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Book Review: Some Boys

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Some Boys CoverBook: Some Boys by Patty Blount

Published August 2014 by Sourcebooks|250 pages

Where I Got It: I own the e-book, courtesy of the Nook store

Series: None

Genre: YA Contemporary

You can find Some Boys on goodreads & Patty Blount on Twitter and her website

Goodreads Summary: 

Some girls say no. Some boys don’t listen.

When Grace meets Ian, she’s afraid. Afraid he’ll reject her like the rest of the school, like her own family. After she accuses Zac, the town golden boy, of rape, everyone turns against her. Ian wouldn’t be the first to call her a slut and a liar.

Except Ian doesn’t reject her. He’s the one person who looks past the taunts and the names and the tough-girl act to see the real Grace. He’s the one who gives her the courage to fight back.

He’s also Zac’s best friend.

“A bold and necessary look at an important, and very real, topic. Everyone should read this book.” – Jennifer Brown, author of Thousand Words and Hate List

A gut-wrenching, powerful love story told from alternating points of view by the acclaimed author of Send.

What I Thought:

I really liked Some Boys, and it’s the first book in a while that I’ve been excited about reviewing!

Some Boys made me sad and angry…sometimes at the same time.  I HATED how everyone treated Grace after her rape, and how everyone thought it was her fault, and that she deserved it, because she was drunk and because of how she dresses.  I hated how everyone turned against her because no one wanted to believe that the town golden boy was capable of rape.

It really made me so sad for Grace, who had no one on her side- except for her mom.  She really seemed like a good kid, and she really doesn’t deserve anything that happened to her.  It just made no sense to me that no one believed her or was willing to stand up for her.  I liked that she didn’t leave school and study abroad and I liked that she stayed strong, and didn’t give up hope that things would get better.

I thought Some Boys really highlighted rape culture, and how we still see women as deserving it and how people believe someone like Zac isn’t capable of it.  It’s nothing new, but I liked that you felt for Grace, and it really came through that she went through something horrible.

I also loved that part of the book was narrated by Ian, who is Zac’s best friend.  There were times when I hated Ian, because he just stood by and let people say horrible things about Grace, even though he was the only person talking to her willingly.  He really struggled with doing the right thing, but in the end, he did the right thing.  There were hints at a potential romance between Grace and Ian, and I’m sure some people will dislike the fact that he’s why everyone eventually believed Grace’s story. I wasn’t bothered by it because he was Zac’s best friend, and because I feel like he really did change, and that he wanted to change.

The only thing that I didn’t like about the book was the ending.  I just didn’t like that Grace was so forgiving of everyone else, and that it was as though the last few weeks didn’t happen.  It was just too nice and neat, and I felt like Grace was way too forgiving of a town that put her through hell.  Maybe she wanted things to go back to normal, and maybe people were on her side, but were too scared to speak up, but I felt like it didn’t fit with the rest of the book.  I’m glad everyone finally believed her but I wish she didn’t forgive so easily.

Let’s Rate It:

Overall, I really liked Some Boys, and how it highlights how ridiculous and horrible people can be when it comes to rape. I didn’t care for the ending, and unfortunately, I thought the book was great up until that point.  I still highly recommend this book! Some Boys gets 4 stars.

Top Ten Tuesdays: Top Ten Characters I Want Sitting At My Lunch Table

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Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by the lovely folks over at The Broke And The Bookish.  Every week, bloggers from all over share their own top ten list based on the topic of the week.  You can find all Top Ten Tuesdays here.

Top Ten Characters I Want Sitting At My Lunch Table

This is such a good topic, as it’s back to school time!  I’ve been out of school for quite some time, but if I did find myself back in school, this are the characters I’d want to be sitting with.

