though one is 22 while she's 17, which made me a little skeeved out.) The movie is based on a book trilogy (a la Divergent or Hunger Games) and this book only covers the making the first movie.

I can see where some of this book's negative comments are justified (insta-love), but I sped through it.  I'm looking forward to the next book in the series, which will be out later this year. The series is scheduled to have at least 3 books. Suspend Some belief and it's a fun read.

I purchased Famous in Love for my library. I'm anxious to see what the circ stats look like. I hope people pick it up and enjoy it like I did.

Kissing Ted Callahan (And Other Guys)

slight spoilers:

I read an excerpt of this from the YA Buzz Books Spring 2015. It intrigued me. I enjoyed this, but wasn't crazy about it and didn't like it as much as I thought I would. I liked the platonic relationship between Riley and Reid. It's nice to read something different than the best friends falling in love plot that's common. The loss of the book Reid and Riley shared lead Riley to think the same thing I did: How stupid to write all of that down. (As in these characters are stupid.) Ted wasn't much of a character. He was just there. As Riley's love interests Garrick was so much more interesting. The rest of the characters seemed to be too young and too old at the same time. Uneven. I will purchase for my library, but it won't be at the top of my list.

New Tag: Purchased for Library

I'm the YA person at my library. Part of my job is collection development. Since I started at the beginning of last summer, I've been a weeding machine. It's hard pulling books that you loved when you were younger, but I always remind myself it's so the new books have more visibility.

Probably my favorite thing about my job is buying new books. Our library has a pretty small book budget. My portion of it is approximately $4700. Can you imagine getting to spend $4700 on books? It's a dream come true. 

I'm making a new tag for books that I've purchased (purchased for library) so you can see what I'm spending some of the money on. 

The Forgotten Killer

I remember hearing about Amanda Know but the case wasn't something I paid attention to until I read Douglas Preston's The Monster of Florence. (Link to my review of that book.) Preston was (insanely) accused of murder by the same prosecutor as Knox. His story was unreal--this happened in modern times? in an industrialized democracy? in Europe? 


Since then I've paid much more attention to the case. This Kindle Single explains Rudy Guede and his role in Kercher's death. I can't imagine how anyone with any facts (as opposed to the Italian police and prosecutors who said they just knew she was guilty without any evidence) would think Knox and her boyfriend had committed this crime. 

If you are at all interested in the case or in the justice system, you should read this. 

Our American justice system is far from perfect, but Knox's story will realize how lucky we are for the rights and liberties we have in the US. Amanda Knox's story tribulations with the Italian court system do not appear to be over. I hope Preston's research will help her in some way. It convinced me that she didn't commit the murder. 

Claire DeWitt and the City of the Dead

I originally heard about this book from one of Nancy Pearl's Book Lust books. I had an upcoming 4 hour trip so when I saw this audiobook at the library I picked it up. (Not that I didn't have a ton of books on my phone already...)

The star of this book is the setting of post-Katrina New Orleans. It's absolutely fabulous. I don't know if I've ever been more enamored of a book's setting. Claire goes to New Orleans for a missing person case. The book is set about a year and a half after Katrina in the slowly recovering city while Claire tries to find a prosecutor who vanished in the chaos of the hurricane. 

In addition to the main plot line, we learn about Claire's childhood and friends. This mystery is also very intriguing. 

I was expecting something humorous, so this book's darkness was a surprise. It's very gritty. 

I also read Gran's follow-up in the Claire DeWitt series: Claire DeWitt and the Bohemian Highway. Sadly, I didn't think it measured up to the first book. But, how can you outdo a book with a premise of a person missing after a hurricane? The plot of Claire's childhood friends continues, but isn't resolved in the series' second book. The goodreads summary of the City of the Dead says that it is the first in a series. Since the Bohemian Highway didn't tie up Claire's personal issues, I hope there will be another book that does just that. The author's website sadly doesn't offer much hope for it anytime soon though. 

Can't Wait!

