The Trap

The Trap by Andrew Fukuda, 309 pages

This is the third and final book in The Hunt trilogy. Gene and Sissy and their friends end up in the Metropolis, surrounded by vampires, just as they feared. Gene and Sissy are both heralded as saviors by a small group of scientist who know they are the Origin and that their blood can be used to turn vampires to humans. Unfortunately, the scientists want to use them and don’t see them as people and are willing to hurt their friends to get their way. Also, gene has caught the attention of the Ruler, the head vampire, who wants Gene to perform a task. Assuming Gene can accomplish it, the Ruler promises to let them all go, but Gene isn’t sure he wants to take on this task, and doesn’t believe the Ruler will keep his promise anyway. This book does answer many questions and sums up the series pretty well. Teens who like scary stories, especially vampire stories, will really enjoy this series, and it would be better to read them in order.

The Clash of Kings

The Clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin, 1009 pages

This book continues the Song of Fire and Ice Series that started with Game of Thrones. This series is amazing and worth reading. However, I would not advise getting too attached to any of the characters because they tend to die rather frequently. The only ones that seem not to die are the ones that you can’t stand. King Joffrey would be a perfect example. While I hoped he would die numerous times, so far no one has been able to kill the brat. But there are still more books to go so my fingers are crossed.

This series has just about everything that a science fiction series needs. It has epic battles, magic, monsters, and everything in between. This book and this book series does contain adult themes and are NOT appropriate for younger readers. In movie ratings it would likely by rated R. 

The Lost Hero

The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan, 557 pages

The Lost Hero continues where the Percy Jackson and the Olympian series left off. It keeps some of the same heroes from the previous series, but also introduces some new fresh faces. The three main ones being Piper, the daughter of Aphrodite, Leo, the son of Hephaestus, and Jason, son of Zeus or more accurately son of Jupiter. The Lost Hero and The Heroes of Olympus series focuses on both the Greek and Roman gods.

While the two cultures have most of the same gods, they have some differences. The Lost Hero explores the two different personas and explains why the gods are seen differently in each culture. I am not as fluent in my Roman mythology so at times the crossovers were hard to follow. There are also some new titans, minor gods and giants that we haven’t met yet and to wrap it all up a giant bronze dragon…

The book is filled with excitement and action but it almost feels like Riordan is trying to incorporate too much mythology at once. That overload takes away from the overall story slightly but still worth the read, if you enjoyed his previous series.

Mr. Churchill's Secretary

Mr. Churchill's Secretary by Susan Elia MacNeal, 373 pages

Mr. Churchill's Secretary is the first book in a series about a young woman by the name of Maggie Hope. An English citizen raised in the United States, Maggie finds herself in London at the beginning of WWII in order to settle her grandmother's estate. In order to help with the war effort, she lands a job as one of Winston Churchill's typists.

Reading the author's notes in the book, the actual work conditions as a typist for the late prime minister as described in the book are factual. MacNeal read typists' biographies and was actually in contact with one of the typists before she died. Besides the working conditions and the over-arching situation of WWII, that's about where the historical facts end.

However, it is an absolutely delightful novel. The character of Maggie Hope becomes the character of James Bond, only with estrogen! Even though you will find this in the fiction section, I really think it has all of the elements of a good mystery. I also found that, everytime I thought that the book was about to end, another twist was added that made me want to turn each tantalizing page until the end. I spent many late nights with this book!

Husserl's Phenomenology

Husserl's Phenomenology by Dan Zahavi, 178 pages

Edmund Husserl was one of the most influential philosophers of the 20th century.  The founder of the school of epistemology known as phenomenology, Husserl counted amongst his students such luminaries as Martin Heidegger and St Teresa Benedicta of the Cross (Edith Stein).  Still, Husserl's reputation faded in the latter half of the twentieth century, even as his influence continued to be felt by thinkers as diverse as Jean-Paul Sartre and Dietrich von Hildebrand.

