An Absolutely Remarkable Thing by Hank Green

This was on my list to read but then got even more exciting when it was announced as the next Barnes and Noble book club book.

I wanted to love this book without reservation because of how much I really like both the Green brothers. Plus it started out with a gripping and crazy first couple of pages. I mean come on, a narrator who in the opening references having BEEN human and a giant transformer type robot thing on a street in NYC!!!

I am going to try to give the least spoilerish review I can but I am sorry if I fail. Maybe you should know this first and can come back for the rest after you read it. I ended up really liking this book but didn't LOVE it. But part of why I didn't love it is because of me. I think I expected to much and that's my fault and not Hank's. After reading the whole thing including the author's note I think my expectation is part of the problem Hank's parable addresses. Had I gone into this knowing what it was going to be I might have felt differently. So that being said, this is a good story, interesting, creepy, and a lesson. Now stop if you are worried about being spoiled even despite my best intention not to spoil anyone.


April May becomes internet famous and like many becomes addicted to the attention. Like any addiction it changes her life and those her life touches. Her story begins with the discovery of Carl, a giant robot thing that appears in NYC and in a whole bunch of other cities around the world. Why? How? Who are they? Where are they from? What the heck are they made of? It's a mystery.

Part way through the book, about halfway, it felt like the story changed on me and I worried that Hank was trying to be too many things at once. By the end and after reading his note I feel like that was intentional so I can forgive it, the off kilter feeling I was left with, it is part of the journey.

But I do have 1 complaint that wasn't addressed in his note. Why was April Queer? It was talked about in the beginning and then sort of just dropped. I am not sure why it was started to be talked about because her Bi identification became an issue when she was asked to "just be a lesbian" and she hesitates and then agrees. Then it felt forgotten in all the other stuff happening. Maybe I am being overly sensitive to how this might feel to Queer teens and young adults, but I wonder if that was going to go someplace and then couldn't because of all the other things Hank was doing here. Please share your thoughts with this on me. I don't mind being told I am off base if I am.

Now I wait for the Barnes and Noble book club night to hear what others thought.

(Finished September 29, 2018)

Sea Prayer by Khalid Hosseini

It took me 15 minutes to read this but it will stay with me forever. It’s a letter from a father to his son as they are fleeing Homs. In just a few short phrases you can see the Homs the father grew up in and the war torn place his son knows and it’s heartbreaking.

The art is breathtaking too. I’m no expert but I think they are watercolor. They are striking!!

Hosseini was inspired to write this by the death of three-year-old Alan Kurdi, the Syrian refugee who drowned trying to reach saftey in Europe in 2015. We all saw his picture on magazine covers and in news reports. But what you may not know is that in just the year after Alan drowned 4.176 others died or went missing attempting the same escape.

(Finished September 18, 2018)

The Dreadful Tale of Prosper Redding (The Dreadful Tale of Prosper Redding #1) by Alexandra Bracken

I saw postings about this being released in paperback and since it was by Bracken I wanted to read it. I had recently read The Darkest Minds series (1, 2, 3) and I read what the book was about but nothing else. So what I missed until I had it in my hands was that it was a middle grade book. But I am totally in love with Harry Potter so I am not against reading books categorized as children's or middle grade books. The blurb on the back of Dreadful sounded good and so I grabbed it.

It was what I would have expected from Bracken after reading the other books, it was creepy, it was snarky, it had moments of tension, there was mystery, deception, people not being who they seemed to be and some being more, and in true middle grade fashion there was snot and other grossness.

Prosper is part of a set of twins in a family that in its entire history only ever had two sets of twins. But the Redding family has been unusually lucky in every way, or almost every way. Prosper sees the lucky of his family members all around him, inches parents, sister, cousins, aunts, uncles, and his scary Grandmother, but none of it seems to be reaching him. He is picked on, feels like the odd one out, and like he can't be himself, his true artist self.

Then on Founder's Day something really creepy happens. And there is a ritual and a knife and a stranger and running for his life. And when the smoke clears Prosper finds himself in the company of Nell and Uncle B. And he goes to a different school and he can be himself while hiding in plain sight and he begins to feel what it feels like to be part of a group, to have a friend. Oh and he has a fiend living inside him gaining power and ready to fight his way out of Prosper on his fast approaching 13th Birthday.

But not everything is what it seems. And while Prosper tries to be strong and not give in to the fiend who wants to enter into a contract with him to make him as lucky and well off as the rest of his family Prosper just wants to do the right thing because he truly cares. It isn't always easy but he tries hard.

This was a really good story for the creep and mystery, but there was an underlying message that is really important for middle grade aged kids, be you no matter what, theater kid, art kid, jock, bookish kid, all of us deserve to be able to be who we are, it is good to be good, and fitting in isn't easy but it gets better and you don't have to sell your soul for it to happen. Don't worry, the message here for kids in middle school (or even high school and college) isn't a plank Bracken beats you over the head with but it is there in among the ghost(ish) story.

A good read!