Books I'm looking forward to:

Missoula by Jon Krakauer

I always enjoy Krakauer's books.

P.S. I Still Love You by Jenny Han

I feel like I'm going to die if I don't find out what happens with Lara Jean and Peter. I don't know how I'm going to make it til May 26.

Saint Anything by Sarah Dessen

I was already excited about Dessen's new book, but then I read a sneak peek and now really can't wait. Sarah Dessen is one of my favorite authors.

The Start of You and Me

You know that Macklemore Thrift Shop song? The one that goes "This is fucking awesome."? Cause I'm pretty sure it's talking about The Start of You and Me. It was that good. I loved it!

The Start of You and Me is about Paige, whose boyfriend drowned a year prior to the beginning of the book. After being in a daze for a year, she's ready to get back to living. She makes a list of things she wants to accomplish including dating her long time crush Ryan, facing her fear of drowning and going swimming, and joining a school group.

Awesome love interest? Check.

Paige's goal to date her long time crush is originally how she meets Max, his cousin. Over time, Max and Paige become friends and she realizes she loves him. The scene in which this happens is something I could read over and over. And Ryan, the old crush? Still a great guy and friend. I liked how the crush was a likable character instead of like in a lot of YA novels where that person ends up being a huge jerk.

Great friends who grow together? Check.

Tessa, Morgan, and Kayleigh were all supportive friends and their relationships were a great part of the book. There is a scene towards the end of the book where the girls are all at a school event and you just want to be part of their group.

Powerful and positive family relationships (At least at the end)? Check.

Paige's parents divorced a few years ago and at times things have been rocky for their family. By the end of the book, her relationship with her family has improved significantly.

The Paige at the end of the book is so much happier. I was cheering for her and might have shed a couple tears.

Everything in the book was written for a reason. The story line was tight. The characters were all people I really liked. Everything about this book was awesome. It's a really happy story.

It's a Must Read.

Thanks to Net Galley for the review copy.

Wild

My book club chose Wild by Cheryl Strayed as a recent read. While I'd heard plenty about it and usually enjoy outdoor adventure stories, I hadn't been interested enough in it to want to read it.

But, I found it on my library's ebook selection so I checked it out.

The first bit was kinda painful. Strayed spends a great deal of time talking about what led her to take off on her crazy journey along the Pacific Crest Trail. She fell apart when her mother died and started making really bad decisions: cheating on her husband, doing heroin, etc. With her divorce finalized and the rest of her life in shambles, she heads off to hike the PCT for months.

When she started, she hardly had any business being on the trail. She was ill prepared and had a very tough time. As she continued on her trip, she learned from other hikers and became fairly adept at backpacking. She met friends along the way and sorted out her emotional issues.

I ended up liking the book more by the end. However, if it was not a book club read, I wouldn't have picked it up in the first place, nor would I have finished it. I'm glad I finished it, but if I'd been reading it on my own I wouldn't have made it. I just couldn't empathize with her in the beginning. I didn't want to read about someone whose life had gotten so awful in part because of her really poor life choices.

Obviously Strayed has moved on from her low points and there's redemption in that. As an adventure story, it isn't as exciting as I was hoping. There's lots of other books about being outdoors that are much more upbeat. If you are looking for one, Bill Bryson's A Walk in the Woods is great. It's humorous so it's coming from a different place, but covers the same ground about a clueless hiker.

Hello? Is this thing on?

About 2.5 years ago, I got pregnant and blogging fell by the wayside.

Hopefully I'm back!

I am now my library's Young Adult Specialist and in charge of YA collection development and teen programming. I've always enjoyed YA books, but have really picked up the pace of reading the genre.

With plenty of reading (54 book in 2015 already) I should have plenty to talk about!

The Character of Cats

Book summary: Your cat doesn't give a shit.

The Character of Cats was a quick, but interesting read. Evan and I have a cat. He grew up with cats and wanted to get one. I was skeptical. One day I was looking at pets on our local shelter's website and saw Penny. She was SO cute, and her write-up said that she was litter box trained and did well with dogs. If we were going to get one, she sounded ok.