Zahavi's book is an attempt to remedy this, partially by re-presenting (there's a phenomenological word!) Husserl's thought and partially by addressing certain ingrained misconceptions and objections to Husserl's work.  He does an excellent job, especially considering that phenomenology, even more so than most German philosophy, has a tendency to invent technical terms for the purpose of precision, which tends to make it very difficult for a non-specialist to understand, and Husserl himself is famed for his "extremely involuted and, therefore, forbidding style" (in the words of Quentin Lauer, translator of Husserl's Philosophy and the Crisis of European Man).  This book is only an introduction, and it is mostly concerned with his method, but it is almost a must-read for anyone with even a casual interest in 20th century philosophy.

Days of Anna Madigral

The Days of Anna Madrigal by Armistead Maupin  270 pages

 What it is about:  Is is supposedly the last book of a series that was originally published by The San Francisco Chronicle.  Extremely popular, Maupin created 8 novels prior to this one and spawned a mini-series on Showtime starring Laura Linney.  In this novel, the beloved characters are back as 92 year old Anna Madrigal remembers her early life at the Blue Moon brothel and various characters converge at the Burning Man.

Should you read it?  If you'd read the others you'll probably want to read this one as well.  I'll admit I read it just for this reason and was disappointed.  While some parts are good, there is never a big reunion of the main characters, something I was expecting, and many of the stories outside of Anna's are uninteresting.  This is one case where I felt the TV show was actually better than the book. I would definitely recommend seeing Showtime's Tales of the City.

Belle Cora

Belle Cora by Phillip Marguilies,  594 pages


What it is about:  This historical fiction novel is the story of Arabella Goodwin and how she went from a well to do young girl in 1830's Manhattan, to a Madame of one of the most popular brothels in San Francisco.  The novel opens on the occasion of the 1906 earthquake in San Francisco where Belle Cora has set up a comfortable life as a respectable widow.


Should you read it?:  If you are a fan of historical fiction you won't be disappointed by Marguilies' recreation of New York City during the 1830's and San Francisco during the Gold Rush.  Arabella is a strong female character, albeit sometimes unlikeable,  who uses her limited resources to succeed in life.  That being said, it is a long book and there are spots that drag.  In the end however, you'll be glad you read it.

The Path to Rome

The Path to Rome by Hilaire Belloc, 448 pages

In 1901, Hilaire Belloc made a vow that he would walk from Toul, where he had served in the French army as an artilleryman, across Lorraine, over the Alps, and through northern Italy to Rome.  The Path to Rome is the tale of that pilgrimage, day by day, town by town,

"Across the valleys and the high-land
With all the world on either hand
Drinking when I had a mind to,
Singing when I felt inclined to;
Nor ever turned my face to home
Till I had slaked my heart at Rome."

For Belloc, Rome is not only his destination, but something to be found everywhere on his journey, a presence synonymous with civilization.  There is no real narrative thrust to this book, and other than a brief passage involving a perilous mountain ascent the only tension involves Belloc trying to make it to Milan before his money runs out.  Belloc mocks literary conventions, promising to tell a story about a bandit, for example, then, 200 pages later, writing merely that the bandit died a long time ago.  This book is a long walk with a remarkable man, listening to his perspectives, touching on history, philosophy, theology, poetry, and oenology, amongst many, many other topics.  Yet Belloc never stays with a subject long enough for a lecture or debate, since he is, as he sees it, merely observing what any reasonable person would observe, and if there's a problem, it's that there are so few truly reasonable people.  The book is enjoyable if, like me, you find Belloc a fascinating and entertaining companion.  If not, he probably wouldn't want to share the path with you, either.

January Totals

The January totals are in, and newcomer Krista R has taken it by a landslide, with a whopping 52 books and 17,944 pages!!

Check out the January stats below, as well as in the Monthly Reporting tab.


January Stats:

Blogger	Books	Pages
Krista R	52	17,944
Jason S	24	7,333
Ed W	17	5,970
Kara K	8	2,664
Tiger R	5	1,917
Dennis M	5	1,432
Beth K-D	3	998
Lauren B	2	716
Karen Y	2	533
Jessalyn L	1	418
Steve J	1	289
TOTALS	119	40,214

Hollow City

Hollow City: The second Novel of Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs  399 Pages


The second book of Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children continues where the first left off.  Jacob and the tenants of Miss Peregrine's orphanage have escaped the wights bent on their destruction and managed to bring Miss Peregrine with them.  However, she is stuck in bird form and unless they can find safety and get her help, Jacob will remain stuck in 1940.  As the band of misfits travels, they encounter new allies and new threats as well.