  1. Luna Lovegood from Harry Potter. Everyone needs a Luna in their life, and she’d be great to have lunch with because she’s so quirky.
  2. Mia from Princess Diaries.  Mia and I would so be friends in real life.  We’re totally the type of people to freak out about stuff, so we’d probably get along great.
  3. Meg from A Wrinkle In Time.  I love Meg, and she’s another character I would probably be friends with in real life.  I feel like we’re a lot alike.
  4. Claire from Morganville Vampires.  I feel like Claire and I would be friends in real life, because we both seem to be into school, and trouble seems to find her, she’s also a pretty nice person.
  5. Anna from Anna And The French Kiss.  It would be so fun to go to the movies with her!
  6. Iko from Cinder.  I love Iko, and she’s such a loyal and good friend that I’d totally want to have lunch with her.
  7. Joanne from Weather Wardens.  I really want her sense of fashion, and she’d be a great person to shop with!
  8. Ana from Incarnate.  Is it surprising that I think Ana and I would be friends in real life?  Because I’m pretty sure that we’d be good friends…I feel like we’ve both struggled with being different and finding our place.  While it’s something we all experience, I feel like I’d totally invite her to sit with me.
  9. Tonks from Harry Potter.  Mostly because Tonks is fun and tough, and I’d like to think that maybe some of that would rub off on me.
  10. Fred and George from Harry Potter.  I know it’s weird that Hermione isn’t on the list, but Fred and George are really funny, and it’d be hilarious to have them around.

Audio Book Review: Roanoke Vanishing

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Roanoke Vanishing CoverBook: Roanoke Vanishing by Auburn Seal, Narrated by Caprisha Page

Self-Published by Auburn Seal in January 2014|Run Time: 9 hours, 19 minutes

Where I Got It: audible.com

Series: The Vanishing Series #1

Genre: New Adult Mystery/Historical Fiction/Dual Timeline with hints of the paranormal

You can find Roanoke Vanishing on goodreads & Auburn Seal on Twitter, Facebook, & her website

Goodreads Summary: 

When The Lost Colony of Roanoke vanished mysteriously in the late sixteenth century, Elinor Dare’s fate–and that of her family–was lost to the world. Now it’s 2013 and Avery Lane, an over-zealous master’s student, is determined to find out what happened to those who disappeared from England’s first colony.

The Descendants have discovered her interest and will stop at nothing to ensure the secret remains buried. Elinor, her spirit having lingered for more than four hundred years, is Avery’s only chance to evade the Descendants and solve one of America’s most intriguing mysteries.

What I Thought:

I liked Roanoke Vanishing!  I wasn’t sure about it at first, but the more I listened to it, the more I liked it!

I liked that the book focused on the lost colony of Roanoke, and all I knew about them was that they mysteriously vanished.  So it was fun to hear one take on what happened them.  And I was intrigued enough to want to learn more about them and the different theories about what happened to them.  I’m not sure what theories are out there, and how many of them made their way in the book, but I feel like the different theories on what happened them that are mentioned in the book are really what’s out there.

Stories that have a dual timeline (where part of the book is in the present and part of the book takes place in the past) are hit-and-miss, but I loved that this book had both past and present in it!  I liked that as Avery was going further into the history of Roanoke, we had the story of the colony of Roanoke woven in.

I really liked both stories and how they were connected and how they came together in the end.  I also thoughts the hints of something paranormal were interesting.  I mean, you do see a couple of ghosts, but with two groups mentioned- the Descendants and the Guardians- you know something paranormal is going to unfold in this series.  Nothing overtly paranormal happens, but I’ve definitely read enough of the paranormal to know when it’s going to pop up.  And I certainly can’t wait to see this prophecy and how everything is going to play out.  Between the inhabitants of Roanoke in this book, and the Mayans that we’re going to see in the next book…what other lost civilizations are we going to see, and why is their story so important?

It’s not bad, mind you, and it’s actually interesting that Seal went with the mystery of lost colony.  I definitely feel like there’s something connecting all of them, and that there’s something big that’s been a long time coming.  I’m looking forward to reading the next book to see where things are headed.

I liked Caprisha Page as the narrator, and she did great as both Elinor and Avery.

Let’s Rate It:

I liked Roanoke Vanishing and I’m looking forward to the next book!  I didn’t fall in love with it, and I have no idea why because on paper, it so many things I like in a book, but it was still an enjoyable listen.  Roanoke Vanishing gets 3 stars.

