YA Wednesday

Backwater

by: Joan Bauer

Genre: Young Adult

Rating: 4 stars

Summary:

It is hard to be a quiet person when your entire family isn't. Ivy Breedlove is peace-loving individual in a family of lawyers. Working on her family's history she tries to find out more about her aunt Jo, a recluse who the Breedlove clan claims is "stuck in the backwater." This journey leads Ivy on journey to discover exactly how much strength she has inside.

Joan Bauer is one of my favorite young adult authors. She deals with real life in a way that few authors are able to manage and has created a wonderful character with Ivy.  I am a little more on the introverted side, so I immediately latched on to this shy girl. 

Her journey (a literal one not metaphoric) brings her to Mountain Momma one of my favorite characters in Bauer's books. She is no nonsense and gritty and is brimming with wise tid-bits that really have a lot more depth to them than when you first read them.

I love the realism that Bauer has, she keeps the angst out of the picture - because not every teenager is angsty and whiny so it's nice to not always have to read about them.  I would recommend this to young women (and some not so young) who are looking for a gentle read that can have them laughing and thinking in alternate moments.

Miscellaneous Monday - Science Fiction

Tunnel in the Sky

By: Robert Heinlein

Genre: Science Fiction

Rating: 4 stars

Summary:

What started out as a test for school turns into a survival trip no one was expecting. After the way home disappears with no sign of returning, several young men and women must fight to survive on a planet on the other side of the universe. Without any of the luxuries from home, including a steady source of food, law enforcement and hospitals these young adults must make a new civilization for themselves.

This is one of the few books that I have read that I feel like I could unquestionably recommend to men as well as women. It is a wonderfully crafted adventure which, due to the fact that it is 55 years old, gets overlooked.  At first it looks like a Lord of the Flies remake, however it is done in such a way that it is much more enjoyable to read, yet is a wonderful examination of human nature and how we form our societies. This is a great book to read even if you aren’t into sci-fi. It doesn’t rely heavily on the futuristic world but rather on this “what-if” scenario -  putting people in a situation where no one is taking care of them and seeing what human characteristics emerge.  It also shows what true leadership is and how it is attained.

As I previously stated, I would recommend this to guys as well as girls, probably in the younger set, 14-16 but because of the content you can still read it when you are older and enjoy it immensely.

Just For Fun Friday

The Distant Hours
by: Kate Morton

Genre: General Fiction, Historical Fiction

Rating: 4 stars

Summary:

It all begins with a long lost letter. Its contents compel young Edie Burchill to journey to the eerie realm of Milderhurst Castle, where her mother, then just 13 years old, waited out the London Blitz. What Edie learns about those distant hours in that faraway place will forever change her view of her mother and herself. 

Of the three novels that Morton has published this is probably the third favorite. I don’t at all mean to say that it isn’t a great novel I just like the other two better.  It does have mystery just as the others do, and I love that Morton’s mysteries revolve around a family’s past not around a murder, well not generally.

Here we are introduced to the Blythe sisters. They are quite a set. There is a depth about them that is generally found around in those who are heavy with secrets.  The castle in which they live seems like a place that could take you to Narnia, or perhaps another land that is darker, it is simply full of a kind of magic that comes with being an ancient building. Also I love how much writing, and the creative process is involved throughout the whole thing.

Edie Burchill is a wonderful concoction. She is very real with a marvelous fluidity about her – especially in regards to her relationship with her mother which undergoes much change throughout the course of the story.  It really is a marvelous read, very well written. Morton has her own unique style which I have fallen in love with and I would love to see more from her.

YA Wednesday- First Test

First Test

by: Tamora Pierce

Genre: YA Fantasy

Rating: 4 Stars

Summary:

For ten years Tortall has allowed for girls to come forward to train to be a knight but Keladry of Mindelan otherwise called Kel is the first to step forward. With almost everyone set against her, from the training master to the other boys training with her, she must face down bullies, magical creatures and training masters to prove to Tortall that it is possible for a girl to keep up with the boys.

I am a sucker for a strong female character, and if there is one thing that Tamora Pierce has nailed it is this one. She isn't a shadow of Alana from the previous Tortall series, she is her own independent and believable creation. Kel has a fierce determination to fight injustice in all forms and this is what lends this little 11-year-old (goodness I have been reading a lot about those haven't I?) a wisdom which can reach to older ages. 