Riggs continues to use vintage photos to expand and illustrate the book.  I felt however, that they weren't as good in moving the plot along as those used in the first book.  It sometimes would feel forced as Riggs tried to incorporate a new photo into the narrative.

Lost Lake

Lost Lake by Sarah Addison Allen, 296 Pages


Allen comes through again with a light whimsical novel that readers have come to expect from her.  In this work, Kate and her daughter Devin visit her great aunt Eby who runs a collection of lakeside cabins called Lost Lake.  Kate remembers her favorite summer, spent here when she was twelve.  However, Eby has decided to put Lost Lake up for sale.  Others gather at Lost Lake to find things missing from their lives and work to determine the future of the camp.

This novel should appeal to those who enjoy feel-good fiction, where a touch of magic leads to a happy ending.  Allen maintains a light hand in all aspects of the book and while romance is present, the reader isn't subject to heaving breasts and undue bodice ripping. 

The Fault in Our Stars

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green, 318 pages

I originally read The Fault in Our Stars in 2012, shortly after it was published. I’ve read most of Green’s body of work, and I fall pretty solidly in the John-Green-Fan column. In fact, in my personal experience he seems to be read more frequently by adults than teens. (My experience is totally anecdotal and is based on observing who checked out John Green books while I worked at a circulation desk; I never kept an official teen vs. adult tally or any other scientific statistics). It seems undeniable that he’s one of those cross-over YA author who appeals strongly to adult readers as well as teens. Even the way The Fault in Our Stars’s book jacket is designed seems meant to appeal to adult readers as much (or more so) than teenagers. The cover doesn’t have any of the common YA cover tropes (e.g. big face, girl in a fancy dress, cropped out head, etc.) and the cover blurb is by Jodi Picoult, an adult author. It’s a book that an adult wouldn’t be embarrassed to be seen carrying around (have you seen some of the YA covers out there? Cassandra Clare, I’m looking at you).

I wasn’t exactly looking forward to rereading The Fault in Our Stars because I remembered vividly how heart wrenching the story was. It is, after all, a Romeo and Juliette tale about teens who have cancer. I made it to just over page 100 before tearing up for the first time (Hazel waking up in the ICU did me in). By the end of the book I was, once again, an emotional wreck (even though I knew exactly what was coming). Overall, I’m happy with how well The Fault in Our Stars held up under a second reading, it still packs an emotional wallop.

I don’t know many people who are as well-spoken and articulate as the teens in John Green novels (I wish I were half as articulate as a John Green teen). Personally, I do tend to enjoy that snappy Gilmore Girls/Juno/Woody Allen style dialogue, but I do understand how it might not sit well with other readers. I did like Green’s presentation of the (markedly less-articulate) parents in the book. Unlike in many other YA novels, they weren’t absent, they weren’t stupid, they weren’t abusive or evil or cruel; they were fairly realistic suburban middle-class parents. (I don’t mean to imply that abusive, absent parents don’t exist, but sometimes I feel like they are the ONLY type of parents that exist in YA novels). Though the book is focused on Hazel and Gus, Green gives us enough of a glimpse into the parental characters to show that they DO have lives outside of their children, which as Hazel points out, is quite a difficult feat since taking care of a kid with cancer is a full time job. I don’t hesitate to recommend The Fault in Our Stars to adult and teen readers alike.

Killer Of Enemies

Killer Of Enemies by Joseph Bruchac, 361 pages

Lozen is the killer of enemies, but not necessarily her own enemies. She has been taken by the rulers of Haven, the Ones. They are what is left of the upper class, after the Silver Cloud destroyed civilization. Lozen stays because the Ones hold her family hostage. She goes on missions, risking her life to kill the genetically modified monsters that now exist and would prey upon the people of Haven if they could. Lozen plans for the day she can escape with her family, as soon as a chance arises. This YA book would be great for any teen that likes action adventure books. Although the main character is a girl, the story is compelling enough to interest boys as well.

