The Mountaintop School For Dogs and other second chances

The Mountaintop School For Dogs and other second chances by Ellen Cooney
293 Pages


"The Sanctuary. High up on the mountain, the Sanctuary is a place of refuge. It is a place where humans save dogs, who, in turn, save the humans. It is a place where the past does not exist, where hopelessness is chased away, where the future hasn't been written, where orphans and strays can begin to imagine a new meaning for "family." Evie is making her way to the Sanctuary. She has lied to gain entry. She has pretended to know more than she does about dogs, but she is learning fast. Once the indomitable Mrs. Auberchon lets her pass, she will find her way. Like the racing greyhound who refuses to move, the golden retriever who returns to his job as the Sanctuary's butler every time he's adopted, and the Rottweiler who's a hopeless candidate for search-and-rescue, Evie comes from a troubled past. But as they all learn, no one should stay prisoner to a life she didn't choose. This is the story of two women and a whole pack of dogs who, having lost their way in the world, find a place at a training school-and radical rescue center-called the Sanctuary. It is a story of strays and rescues, kidnappings and homecomings, moving on and holding on and letting go. And it is, ultimately, a moving and hilarious chronicle of the ways in which humans and canines help each other find new lives, new selves, and new hope."

A charming novel with excellent development of dog characters.  If you are a dog lover you'll like this book.

Night Chill

Night Chill by Jeff Gunhus    438 pages

I haven’t slept in three days. Jeff Gunhus’ first novel for adults scared the beejeezus out of me. It takes off fast and never slows down until the final page.

The book’s premise is the Jack Tremont has moved his family (wife Lauren, daughters Becky and Sarah) from California to the mountains of Western Maryland. The family, especially Jack, needed to start over after a horrible accident.

The book opens with the abduction of an eighteen-year-old girl by one of the novel’s central characters, Nate Huckley. This isn’t the first young woman/girl who has been one of Huckley’s victims. The story shifts to Jack and his daughters as he picks them up from school. After dropping the girls off for a play date, he goes to a local bar to console a friend who has a dying child. An ensuing rainstorm causes the gruesome death of a local n’er-do-well. (It’s closing in on bedtime as I finish this chapter, but knowing sleep won’t come easy, I read some more.)

The next few chapters are the most terrifying I have ever read. Since everyone hates spoilers, let’s just say you should read this in the daytime.  

The Tremont’s have been living in Prescott City for a year now, but they had no idea of the evil secrets they were about to encounter. It seems like everyone in town is involved, from the sheriff to the bartender.

Before Night Chill, Gunhus has written a YA series in order to induce his son to read. That this is his first adult novel may be more terrifying than the book----he’ll get better as he writes, I’m sure.

I give Night Chill 5 out of 5 stars.

Fatal Judgment

Fatal Judgment by Irene Hannon, 330 pages

 

Jake Taylor is a U.S. Marshall assigned to Federal Court Judge Elizabeth Michaels after her sister was killed in what may have been an attempt on her life.  The FBI and the Marshalls are trying to figure out who was behind the shooting while Liz is kept in protective custody.  Liz is actually the widow of Jake's best friend from college.  Jake had been under the impression that Liz had not been a very good wife to his friend and may have even been indirectly responsible for his death.  After meeting her again though, Jake is being forced to revise his opinion and thinks he may even be falling in love with Liz and the feeling may be mutual.  If they can manage to keep Liz alive, perhaps their love could have a chance.  Hannon's books are formulaic but she's a pretty good writer so the story is still pretty compelling.  These are for people who like Christian suspense romance.

Francine Poulet Meets The Ghost Raccoon

Francine Poulet Meets The Ghost Raccoon by Kate DiCamillo, 91 pages

Francine Poulet is a no-nonsense, take charge kind of person.  She's not afraid of anything.  She faced down a bear and the bear blinked first.  She has won 47 awards in her job as animal control officer.  She's the greatest animal control officer in Grizzford County.  But it seems that now she may have met her match in the form of a screaming ghost raccoon.  The woman who complained about the raccoon originally said that the raccoon was screaming her name.  Francine is sure that it's all nonsense but when she meets the raccoon, for the first time she's afraid.  Is this the end of Francine's career or will she find a way to defeat the raccoon?  This was a fun adventure for younger elementary kids who are just beginning chapter books.