ARC Book Review: Trial By Fire

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Trial By Fire CoverBook: Trial By Fire by Josephine Angelini

Expected Publication is September 2, 2014 by Feiwel & Friends|Expected Number Of Pages: 270

Where I Got It: I got e-ARC from netgalley.com, which hasn’t influenced my review in any way.  Promise!

Series: The Worldwalker Trilogy #1

Genre: YA Paranormal/Sci-Fi/Alternate Universe

You can find Trial By Fire on goodreads & Josephine Angelini on Twitter, Facebook, & her website

Goodreads Summary: 

This world is trying to kill Lily Proctor. Her life-threatening allergies keep her from enjoying experiences that others in her hometown of Salem take for granted, which is why she is determined to enjoy her first high school party with her best friend and longtime crush, Tristan. But after a humiliating incident in front of half her graduating class, Lily wishes she could just disappear.

Suddenly, Lily is in a different Salem—one overrun with horrifying creatures and ruled by powerful women called Crucibles. Strongest and cruelest of them all is Lillian…Lily’s other self in this alternate universe.

In Josephine Angelini’s Trial by Fire, what makes Lily weak at home is what makes her extraordinary in New Salem. In this confusing world, Lily is torn between responsibilities she can’t hope to shoulder alone and a love she never expected.

What I Thought:

I have so many thoughts about Trial On Fire!  I wasn’t sure about it at first, but it’s definitely interesting!

I wasn’t sure what to think at first, with Lily and all of her allergies I wasn’t sure where it was going, and when she went to alternate Salem, I really wasn’t sure what to expect!  It was hard to get into, because you’re thrown into a different Salem where science is outlawed, and magic rules.  For some reason, I wasn’t expecting it to go where it did.

Still, I liked the idea of alternate worlds and how what you do in one can have consequences for the other worlds.  I liked seeing Lily learn magic and trying to figure out this different Salem she found herself in.

For me, there was something really weird about this world- people seem scared of Lilian, and I really wish we got more of her, as she’s a big part of why Lily ended up in alternate Salem, and why people don’t seem to trust Lily.  There’s just so much going on that nothing really gets explored really well, and this alternate world didn’t seem as vivid as it could have because of that.  And yet, because of everything going on, I could tell that there was so much more to this world.  And it makes me wish we got so much more of Lilian, who was pretty non-existent for someone who’s the villain- and also the villain who brought Lily into this world.

I will say the ending was a bit abrupt- and also a cliffhanger!  I actually don’t mind the cliffhanger, but for those who aren’t fans of cliffhangers, keep that in mind when reading Trial by Fire.  I just wish it didn’t end so abruptly!  Because when I got to the end, I wanted a little more, because I felt like it ended on too much of a random note.

Let’s Rate It:

I couldn’t completely get into Trial By Fire  because I felt a little overwhelmed by everything going on.  Still, I liked the different elements, because there is something very vivid and different about this world.  I do like it enough to read the 2nd book, though.  Trial By Fire gets 3 stars.

ARC Book Review: Mary: The Summoning

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Mary The Summoning CoverBook: Mary: The Summoning by Hillary Monahan

Expected Publication is September 2, 2014 by Disney-Hyperion|Expected Number Of Pages: 256

Where I Got It: I received the e-book review copy from netgalley.com, which hasn’t influenced my review in any way.  Promise!

Series: Jess Tennant #1

Genre: YA Horror/Paranormal Ghost Story

You can find The Summoning on goodreads & Hillary Monahan on Twitter, Facebook and her website

Goodreads Summary: 

There is a right way and a wrong way to summon her. 

Jess had done the research. Success requires precision: a dark room, a mirror, a candle, salt, and four teenage girls. Each of them–Jess, Shauna, Kitty, and Anna–must link hands, follow the rules . . . and never let go. 

A thrilling fear spins around the room the first time Jess calls her name: “Bloody Mary. Bloody Mary. BLOODY MARY.” A ripple of terror follows when a shadowy silhouette emerges through the fog, a specter trapped behind the mirror. 