The Midnight Dress

The Midnight Dress by Karen Foxlee, 277 pages

Rose and her father are drifters. In their newest stop, in a little beach town, Rose makes a friend, Pearl. Pearl is different from other friends she has had. Pearl is trying to find her father, who is Russian, even though she doesn’t have his full name. Pearl washes her hair in the rain and talks all the time, sharing information. Pearl is determined that Rose will be in the harvest festival parade and tells her to go to Edie Baker, who can make her a dress, since Rose can’t afford to buy one. Edie agrees but the one condition is that Rose has to help make the dress. Rumors circle about Edie; people say she is a witch and there does seem to be something magical about the dress that they are creating. But instead of magic, the night may end in tragedy. This book was well written but it was kind of unsettling. I didn’t like it as well as I would have hoped. Teen girls who like non-traditional mystery books and books about friendship may like it.

Spoils

Spoils by Tammar Stein, 261 pages

This was an amazing story that shows clearly how money does not fix all problems. Leni’s family won the lottery when she was eleven. Now, she is about to turn eighteen and the money is gone, except for a trust fund that her parents set up for her. Her parents expect Leni to give them the money when she can access it on her birthday, but Leni isn’t sure that’s the right thing to do. Her sister says the money is tainted and a bizarre visit from the archangel, Michael, seems to confirm it. Time is running out for Leni to figure out what to do. Any teen that likes mostly true life stories that explore relationships will love this book.

The Taming of the Tights

The Taming Of the Tights by Louise Rennison, 306 pages

The next installment in the life of Tallulah Casey, this book is filled with jokes and snogging and horses and knees and tights. Tallulah is happy to be back at Dother Hall with her Tree Sisters, starting a new term. However, Dr. Lightower still hates her, Cain is still obnoxious, Charlie still has his tiny girlfriend, and the owlets have been shoved out of the nest. Will Tallulah ever find love? Or the Golden Slippers of Applause? Any teen girl who is a fan of British humor and likes books about relationships will love this series, although they are better read in order.

Home From The Sea

Home From The Sea by Mercedes Lackey, 311 pages

Mari Prothero’s father has always been lucky when it comes to the sea. He can go out in the wildest storms, and come back, unharmed, with a boat full of fish. However, Mari is about to find out why they have been so lucky and isn’t very happy about it. Luckily, she has also found out that she is a Water Master and may be able to use that power to counteract some of her problems. With the help of Nan and Sarah (who readers of other books of the series will remember), Mari just might be able to bargain for her own happy ending. Fans of the Elemental Masters series, or of fantasy and retellings of fairy tales, will enjoy this book.

More Than Thiss

More Than This by Patrick Ness, 472 pages

Seth wakes up after drowning in a strange world. In fact, he wakes up outside of his old house in England, even though he has lived in America for the past several years. He doesn’t remember exactly what happened or everything about his life right away either and even though he recognizes his house, there is no one around and everything looks as though it has been deserted for years. He finally meets two other people, Regine and Tomasz. Maybe with their help, he can figure out what is going on, if they can avoid the Driver, a figure all in black, who may or may not be human, but seems bent on killing them. This was an excellent story and any teen who enjoys fantasy/science fiction would love it.

Conjured

Conjured by Sarah Beth Durst, 358 pages

Eve can’t remember who she is or anything about her former life. She remembers some short-term things but sometimes forgets things that have happened recently too. One thing she does know is that she can do magic and she is on a world with no magic so she must be from a different world. Every time she does magic, though, she has visions, blacks out, and often loses more memories. She is in a witness protection program and the people protecting her are desperate for her to remember, because someone is out there killing people who have magic and they believe she has memories that will help them catch the killer. They also think that she may be a target. This was a great YA fantasy/mystery that many fans of that genre would enjoy.

Amber Brown is on the Move

Amber Brown Is On The Move by Bruce Coville & Elizabeth Levy, 170 pages

In this latest installment to the Amber Brown series, Amber, her mom, and Max are getting ready to move to a new house. Amber isn’t crazy about this idea but it’s happening whether she wants it to or not. She is also worried about the big state test coming up and upset that she has to go to Saturday classes to get ready for it because she is having trouble with the practice tests. This means her time with her dad is cut short too. One thing that might be good is her class starting ballroom dancing. It might be fun, but the boys might spoil that too. This book could stand alone and is a great installment in the stories about Amber Brown. Any of her fans or kids who like realistic stories with some humor would love it. It is appropriate for about second to fourth grade.