(Finished September 17, 2018)

Graceling (Graceling Realm #1) by Kristin Cashore

If you see the dates on my Goodreads page for this one it looks like it took a longer than one might expect for me to finish. But I put it aside to read Fear: Trump in the White House by Bob Woodward and had a few things going on that kept me from reading anything.

I tried to buy book 2, Bitterblue, today but B&N only had 1 copy in and it was dinged up and so I had a copy ordered for me. Now I almost wish I had sucked it up and bought the damaged copy because I want to spend more time with Katsa, Po, & Bitterblue,

Near the end of this book the tension was so much that I felt like wanted to put it down and catch my breath but I didn't want to stop because I needed to know what happened, but the tension was so bad I needed to stop but couldn't....

This was my second date with Kristin Cashore, the first was Jane, Unlimited, and she is now cemented in my mind as a favorite. Yes I have a lot of favorite authors, and it is mostly like with kids,  I love them all differently but couldn't pick just one.

So a review of the story without spoilers, it's an action packed, romance, swashbuckler, mystery, fantasy. Katsa is something called Graced...the Graced have some sort of extra power. They could be hunters, swimmers, fighters, etc...and they are identified by their two different colored eyes. Po is Graced too. His Grace challenges Katsa's entire sense of self and helps her stand up for herself and allow herself to grow and be who she wants to be. Some Graced are used and abused by the Kings who have them in their kingdom, as was the case with Katsa, she is used horribly Kind Randa. Some are hidden or have their gift downplayed to protect them as is the case with Po. Then they meet and their lives are changed. Katsa has rescued Po's grandfather from a dungeon. Po wants to know why his grandfather was kidnapped in the first place and by who.
Can they solve the mystery? Can Katsa manage to give of herself without giving up herself?

I really enjoyed Graceling, it was tense, interesting, at times it was fun and funny, it was satisfying. And I freely admit I love the girls don't have to belong to anyone other than themselves to share their life with someone plot point.

(Finished September 15, 2018)

Fear: Trump in the White House by Bob Woodward

I went out to Barnes & Noble on Tuesday September 11, release day, yes on 9/11 and no I don't think it was a coincidence. I go there 20 minutes after they opened and they were almost sold out. My friends who work there said there was a line waiting before they opened of people waiting to buy a copy. I am a fan of Woodward so I was interested, but I figured that anything that had Trump so angry  and unhappy was something I wanted to read.

With each page I became more worried and angry and hopeless. Most of this wasn't new information. Some was stuff I hadn't heard before.  But there was something about seeing all of this laid out in one place in chronological (mostly) order was just blood boiling and scary.

I know Trump and the Trumpettes would have us believe Woodard was lying but I am not buying that, I think he has been doing this too long and has earned his credibility. He says he has tapes of his interviews but that he isn't willing to release them, and I am not saying he should, just saying that I believe he does and it fits with the careful journalist he is. Now is it possible he was lied to? Sure I guess so. But remember how I said a lot of the material isn't new info? There has been too much said before now that cooperates this account. And what this account does is confirm that Trump isn't fit temperamentally, intellectually, and maybe psychologically, fit to hold this office.

My only complaint is that I had so much to day the past couple of days that I didn't get to read this in one sitting.

(Finished September 13, 2018)

Warcross (Warcross #1) by Marie Lu

Virtual reality. Gaming. Hackers. A little romance. Some mystery. That's what is happening in Warcross.

It was a good story and I will read the sequel Wildcard. I didn't see the twist coming, Zero's identity surprised me. I thought I knew who it was but I was wrong and I liked the twist, even as I hope the sequel has more about Zero because I have questions!!!

But what is really great about this book is the question is raises about how much virtual reality should be integrated into life and how should it be used. And the timeless questions of literature, just because someone can does that mean they should and does the ends justify the means?

I cant say more or I will spoil you so I will stop here and say I enjoyed this and I also now want to read Marie Lu's The Young Elites and Legends.

(Finished September 9, 2018)

Josh and Hazel's Guide to Not Dating by Christina Lauren

My son bought me Autoboyography for my birthday, mainly because he wanted to read it and used my birthday as a way of getting the book into out house. Silly really because I never deny either of us books but it was kind of cute of him. Then I read it and was hooked on the authors, yes more than one, since it is two writers, Christina and Lauren who are besties who write together. I started following them on Twitter and enjoy them there too. They talked about this new title, I got excited about it, and I ran out on the 4th and got it, finished Seafire and then started this, and I wasn't disappointed.

I love Hazel. If Luna Lovegood was a Muggle and an adult she would be Hazel!

This isn't a YA book, this is defiantly more of an adult book. The story is sweet, even when it is naughty and HOT.

I love Josh, mostly because he appreciates and genuinely likes all of the quirks that make Hazel Hazel, but also because he is such a good guy.

I was rooting for them from the start, right from the snappy and fun to read prologue. I enjoyed spending time with Josh and Hazel and I am so glad they decided not to date and we got to hear their story.