Once is not enough, though–at least not for Jess. Mary is called again. And again. But when their summoning circle is broken, Bloody Mary slips through the glass with a taste for revenge on her lips. As the girls struggle to escape Mary’s wrath, loyalties are questioned, friendships are torn apart, and lives are forever altered.

A haunting trail of clues leads Shauna on a desperate search to uncover the legacy of Mary Worth. What she finds will change everything, but will it be enough to stop Mary–and Jess–before it’s too late?

What I Thought:

I haven’t been super-impressed with the few paranormal books dealing with ghosts out there, but I did like Mary: The Summoning!

I actually love that it’s based on summoning Bloody Mary Worth (not to be confused with Queen Mary, the daughter of Henry VIII) and I am curious about Bloody Mary as inspiration for the book.

There are definitely some creepy moments throughout the book, and I really liked what actually summoning Mary meant for anyone who did manage to “successfully” summon her.  It was definitely different.  What was also interesting was the interest Jess had in summoning Mary, especially when you learn more about Mary.  However, the random tidbits Jess dropped throughout the book did get annoying and frustrating, because she definitely knew more than she was letting on, and it was very much like she didn’t want anyone to know her real interest in Mary.  And it also very much felt like they were going to know what she wanted them to know.

I did like the relationship between the girls, which is what is standing out as far as the characters go.  I did feel like they didn’t particularly stand out as individual people. and I found like it was a little bit hard to care about them.  I did find that I found some of the things that Jess did to be completely horrible, and she seemed like a horrible friend- to the point where I was wondering why the girls were friends with her in the first place.

Jess is a big reason why I didn’t love Mary, and as someone who just knows that saying Bloody Mary 3 times in front of a mirror is supposed to summon her…I liked what Monahan did with the story, and how it connected with the present, and even the letters that we have from Mary, but part of me wishes Monahan had gone more into Mary’s story.  But this is also the first book in the series, so it would make sense that we don’t get the whole story just yet.

Let’s Rate It:

I liked Mary: The Summoning, but I found that my feelings toward Jess resulted in me not liking the book as much as I would have liked.  Mary: The Summoning gets 3 stars.

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Books I Want To Read That I Don’t Own

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Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by the lovely folks over at The Broke And The Bookish.  Every week, bloggers from all over share their own top ten list based on the topic of the week.  You can find all Top Ten Tuesdays here.

Top Ten Books I Want To Read That I Don’t Own

So, I thought this list would be really hard, as I tend to buy books, and not read them.  But as I have a tendency to keep adding books to my TBR-pile, I actually found that this was easier than I expected!  It’s mostly non-fiction, because I’m more likely to buy non-fiction in print, and yet I’m also more hesitant to buy non-fiction.  Still, these are books I really want to own someday!

  1. Dear Mr. Potter.  A printing was done ages ago, and it looks like another one isn’t going to be done anytime soon, so it actually looks like I missed the boat on this one.  Which bums me out, because I’d love a copy of this book.
  2. Fruits Basket…like, volumes 16 to whatever the last one is (I think it’s 22 or 23 but I can’t remember).  I’ve been so slow with finishing this manga.  I put reading it on hold for some reason I can’t remember, and now it’s out of print.  I think I’ve seen used copies on Amazon before, so I may have to check that out.
  3. Winter by Marissa Meyer.  As it hasn’t come out yet…but I really want to read it!
  4. The Art Of Spirited Away.  I love Spirited Away, and it would be so cool to have this book to look through.
  5. I also want to have a Harry Potter collection!  I have the books in print, but I really want the audio books- both the Stephen Fry narration and the Jim Dale narration.  And there are so many interesting covers of the books out there (like, the Dutch covers are pretty cool, and the Swedish covers are really odd, but entertaining enough to be on a bookshelf).  I don’t even care that I’m sadly not fluent in any other languages, because I am that obsessed with Harry Potter.
  6. Brian Froud’s World Of Faerie.  I LOVE fairies, and while I’d love to have all of Froud’s books, this is the one that is at the top of the list.
  7. The Art Of The Disney Princess.  Apparently, artsy coffee-table books are on my mind today, because I’m just interested enough in Disney Princesses to want this book.
  8. House Of Leaves by Mark Danielewski.  This book sounds completely bizarre and I am utterly confused as to why I don’t have it yet…because I am a fan of weird things.  (Just don’t let my love of YA fool you!)
  9. Unsouled by Neal Shusterman.  I’ve been wanting to read it for a while and yet I never seem to get to it…it’s such a different world that I really can’t wait to see where things go.
  10. School Spirits by Rachel Hawkins.  I really liked Hex Hall, so I don’t get why I don’t have this one yet…especially since this is a spin-off of Hex Hall.