So, she came to live with us and I just adore her. I didn't realize how much I'd love a cat. I grew up with dogs. Penny is a whole different creature than the dogs I was familiar with and The Character of Cats highlighted all those differences.

If you appreciate cats, I think you'll enjoy The Character of Cats.

America, You Sexy Bitch

I really loved Dirty Sexy Politics and adore Meghan McCain despite our different beliefs, but was a bit disappointed by this. I'm still glad I read it. I enjoyed McCain and Michael Ian Black. 

America, Your Sexy Bitch is told in alternating chapters by McCain and Black, getting their different perspectives on issues they encounter on a road trip. Black provides the liberal commentary, while McCain represents the conservative side. 

The thing I found disappointing about this was the lack of a clear point to the story. The two were on a road trip to show and discuss the difference in liberals and conservatives, but it just seemed all over the place.  The two found many things they agreed on, which I think was what the book was trying to say: that despite our beliefs we really do have a lot in common.

 I never really got into the story and got a little sick of McCain's drinking stories. 

Some of It Was Fun

In my political science classes, I show an episode of the civil rights miniseries Eyes on the Prize about integration of Central HS in Little Rock, AR and Ole Miss. It's a fascinating documentary with many people who experienced these events first hand. One of the people interview is Nicholas deB. Katzenbach, author of Some of It Was Fun: Working with RFK and LBJ.

Katzenbach died last year and his obituary in the New York Times mentioned that he had written a memoir of his years in the Justice Department. I ordered it right away. Katzenbach was a major player in the civil rights movement of the 1960s and was there for so many of the key events, including integration of Ole Miss, standing toe to toe with Alabama Governor George Wallace (the scene was in Forrest Gump), and the passage of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. 

Some of It Was Fun offered great insight on the changes that took place in soicety and in government during the turbulent years of the 60s. I thought Katzenbach was a really stand up kind of guy who  really moved progress along. I even thought the title of his book was something that showed off his personality. Obvisouly, as US Attorney General, he was very important in the political realm, but the title, to me at least, makes it seem like he didn't take himself too seriously.

I really enjoyed Some of It Was Fun and I really admire Katzenbach.

Origins

Being pregnant, I've read several parenting/baby books. These mostly haven't been how-to books, but rather issues related to pregnancy or parenting.

Origins: How the Nine Months Before Birth Shape the Rest of Our Lives by Annie Murphy Paul is one such book. There is, of course, a long list of things that I should or shouldn't be doing since I'm pregnant. Paul focuses on how fetuses are impacted by what the mother does or what occrus to her while she is pregnant.

In some ways, this book made me panic. Am I eating the best foods possible? No, but I feel like I'm doing pretty good. Should I be exercising more? Yes. Should I stop eating off plastics? Etc, etc, etc.

One of the sections I found most interesting was on stress. As someone who fights anxiety and depression, this has been an issue I've thought about a lot. Unfortunately, though somewhat understandably, not a lot of research has been done on medicines that mothers take. Once I found out I was pregnant, that was one of the most immediate questions: What to do about my medicine. As my doctor said, stress is not good for mama or baby and Paul's research certainly bears that out. We all know what a lousy system of maternity leave we have in the US. Paul raises the question of whether we should also think about offering women time off prior to birth to cut down on stress because we know that will produce healthier babies.

In addition day to day stress, Paul also looked at big events as stressors such as  9/11, Hurricane Katrina, the Holocaust and found research that shows some pretty dramatic results. Children in the womb during these periods have long lasting outcomes from the stresses placed on their mothers.

I found Origins to be fascinating. Mothers to be or hopeful mothers to be will find this interesting, but I also think people with curiosity about science and the nature v. nurture argument will also enjoy it a great deal.

The Long Winter

I read the Little House on the Prairie books when I was a kid and since I moved to Wyoming, I always think about The Long Winter.