Nice Girls Don’t Bite Their Neighbors

Nice Girls Don’t Bite Their Neighbors by Molly Harper, 337 pages

This is the last book in this series.  Jane is forced to turn a young man she knows into a vampire when he is hit by a car.  She, of course, becomes responsible for Jamie, who is still a teenager and acts like it.  This is while she is trying to plan her wedding to Gabriel and also while someone is apparently trying to kill Gabriel.  In the meantime her Grandma Ruthie has died and has decided to take up residence in Jane’s house because she is still resentful that Aunt Jettie left the house to Jane.  I liked the way Harper wrapped this series up.  If she wanted to she could easily write more books but the story is all very neatly tied up with no loose ends.  Fans of the supernatural humorous romance will like this series a lot.

Unmade

Unmade by Sarah Rees Brennan, 370 pages

"New York Times bestselling author Sarah Rees Brennan brings the Lynburn Legacy--her modern, magical twist on the Gothic romance and girl-detective genres--to a surprising and satisfying conclusion. Perfect for fans of the Beautiful Creatures and the Mortal Instruments series. "Who will be the sacrifice?" Kami is linked to two boys. One through a strong magical bond, and the other through unforgettable love. With Jared missing for months and presumed dead, Kami must rely on her link with Ash for the strength to face the evil spreading through her town. Working with her friends, Kami uncovers a secret that might be the key to saving the town. But with knowledge comes responsibility--and a painful choice. A choice that will risk not only Kami's life, but also the lives of those she loves most."  I really liked this ending.  Teens that like fantasy will want to read this series and should be pretty satisfied with this last book.

Torn Away

Torn Away by Jennifer Brown, 276 pages

I think I like every book I read by Brown more than the last one.  This is the story of Jersey, whose hometown of Elizabeth, MO was hit by a devastating tornado at the end of her junior year of high school.  She was home alone when the tornado hit and her entire neighborhood was basically leveled.  Jersey pretty much loses everything in the storm and has to learn to cope with her grief and loss with no help from anyone.  In fact, the people who should be helping her are actually making her situation worse.  This is based loosely on the situation with the tornado in Joplin and is a great, but sad, story about a girl who finds inner strength and help from an unexpected source.  Teens who like stories about real life will enjoy this book.

Lost

Lost by S.A. Bodeen, 137 pages

This is the second book in the Shipwreck Island trilogy.  Sarah and her family are still trapped on the strange island.  They are still hearing odd noises and Sarah's stepmother seems to be getting ill.  The find a girl unconscious on the beach who tells them a fantastic story when she wakes up.  Sarah's dad and stepmom clearly don't believe everything but the story doesn't seem much crazier than some of the things Sarah and her stepbrothers, Marco and Nacho, have seen.  The girl also warns them about a new threat, The Curator.  Sarah hopes that they can find a way off the island before everyone on her family is captured by The Curator, or worse, killed.  This is a good adventure story for older elementary or younger middle school kids.  There's just enough scary stuff going on to satisfy kids who like that type of story.  I liked the second book better than first and I liked the first book pretty well.

Dorothy Must Die: Stories

Dorothy Must Die: Stories by Danielle Paige, 377 pages

This is a collection of three novellas that tell the story of Dorothy's return to Oz and why she is so different from the Dorothy we know from the Wizard of Oz.  Two years after her return to Kansas Dorothy is bored with her life, misses Oz, and thinks that she may have made a mistake.  When she is given the opportunity to return to Oz, she jumps at the chance, taking Uncle Henry and Auntie Em with her.  Much more time has passed in Oz than in Kansas and she finds that the Scarecrow is no longer in charge, a young girl, Ozma, is the Princess of Oz.  Dorothy finds that she has some ability to use magic and, desperate to stay in Oz, she uses magic to achieve this end.  However, using the magic seems to twist her and change her personality, thus she becomes the girl that we see in the book Dorothy Must Die.  The first story is from Dorothy's perspective and the next two are from the perspective of Jellia Jamb and the Wizard.  I actually like these stories better than the first book, but I might like it better now that I have more explanation.  Teens who like the Oz stories or like fantasy will probably enjoy this.