ARC Book Review: How To Fall

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How To Fall CoverBook: How To Fall: A Novel by Jane Casey

Expected Publication is August 26, 2014 by St. Martin’s Press|Expected Number Of Pages: 225

Where I Got It: From netgalley.com, which hasn’t influenced my review in any way.  Promise!

Series: Jess Tennant #1

Genre: YA Mystery

You can find How To Fall on goodreads & Jane Casey on Twitter & her website

Goodreads Summary: 

Sixteen-year-old Jess Tennant has never met any of her relatives, until her mother suddenly takes her to spend the summer in the tiny English town where she grew up. Her mom’s decision is surprising, but even more surprising is the town’s reaction to Jess. Everywhere she goes, people look at her like they’ve seen a ghost. In a way, they have—she looks just like her cousin Freya, who died shortly before Jess came to town.

Jess immediately feels a strange connection to Freya, whom she never got to meet alive. But the more she learns about Freya’s life, the more suspicious the circumstances of her death start to look. One thing is for sure: this will be anything but the safe, boring summer in the country Jess was expecting.

Beloved author Jane Casey breaks new ground with How to Fall, a cleverly plotted and remarkably written young adult mystery.

What I Thought:

I liked How To Fall!  I wasn’t sure what to expect with How To Fall, but…I didn’t like it as much as I was hoping but I also liked it more than I was expecting.  I know that sounds weird, but it really describes how I feel about How To Fall.

How To Fall is definitely a mystery, as Jess tries to figure out what happened to her cousin Freya after Freya’s very mysterious death.  What really happened was not what I expected AT ALL, and given everyone has a different idea of what happened to Freya and what was going through her mind when she died and what could have resulted in her death.  It just goes to show that some people are just so terribly cruel, and I hate that people are like that.

I like that Jess and her mom go back to where her mom grew up, and that Jess gets to see that part of her mom’s life.  I know the story is more about Jess trying to figure out what happened to her cousin, but there’s still part of me that wishes we knew more about why her mom didn’t talk to anyone in her family until recently, and what got her mom to change her mind.  And part of me still feels like there’s more to the story.

Speaking of Jess and her mom…I felt like Dan, who her mom was interested in as a teenager and reconnects with was really odd, and for a while, I thought maybe he was the one behind Freya’s mysterious death.  I feel like he’s up to something and while I don’t know why I feel this way about him, I just get this vibe that Jess and her mom need to stay far, far away from him.

I don’t really have strong feelings about the characters either way, and I thought Jess’ fixation on Freya’s death to be a little weird, considering she didn’t know Freya at all.  I wish we got to know Freya a little bit better, but I also understand why we don’t.  We do learn a little bit about Freya throughout the book, but it was still hard for me to get into the mystery of her death…especially when we learn what really happened the night she died.

Still, I liked Jess, who’s pretty sarcastic.  I’m definitely interested in reading more of her story, and I’m glad there’s another book in this series, because her story is far from over.  I’m also really curious about what other mysteries she comes across and solves, because Port Sentinel seems like a place full of secrets!

Let’s Rate It:

I liked How To Fall, and while there are some things I’m curious about because they seem a little strange to me, I’m still interested enough to keep reading this series.  How To Fall gets 3 stars.