How did people live here before central heat?! I have no clue. The Long Winter is Laura's story of one such winter. After rereading it, I still don't understand how people did it. Laura's town in South Dakota is snowed in for months. They run out of food, the snow is so bad they can't see houses across the street, they live in very cold cold houses.

Sometimes I fool myself that I'm tough, living in Wyoming. I am nothing compared to the Ingalls family and other homesteaders. 

2012 Favorites

My goal for 2012 had been 175 books. Unfortunately, those months of feeling so shitty took their toll and I only hit 130. I have no idea what to expect when Camper (not her name, just her nickname til we decide on a name) comes so I think that if I set a goal for 2013, it will be low--maybe 75? That makes me a little sad, thinking about not having as much time to do something I enjoy so much, but I think I'm also judging that on my horrible Sept, Oct, and Nov when I didn't feel like I could do anything. Not having time or desire to read when Camper's here will be a different thing.

My 2012 favorites, in no particular order:

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen  (classic)
I read an annotated version, which I loved. I think it gave me a much better understanding of the time period and therefore a greater appreciation of the book.

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green (young adult)

Maphead: The Wide, Weird World of Geogrpahy Wonks by Ken Jennings (non-fiction)

Black Like Me by John Howard Griffin (sociology, memoir)

Some of It Was Fun: Working with RFK and LBJ by Nicholas Katzenbach (history, memoir)
Katzenbach worked for the Justice Department in the 1960s and was on in the middle of the action on lots of different civil rights events.

Almost President: The Men Who Lost the Race but Changed the Nation by Scott Farris (history)
Farris profiled losers of presidential races. We've all probably heard of Henry Clay and William Jenning Bryan, but don't know much about them. I learned a lot of American history and really admired some of the losers.

The Bess Crawford series by Charles Todd (historical fiction, mystery)
This is a mystery series set in WWI England with Bess Crawford, a nurse, as the protagonist. 


While not a favorite, I'm still proud of myself for conquering the beast that is War and Peace.

My Reading (and Posting) Slump

Hopefully, you've missed me. I've missed being on here.

I haven't written since I haven't been reading much, and I have been reading much since I got pregnant. Baby brain (or the lack of a brain) and being sick made my life a matter of going to work and hiding in bed for months. I'm feeling better. I'm now 21 weeks along and life feels do-able again. Hopefully reading and blogging will too.

I did manage to get through some books since August so hopefully I'll get some reviews up soon.

NPR's top 100 YA books

Always a sucker for a book list, here's what I've read off NPR's Best Young Adult Novels list.

Bold means I've read it. Blue means I have it to eventually read.

1. Harry Potter (series), by J.K. Rowling
2. The Hunger Games (series), by Suzanne Collins only the first in the series
3. To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee
4. The Fault in Our Stars, by John Green
5. The Hobbit, by J.R.R. Tolkien
6. The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger
7. The Lord of the Rings (series), by J.R.R. Tolkien
8. Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury
9. Looking for Alaska, by John Green
10. The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak
11. The Giver (series), by Lois Lowry only the first in the series
12. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (series), by Douglas Adams
13. The Outsiders, by S.E. Hinton
14. Anne of Green Gables (series), by Lucy Maud Montgomery
15. His Dark Materials (series), by Philip Pullman
16. The Perks of Being a Wallflower, by Stephen Chbosky
17. The Princess Bride, by William Goldman
18. Lord of the Flies, by William Golding
19. Divergent (series), by Veronica Roth

20. Paper Towns, by John Green

21. The Mortal Instruments (series), by Cassandra Clare
22. An Abundance of Katherines, by John Green
23. Flowers for Algernon, by Daniel Keyes
24. Thirteen Reasons Why, by Jay Asher
25. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, by Mark Haddon
26. Speak, by Laurie Halse Anderson
27. Twilight (series), by Stephenie Meyer
28. Uglies (series), by Scott Westerfeld
29. The Infernal Devices (series), by Cassandra Clare
30. Tuck Everlasting, by Natalie Babbitt
31. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, by Sherman Alexie
32. The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (series), by Anne Brashares only the first in the series
33. The Call of the Wild, by Jack London