A Handful Of Stars

A Handful Of Stars by Cynthia Lord, 184 pages

Lily is determined to save enough money top get her dog, Logan, cataract surgery.  Logan, partly because of his blindness, leads Lily to a meeting with Salma, a migrant worker who is helping her family pick blueberries.  Salma and Lily end up becoming friends.  Salma helps Lily paint mason bee houses, which Lily is selling to make money for Logan's operation.  Lily ends up helping Salma when Salma decides to enter the Downeast Blueberry Queen contest.  Between all of their activities, Lily and Salma help each other understand the meaning of true friendship and even manage to help Logan along the way.  I really enjoyed this book.  Kids who like realistic fiction should definitely pick this one up.

Infected

Infected by Sophie Littlefield, 242 pages

Carina's life has been pretty normal up to her senior year.  I mean sure her mom wasn't really around much because of her job, but otherwise everything was pretty good.  Then her life started spinning out of control.  Her mother died and then now her uncle, who took care of her after her mother's death, has also died.  Her new guardian is someone else who worked with both her mother and uncle.  Carina always thought that they were working on some sort of nutritional project but at her uncle's funeral she gets information that makes her suspect that they were working on something much more dangerous, and that she, and her boyfriend, Tanner, might both be affected by this research on a very personal level.  She and Tanner are on a quest to find the truth but there are people who seem determined to keep them from it and time is running out.  This was a fast paced adventure story that teens will probably enjoy.

A Thousand Pieces Of You

A Thousand Pieces Of You by Claudia Gray, 360 pages

Marguerite's father has just been killed by Paul, a boy who she thought was completely trustworthy.  He was one of two grad students who had been studying with her parents and was practically family.  Now he has left, using the Firebird, a device her parents invented that can be used to travel to other dimensions.  Unfortunately, he has also destroyed all of her parents' research so that the device can't be duplicated anytime soon.  However, the other student, Theo, has managed to salvage to earlier prototypes that he has upgraded to be usable.  He and Marguerite follow Paul  in an attempt to exact revenge or at least bring him to justice.  Along the way, though, Marguerite may learn some things that don't agree with the story she believes to be true.  There may be more to the situation than she knows and Paul may not be the villain that she thinks.  This was a great science fiction story.  Although a little bit predictable, it was still well written and I thought it was pretty compelling.   I'm fairly certain there will be a sequel because this book left a lot of loose ends in the overall story and I will be excited to read it when it comes out.

Mary Poppins In The Kitchen

Mary Poppins In The Kitchen by P.L. Travers, 79 pages

This is a combination cookbook and story.  Mr. and Mrs. Banks have planned a trip.  Ellen is already away because she is ill and Mrs. Brill has received a telegram that she must go help her niece whose children are sick with the measles.  Mary Poppins, of course, is more than capable in the kitchen and off the Banks go leaving Mary Poppins and he children to manage.   They cook something different every day, usually with the help of someone we've met in a previous book, like Mrs. Corry and her daughters and Admiral Boom.  At the end of the book are all of the recipes of everything they made and a few things they didn't.  It's cute but probably only something that fans of Mary Poppins would enjoy.

The Marvels

The Marvels by Brian Selznick, 665 pages

This is the story of the Marvel family, a genealogy from Billy Marvel through his descendants, down to his great-great grandson, Leo.  The book tells the story of the family in pictures, especially Billy's story, which is a very exciting story of surviving a shipwreck with only his dog, Tar.  All of the family led exciting lives afterwards, being famous actors at the Royal Theatre.  The second half of the book is about a boy named Joseph, who runs away from his boarding school to his Uncle Albert's house in London.  He has never met his uncle, and it is there that he discovers the story of the Marvel family.  Joseph is determined to uncover the secret his uncle is hiding and to figure out what the connection is between his family and the Marvels.  This was an excellent story.  Despite it's length, it will be an easy sell to reluctant readers since half of the book is illustrations.  I think this might be favorite of Selznick's books so far.