Book Talk: The Giver Totally Surprised Me, But In A Good Way

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Book Talk

Book Talk is a new feature here at Reading Books With Coffee, where I talk about bookish topics that aren’t book reviews!

Today…I am talking about The Giver as a movie!  Before I get started on what I thought of the movie, I thought I’d explain a little about my thoughts on movie adaptations of books.

I’m definitely in the minority, because I’m big on movie first, book second.  I hate going in with every last detail hanging over my head, and the last thing I want to do is go into expectations of how the movie should be.  I’m pretty relaxed about changes made, because it’s something I have no control over, so why spend the movie talking about how this is different and that thing is all wrong, and why on earth would they do THAT?!?!?!  (However, that’s my preference, and everybody should go into a movie adaptation however they want).

And now, there are going to be spoilers for both book and movie (but mostly the movie), so if you don’t want spoilers, this will be where you’ll want to stop reading.

When I first heard The Giver was being made into a movie, I was surprised, curious, happy and nervous.  I loved the book as a kid, and it held up pretty well when I re-read it as an adult a couple of years ago (see my review here).

There are definitely changes- the two biggest being the characters are several years older in the movie than they are in the book, and Fiona and Asher, who are BFF’s with Jonas, have different jobs.

Let’s start with the characters being a few years older- this really worked for me, because it made the story much more believable.  Being the one person who has ALL the memories is not an easy job, and it’s one that has to take its toll.  After re-reading the book this week- after seeing the movie, of course- it’s actually hard to believe that an 11-year-old would be able to handle the things that Jonas has to deal with.  And it’s no wonder that the previous Receiver-In-Training asked to be released. I felt like everything explored in the book was explored differently (in a good way) because the characters were older.  Like Jonas and Fiona- there are hints of romance there (which I did see in the book) but feelings of romantic love were better suited with 16-year-olds.  And I felt like everything Jonas learns about his community and his reaction towards what they did, and what things used to be like were there but much more subtle than they were in the book.

It’s not as jarring as it was in the book, and a lot of that has to do with Jonas being older.  Older, movie Jonas experiences things very differently than younger, book Jonas, and I found that the story works really well no matter how old the character is.

As for Fiona and Asher having different jobs- it works, given how everything unfolds, especially in Asher’s case.  Speaking of Asher and Fiona, I liked that Fiona had a bigger in the movie than she did in the book, and that you do see how her relationship with Jonas changes over the course of the book.  She did seem open to what he had to say, and that she was willing to help him, even if it meant she would get into massive trouble. We’re talking Release to Elsewhere trouble.  Asher, on the other hand…I just didn’t love movie Asher at all. It was like he had some issues with Jonas, and I couldn’t help but wonder what his deal was.  However, Jonas does change, because he knows of things like love and war.  I wonder if Asher didn’t like the changes he saw in Jonas, and was acting differently because he felt like he was losing Jonas.

I LOVED that part of the movie is in black-and-white, and that you get random splashes of color throughout the beginning part of the movie…and that it’s black-and-white until Jonas starts receiving memories from Giver.  Going from black-and-white to color really added to what was going on, and it highlights what this society is missing out on when they erased memories.  It adds to the feeling that this society is not as perfect as it seems.

I actually loved seeing Jonas react to the different memories he received, and what he experiences really changes his relationships with people- particularly his friends and family.  I loved the scene where he showed Fiona what sledding was like, and I love that we get those moments.

His parents were colder than I remembered, and I wished that we had that one scene in the book, where it’s dinner and his sister and parents are sharing their feelings, and Jonas knows that they aren’t experiencing true emotion.  That scene in particular stands out as one that highlights how isolated Jonas is becoming as the Receiver, and how isolating of a job it is. We sort of get that throughout the movie, particularly with the Giver living so far apart from the community.  And I think Jonas’ changing relationship with Asher shows that as well.  It did seem to be very subtle, and shows up in other ways, but part of me still wishes that we had more of that.