34. Will Grayson, Will Grayson, by John Green, David Levithan

35. Go Ask Alice, by Anonymous
36. Howl's Moving Castle, by Diana Wynne Jones
37. Stargirl, by Jerry Spinelli
38. A Separate Peace, by John Knowles
39. Vampire Academy (series), by Richelle Mead
40. Abhorsen Trilogy / Old Kingdom Trilogy (series), by Garth Nix
41. Dune, by Frank Herbert
42. Discworld / Tiffany Aching (series, by Terry Pratchett
43. My Sister's Keeper, by Jodi Picoult
44. The Dark is Rising (series), by Susan Cooper only the first in the series
45. Graceling (series), Kristin Cashore
46. Forever..., by Judy Blume
47. Earthsea (series), by Ursula K. Le Guin
48. Inheritance Cycle (series), by Christopher Paolini
49. The Princess Diaries (series), by Meg Cabot
50. The Song of the Lioness (series), by Tamora Pierce
51. Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson
52. Delirium (series), by Lauren Oliver
53. Anna and the French Kiss, by Stephanie Perkins
54. Hush, Hush Saga (series), by Stephanie Perkins
55. 13 Little Blue Envelopes, by Maureen Johnson
56. It's Kind of a Funny Story, by Ned Vizzini
57. The Gemma Doyle Trilogy (series), by Libba Bray

58. Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, by Ransom Riggs

59. The House on Mango Street, by Sandra Cisneros
60. Something Wicked This Way Comes, by Ray Bradbury
61. The Chocolate War, by Robert Cormier
62. Just Listen, by Sarah Dessen
63. A Ring of Endless Light, by Madeleine L'Engle
64. The Truth About Forever, by Sarah Dessen
65. The Bartimaeus Trilogy (series), by Jonathan Stroud
66. Bloodlines (series), by Richelle Mead
67. Fallen (series), by Lauren Kate
68. House of Night (series), by P.C. Cast, Kristin Cast
69. I Capture the Castle, by Dodie Smith
70. Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist, by Rachel Cohn, David Levithan
71. Before I Fall, by Lauren Oliver
72. Unwind, by Neal Shusterman
73. The Last Unicorn, by Peter S. Beagle
74. The Maze Runner Trilogy (series), by James Dashner
75. If I Stay, by Gayle Forman
76. The Blue Sword, by Robin McKinley
77. Crank (series), by Ellen Hopkins
78. Matched (series), by Allie Condie
79. Gallagher Girls (series), by Ally Carter
80. The Goose Girl, by Shannon Hale
81. Daughter of the Lioness / Tricksters (series), by Tamora Pierce
82. I Am the Messenger, by Markus Zusak
83. The Immortals (series), by Tamora Pierce
84. The Enchanted Forest Chronicles (series), by Patricia C. Wrede
85. Chaos Walking (series), by Patrick Ness
86. Circle of Magic (series), by Tamora Pierce
87. Daughter of Smoke & Bone, by Laini Taylor
88. Feed, by M.T. Anderson
89. Weetzie Bat (series), by Francesca Lia Block
90. Along for the Ride, by Sarah Dessen
91. Confessions of Georgia Nicolson (series), by Louise Rennison only the first in the series
92. Leviathan (series), by Scott Westerfeld
93. The House of the Scorpion, by Scott Westerfeld
94. The Chronicles of Chrestomanci (series), by Diana Wynne Jones
95. The Lullaby, by Sarah Dessen
96. Gone (series), by Michael Grant
97. The Shiver Trilogy (series), by Maggie Stiefvater
98. The Hero and the Crown, by Robin McKinley
99. Wintergirls, by Laurie Halse Anderson
100. Betsy-Tacy Books (series), by Maud Hart Lovelace only the first in the series