Deceptions

Deceptions by Kelley Armstrong
453 Pages


"Olivia Taylor Jones's life has exploded. She's discovered she is not only adopted, but her real parents are convicted serial killers. Fleeing the media frenzy, she took refuge in the oddly secluded town of Cainsville. She has since solved the town's mysteries and finds herself not only the target of its secretive elders but also her stalker ex-fiancé. Visions continue to haunt her: particularly a little blond girl in a green sundress who insists she has an important message for Olivia, one that may help her balance the light and darkness within herself. Death stalks both Olivia and the two men most important to her, as she desperately searches to understand whether ancient scripts are dictating the triangle that connects them. Will darkness prevail, or does Olivia have the power to prevent a tragic fate?"

So I find the overall plot development and progression to be good enough for me to continue to read the series.  However there are a few annoying flaws with the writing.  One of the main characters is written to what the author must believe portrays a brooding and sensitive soul.  However he really comes across as a pouty, childish twit.  The other thing that is annoying is there a few parts of romance/sex plopped down in the book that really don't do much to advance the plot.  If someone is stalking you and threatening your life, perhaps you shouldn't keep taking time out to have sex in dark alleys/forests/abandoned buildings! 

The Far Reaches

The Far Reaches: Phenomenology, Ethics, and Social Renewal in Central Europe by Michael Gubser, 229 pages

If phenomenology is little known and little respected outside academic philosophical circles, much of its obscurity is no doubt due to its epistemological preoccupations, which are hardly applicable to everyday life.  Yet, as Michael Gubser chronicles in The Far Reaches, phenomenology always included ethical and social elements, planted by early figures such as Husserl and Scheler and bearing fruit most spectacularly in Central Europe in the late twentieth century, in thinkers including Vaclav Havel and St John Paul II.  In the process, Gubser also calls into question claims that the revolutions of 1989 had little intellectual originality.  The dissidents may have had an apolitical shyness born of a long experience of totalitarian rule, but their writings describe a global crisis of values that afflicted the materialist, individualist West just as deeply as the materialist, collectivist East.

In places, The Far Reaches makes for rather difficult reading - a contributing factor in the obscurity of phenomenology is its specialized vocabulary, and while Gubser does his best to ameliorate this difficulty, the reader is still left with pages of abstract language.  The rewards, both philosophical and historical, are well worth the struggle.

Seraph of the End Manga

Seraph of the End: Vampire Reign Volumes 1-5, by Takaya Kagami (914 pages/ 5 books)

This series starts off with vampires rising up to "save" humanity after a deadly plague kills anyone over the age of thirteen. Unfortunately for the humans being saved comes with a cost, as they are rounded up and brought beneath the Earth for their safety. There they are forced to make blood donations and are treated like livestock. Fed up with being constantly siphoned for blood two twelve year old boys plot their escape and revenge.

This manga is classified as horror and action, but seeing how the vampires are all neatly dressed and look like humans with pointy teeth, I am not sure what is so scary about it. I was initially unsure about reading this series, namely because the plot seemed so shaky. I mean who would think that a couple of kids would pose any threat to some super powerful vampires. But as it turns out, it actually quite good and has a nice twist to it. It also offers a multitude of side plots to help keep the human vampire struggle from getting stale.

My one dislike is the use of magically, or in this case demon enhanced weapons. I fear that this is an early indicator for the classic power leveling that ruins so many series. I will have to keep reading to see if I am right, but I predict that sometime in the next few books the hero will meet someone he cannot beat with his weapon so he will seek out an even stronger one. Then he will be victorious, but eventually the vampires will also have a stronger weapon, and this cycle will repeat. I very much hope I am wrong, but I have seen these loops before.