The only other thing I didn’t like was that Rosemary wasn’t a big part of the movie.  You get the basics of her story, but our real introduction to her came at a weird time, and I felt like her story really influenced the selection of future Receivers.  It’s a shame that you don’t really see how much has changed in the last 10 years as far as what it means to be a Receiver, and why certain rules were in place.  Especially since Taylor Swift seemed like an AWESOME Rosemary.

Actually, I thought the movie was cast really well!  Jeff Bridges really stood out as the Giver, and I can’t imagine anyone else in that role- and I can honestly say that about ALL of the actors cast.  Meryl Streep was awesome, and Odeya Rush, who plays Fiona, and Brenton Thwaites, who plays Jonas were also great choices. There was something so sweet about Odeya as Fiona, and I felt like Brenton brought a sense of joy and wonder to receiving the memories.

Oh, the memories!  One of my favorite scenes of the entire movie was when you saw the memories come back to this community.  You don’t get it in the book, where I had never thought about what happened to them when they had to deal with the memories.  But I LOVE that they included it in the movie.

And one other interesting thing is this scene between Giver and the Chief Elder, where Giver is telling the Chief Elder that he knows she feel’s Rosemary’s loss.  Which I thought hinted that there was something between Giver and Chief Elder.  It didn’t go any further than that, but it was interesting because it added something to their backstory.

Overall, I thought it was a great adaptation, especially given that I only had a couple of issues with the movie.  It has everything awesome about the book, and it felt like it was made with a lot of care to the original story.  It really is The Giver brought to life, and that was the one thing I kept thinking during the movie.

I’ve only seen one review of the movie, which I like (and agree with very much).

And, of course, the two official trailers, below.  Enjoy!

Trailer #1 (All in color):

Trailer #2 (With the black-and-white scenes):

Audio Book Review: Beholding Bee

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Beholding Bee CoverBook: Beholding Bee by Kimberly Newton Fusco, narrated by Ariadne Meyers

Published February 2013 by Listening Library|Run Time: 8 hours, 5 minutes

Where I Got It: Audible.com

Series: None

Genre: Middle Grade Historical Fiction

You can find Beholding Bee on goodreads & Kimberly Newton Fusco on Twitter & her website

Goodreads Summary: 

Bee is an orphan who lives with a carnival and sleeps in the back of a tractor trailer. Every day she endures taunts for the birthmark on her face—though her beloved Pauline, the only person who has ever cared for her, tells her it is a precious diamond. When Pauline is sent to work for another carnival, Bee is lost.

Then a scruffy dog shows up, as unwanted as she, and Bee realizes that she must find a home for them both. She runs off to a house with gingerbread trim that reminds her of frosting. There two mysterious women, Mrs. Swift and Mrs. Potter, take her in. They clothe her, though their clothes are strangely out of date. They feed her, though there is nothing in their house to eat. They help her go to school, though they won’t enter the building themselves. And, strangely, only Bee seems able to see them.

Whoever these women are, they matter. They matter to Bee. And they are helping Bee realize that she, too, matters to the world–if only she will let herself be a part of it.

This tender novel beautifully captures the pain of isolation, the healing power of community, and the strength of the human spirit.

What I Thought:

I have mixed feelings about Beholding Bee.  Liked, really mixed feelings.

So, I liked that Bee found people who care about her after leaving the carnival she worked at, and how much she learned about herself over the course of the book.  One interesting thing is that the book takes place in the U.S. during World War 2, and when she starts going to school for the first time in her life, she’s placed in a class that would be considered special ed today.  That was actually really interesting because you see how cruel kids are to them because they’re different, and that they have several teachers who are there just to be there, and don’t seem to care about them.  Until they get the one teacher who believes they should be able to be around the other students (at least during recess) because it’s not fair to keep them separated from the other kids.  This doesn’t go over well with the principal, who’s basically doing it so they won’t get bullied.

I found that part so interesting because for some reason, I wasn’t expecting kids back then to be so cruel, but at was actually really important to see why they shouldn’t be separated from the rest of the school- at least in terms of recess.  And I liked Bee learned how to stand up for herself, even if I didn’t like she did it.  It made sense and I get why Bee acted the way she did, but I couldn’t help but think less of Bee after that.  (Not a lot, but just enough that I was a little put off by it).