I would definitely recommend this to a younger crowd, somewhere between 13 and 16, at least for a first read. I came across this when I was in middle school and have reread the whole series a few times since then. All of the characters she creates have a nice depth and consistency with what I see in the world around me. My favorite of this series is Squire which is the third installment but as a whole the series is one of my favorite's of Pierce's.

A Mystery for Monday

The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie

Alan Bradley

Genre: Mystery

Rating: 4 stars

I don't have as much experience with mystery novels compared to everything else but I was pleased with this find. To tell the truth it was the cover that really piqued my interest. I love books that have the cover printed on the the book itself rather than on a paper sleeve and when this one came to the bookshelves I instantly fell in love with it for that reason.

Summary from Goodreads:

It is the summer of 1950–and at the once-grand mansion of Buckshaw, young Flavia de Luce, an aspiring chemist with a passion for poison, is intrigued by a series of inexplicable events: A dead bird is found on the doorstep, a postage stamp bizarrely pinned to its beak. Then, hours later, Flavia finds a man lying in the cucumber patch and watches him as he takes his dying breath.

For Flavia, who is both appalled and delighted, life begins in earnest when murder comes to Buckshaw. “I wish I could say I was afraid, but I wasn’t. Quite the contrary. This was by far the most interesting thing that had ever happened to me in my entire life.”

The fact that an eleven year old girl is able to keep an adult audience entranced for the duration of a novel speaks volumes on her character. Flavia is a no-nonsense kind of girl with a passion for chemistry that is borderline mania. She has the tenacity and curiosity that is often found in younger people which is greatly to ones advantage when there are mysteries to be solved and murderers to catch. She speaks with a wit and directness that is refreshing and entertaining. In one moment you forget that she isn't adult and in the next we hear of her sibling battles and you are reminded that it is in fact a little girl who is solving this. 

As I earlier stated, mysteries aren't exactly on my reading radar, but Bradley's writing is wonderful and I have fallen in love with it. I most definitely be reading the next two that he has out and will continue to follow this new author.

Northanger Abbey

The first of Austen's novels to be sold, though not published until 1817, after the death of the Authoress. It is a very witty satire on the Gothic novels which were so popular of her time.

It is the coming of age story of Catherine Morland who at the young age of 17 is given the chance to visit Bath with her family's friends the Allen's. Catherine has nothing of the heroine about her. She comes from an averages family, has average intelligence and is "nearly pretty." Little does she suspect the friends she will make in Bath, both charming and duplicitous. With her head filled with the stories of Mrs. Radcliffe she secures an invitation to visit Northanger Abbey with her friends the Tilney's. Her Gothic notions almost lead to her doom but she is saved by good sense of friends.

I read this book for a class I am taking and fell in love with the writing. As this is her first novel, Austen had not quite yet found her narrative style but it is still peppered with all of the wit and humor that can be found in her works. A thing that I did really like about the narrator was how she spoke directly to the audience at times and in turn became almost a character in and of itself.


Catherine, too, is a heroine I was deeply enchanted by. She is average and extremely naive. Her naiveté is nearly her undoing on several accounts and yet we see her grow and learn how to read people.


This is fairly short for an Austen novel and I recommend it for anyone who is interested in the genre and wanting to have a good laugh.

The Silent Governess

 Written by Julie Klassen The Silent Governess is one that I have thoroughly enjoyed in the past and have even come back to read again. I am still working on plot summary so until I can really get them concise, here is one from Goodreads:


"Believing herself guilty of a crime, Olivia Keene flees her home, eventually stumbling upon a grand estate where an elaborate celebration is in progress. But all is not as joyous as it seems…. Lord Bradley has just learned a terrible secret, which, if exposed, will change his life forever. When he glimpses a figure on the grounds, he fears a spy or thief has overheard his devastating news. He is stunned to discover the intruder is a scrap of a woman with her throat badly injured. Fearing she will spread his secret, he gives the girl a post and confines her to his estate. As Olivia and Lord Bradley's secrets catch up with them, will their hidden pasts ruin their hope of finding love?" 


What I really like is that it isn't strictly romance. Olivia has a sense of who she is and is content with herself. She has a sense of self-worth and refuses to take insults from anyone. Also matrimony isn't her main goal. She is intelligent and wants to keep her education going and continue on to teach at a girls school.


To me this book is a nice mesh of the mystery and romance. It will keep you going until the final pages yet leave you satisfied with an ending that isn't too perfectly wrapped up.