Higurashi: When they Cry Manga

Higurashi: When they Cry Volumes 1-8 (using the English numbering) by Ryukishi07 (1804 pages/8 books)

This review is for the following arcs: Abducted by Demons, Cotton Drifting, Curse Killing, and Time Killing. I decided to include all of these arcs into one review as, for the first four, retellings of the same story but focusing on different aspects. The Time Killing Arc contains both a prequel and a conclusion of sorts.

First off let me give you some information about this series. As it turns out Higurashi: When they Cry was actually adapted from a video game series. While I know it is common to make books into video games, this is the first I heard that started there. Second, as I mentioned above the first four arcs in this series all are piecemeal accounts of the larger plot. In each arc a different girl is portrayed as the victim and villain. Finally if you read this series it is useful to know that Higurashi means cicada.

When discussing this series with another blogger she gave me a quite extensive list of manga types. Together we decided that this certainly falls under the "harem" genre with elements of horror mixed in. A harem manga is defined by it being one girl or guy somehow together with a larger number of the opposite sex. In this case one guy is in a group of four to five girls. Higurashi, like most harem manga sees the main character developing relations with everyone in the group.

Nearly all of the story takes place in and around the quite village of Hinamizawa, where the main character Keiichi has just moved. He quickly becomes friends with four of his classmates, Rena, Mion, Rika and Satoko. But as he is settling into the quite life of school and after school club meetings he learns of the secret past of Hinamizawa. Years ago dam project threatened to flood the village. Luckily the village was able to band together and stop the project. Since then, every year during the Cotton Drifting festival someone is murdered and someone disappears. With the Cotton Drifting festival right around the corner, Keiichi is afraid he might be next.

I am not sure I like the format this manga is in. I know the arcs all intercept and supposedly form one coherent storyline, but I couldn't really see it till the third arc. In the manga's defense, I did not even know that the arcs were all retellings till I started the third book, and had the same story. Other then my confusion I found the story itself entertaining and certainly suspenseful. I also think that the Time Killing Arc did a great job of not only setting the scene, but also helping the reader understand everything that happened.

There is still quite a lot of volumes in this series, but I am not sure what they are going to be about. Especially with how everything ends here.

Blacksad: Amarillo

Blacksad: Amarillo (Blacksad #5), by Juan Diaz Canales, ill Juanjo Guarnido

Everyone's favorite cat-man-detective Blacksad is back on the case.  This time, he's got a sweet gig driving a beautiful car across the country- so maybe his never-ending bad luck has ended?  Oh, you sweet, wrong individual- of course not.  First the car gets stolen and then the hijinks turn, as they always do, in the direction of murder. 

As usual, the illustrations are really well-done, the story is bittersweet, and you will be VERY interested to see who the translator was (hint: she works here! and is super talented!)

Death Note Manga Series

Death Note Volume 1-12 by Tsugumi Oba, (2418 pages/12 books)


The Death Note series follows a young man named Light who finds a notebook intentionally left there by a Shinigami (death god) named Ryuk. What makes this notebook so special is that it has the power to kill anyone whose name is written in it. Provided that you know the person's name and face. Supposedly this is to stop random people from being killed, but is more useful to the plot than anything else.

Once Light starts killing people, the Japanese police force form a task force to stop him. Leading this force is Light's own father. As the killings continue to ramp up a mysterious world renown detective named L joins the hunt. What follows is a very interesting game of cat and mouse, where the loser could very well end up dead.

This might be an overly simplistic summery of the series, as there is a lot that happens in the later books, but I tend to define spoilers in a very broad sense. This prevents me from going into too much detail.

I would define this manga series as a thriller with some action and horror elements. Unlike most manga I have come across most of the characters are college aged or higher. Though unless you did some research on the wiki you would think some of them, namely Misa, are high school age at best. I cannot say if I like this age range better, but it at least avoids some of the problems I have with ecchi manga.

I enjoyed the concept of being able to kill people by learning their names and knowing their faces. And if adapted into a world of superheroes, this would make an awesome super villain.