Oh and I loved how well the double voices were done. I have complained in the past about authors who try to tell a story in alternating voices and how they don't always stay distinct and it gets muddy and distracting. Not so here, it works. Each POV stayed consistent and true to the character that was forming a picture in my mind about them.

And one last point: Tyler, he was such an ass!!! I just had to get that off my chest because he annoyed me A LOT!!





(Finished September 5, 2018)

Seafire (Seafire #1) by Natalie C. Parker

And I have started yet another series. The inside cover of this one says that it's "the undeniable feminine power of Wonder Woman and the powder-keg action of Mad Max: Fury Road." I have never seen Mad Max but I know enough about it to get the reference, and from the old Linda Carter TV series when I was a kid to the current Gal Gadot version of Wonder Woman I have seen and love her and I can see that here too.

Seafire is the story of a ship with an all girl crew. I say girl and not women or female because I want to make it clear that most of these characters are girls and not adults or have been torn away from their parents since they were very young girls and are barely into their teens. But they are the most loyal, brave, and heroic group because they have each other's backs.

When she was about 14 Caladonia (Cala) and her best friend/shipmate Pisces (Pi) are on shore gathering fruit and plants to bring back to their ship where their families are Cala runs into a Bullet (Lir) (the term used for the members of the enemy fleet) and he tells her he wants to defect and she is taken in by his handsome face and soft words...until he isn't so nice...and her and Pi lose their families that night and Cala loses her ability to trust, others and herself. She also doesn't tell Pi what happened and sits for years with this guilt on her own, afraid what her friend would think.

When years later she has put together her ship and a crew she is presented with another Bullet (Oran) who says he wants to get out of the life of the bad guy and Cala can't trust him. But he knows things she needs to know and has an important and life changing bit of info that would change her world.

It started a little bit slow, but not really too much, part of the problem for me was that I was distracted by another book that was released yesterday and I wanted to get to (Josh & Hazel's Guide to Not Dating) and the Kavanaugh hearing on the news so I didn't spend as much time as I would have focused on this book yesterday and so finished it this morning. But I ended up really enjoying it and now am looking forward to book 2.

Something I need to mention, I really appreciated that Cala wasn't a tough girl until a boy was placed in front of her and she didn't go all googoo eyes over Oran and there wasn't this a romance and she didn't immediately begin to defer to the "big strong boy." She was still the captain of her ship and the lesson she needed to learn from him was to learn to trust and forgive but it wasn't this damsel in distress needing rescue and I was so glad about that. When Oran first comes on board the ship I was worried it would go that way but glad it didn't.

(Finished September 5, 2018)

Strange the Dreamer (Strange the Dreamer #1) by Laini Taylor

The past week Barnes & Noble has had this AMAZING sale. A whole bunch of bestsellers were 50% off and it stacked with the membership 10%. This was one of the titles on sale and the bookseller I really like and who has given me great recommendations before said she loved loved loved this one and was anxiously awaiting book 2 in October. So I grabbed it. And I read it. And I loved it. 

It's a fairytale, it's mythological, it's a romance, it's a tragedy, it's a mystery, it's an adventure. There are Gods and Humans and Monsters. Sometimes the monsters are the Gods sometimes the humans. 

Lazlo Strange grows up in a monastery where he learns to love books or learns he was born with a love of books inside him maybe. He was a sickly, gray baby in a cart full of babies who are somehow orphaned. He is curious and has a love of stories and one story in particular has burrowed deep inside him and stayed with him as he grew. It is the story of the lost city Weep. Weep had a name before it was called Weep and Lazlo knew it for a time but one day it just vanished from his mind. But that just made him more determined to solve the mystery of Weep. 

And then something happens, some strangers come riding in looking for help saving their city and Lazlo swear they remind him of the people from Weep. The city that has shunned outsiders for so many years has come looking for outsiders to help and Lazlo wants to go so badly. When he is selected to join the group even with his fantastic imagination and willingness to believe he couldn't have guessed what would become of his life once he starts this journey. 

Who is Lazlo? What makes a monster? Can a monster be reformed? Can a God be a man or a monster? Is there a point when holding on to anger and the desire for vengeance becomes too long and it is better to move on, and if so how? Those are some of the questions I felt like this story tackled. 

The start was a little slow, but I have said in the past, in stories where world building is needed and there will be at least one more book that can often be the case, but not far in the story grabs hold and doesn't let go until you hit the words "To Be Continued"

There are characters that are clearly good or clearly bad. But there are a few that fall into the good people who do bad things and those are often to me the most interesting. 

I didn't like Minya at all and after a time started to find it harder to feel bad for her and I began to wonder if she is just bad, like her father. She made me so angry at times I had to put the book down and take a breath. 

I loved Lazlo and Sarai. I had mixed feelings about Ruby but didn't find myself invested in her, Sparrow, or Feral. 

I found Eril-Fane an interesting character who I liked despite his past acts. It is an interesting thought exercise, is it ok to kill a few to save an entire city and end generations of torture and abuse? And even if it is, how does one then live with themselves?

(Finished September 3, 2018)