One of the biggest reasons why I didn’t like Beholding Bee was the mysterious women who take her in.  I felt like it really took away from the rest of the book, because I wasn’t expecting 2 women that only Bee can see. I just found it to be annoying, and I think I would have appreciated/liked their role in things if they weren’t so…ghostly.  It really did take me out of the story, and I wish their own history, especially in relation to Bee, were explored more.

I also expected Bee to be a little bit older.  It’s hard to believe an 11-year-old could take care of herself , with the help of her two “aunts,” and slightly more unbelievable that a young woman in her earlier twenties would be willing to take care of Bee, even if she had been doing since she was in her teens when she took Bee in. Then again, I have no clue how these things worked in the 1940’s, so it could be related to that.

Let’s Rate It:

I did like how Bee learned to stand up for herself, and to not hide herself away because of her birthmark.  And I liked how she realized that people will care about her if she let them.  However, I felt like Bee seemed a little too young at times (understandable, given how she grew up) and her aunts really took me out of the story. Beholding Bee gets 2 stars.

Book Talk: Introducing Book Talk

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Book Talk

I came up with the idea for Book Talk a while ago, and I thought I’d actually (and officially) introduce this feature!

Book Talk is my way of talking about non-book review bookish things.  How I feel about different things (like movie adaptations of books) and I how approach and think about reading has changed so much over the last 3.5 years, and my reading life is so different now than it was when I first started book blogging.  I do a lot of reviews (okay, mostly reviews) and lately (like, pretty much all year) I’ve wanted to do something bookish but not the book review kind of bookish.

My reading life before the blog is a bit of a blur, but it’s been such a positive experience for me.  I get to talk what I’m reading and I’m so much better able at talking about what I’m reading and why I feel the way I do about books.  I feel like I’m better able to pick out books I’ll like and put down the ones I don’t.  I feel like I’m more open to different ways of reading- I feel like I’d try an app like Oyster (or similar apps) and different formats (switching between print, e-book and audio book is no problem now) and even genres that I don’t normally read (which isn’t as often as I want it to be).  I feel like I’m more aware of what I’m reading, and am more open to reading things outside of my reading comfort zone, even though I have a tendency to go for what I know I like, instead of truly making an effort to diversify my reading.  I’m more likely to check out an author’s other books if I like what I’ve read by them.

I could go on and on about how much my reading life has changed because of the blog, and I’m hoping to talk about all of these things and more.  There are so many things I want to talk about, but I have a tendency to get scared about sharing my opinions. I’ve started so many posts that I end up deleting because I’m worried that what I’m trying to get across isn’t coming out right or that I’ll come across as stupid (or some combination of the two).  Sometimes, I don’t chime in, because other people have (and have said it much better than I can) or because I’m not sure what my opinion is.  And often, it’s because I feel like I don’t have anything to add to the conversation.  But I really want to get over that, and I feel like this new feature will help with that.

Another big reason why I’ve wanted to do something like this is some of the things that came up in a recent Top Ten Tuesday list where we shared some bookish/book blogger confessions.  I talked about how I feel guilty for not doing more discussion posts but I also shared how I wanted to do some non-review posts.  That post has really motivated me to get this feature going, because one thing that came to mind while working on that post was how I really do want to start talking about other book-related topics, and how I want to get over my fear of being a bit more open.

I also think it would be interesting to go back and look at it in a few years to see how much things have changed.  And I have so many ideas for what I could talk about- like not finishing books or what I think about series and or movie adaptations or even fun bookish events like when I went to a book launch party for The Kiss Of Deception.  Or even what I think of any adaptations, like The Giver (which I’m seeing this weekend) and If I Stay, which I plan on seeing next weekend.

Now I’m actually get really excited about it!  I’m not sure how often I’ll be posting the Book Talk posts, but for now, it’ll probably be once or twice a month.  Maybe more, but it depends on how chatty I’m feeling.