Ida B...and Her Plans to Maximize Fun, Avoid Disaster, and (Possibly) Save the World!

Ida B. . . and Her Plans to Maximize Fun, Avoid Disaster, and (Possibly) Save the World by Katherine Hannigan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I loved this book. It reminded me of Kate DiCamillo's writing. Ida B is a wonderful, exciting character. She is easy to love. The plot is awesome too. Ida B is happy at home with her family. She loves to be home schooled and enjoy the apples trees on their property until one day her mother gets sick. As if it isn't' bad enough to be worried about her family, she has to go back to school and they need to sell some land. Ida B has to cope with the changes in her life. She has to accept the fear she feels and try to move forward. This story is touching. If anyone has ever had a loved one fall ill with cancer or any other disease, this story would touch them.

I would recommend this book to just about anyone. Cancer is a hard topic, but it touches most everyone at some point. Hannigan handles the topic in such a way even a very young reader could enjoy this story.


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Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah

Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I don't usually read "adult books," but Firefly Lane came highly recommended by a friend and I passed it along to my mother after I read it. She enjoyed it too. It is a beautiful story of a lifelong friendship. It reminded me of Summer Sisters by Judy Blume (another great adult read).

Two young girls are brought together by unpleasant circumstance and coincidence. They share their secrets and their lives and are both better people because of it. They make mistakes and learn forgiveness. Although parts are very sad, this book holds the reader from beginning to end and makes you want more.

I enjoyed reading about and reflecting on the different choices the girls made as their lives progressed. It makes you want to stop and look at your own life and examine the path you have chosen.

Not a book for children. But for anyone who has carried a friendship through thick and thin, loss and heart ache, joy and triumph; this book will make you smile, laugh, sigh, nod, and cry.
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Shark Girl by Kelly Bingham

Shark Girl by Kelly Bingham

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
The only complaint I have about this book is that I thought it was an autobiography until very late, possibly the afterward. It is a quick read told in a series of poems, letters, and journal entries.

Jane, the main character, draws you into the story immediately. She is only fifteen when a shark takes her arm and almost her life. The book then describes her reaction as she must cope with her loss.

This is Kelly Bingham's first and, as far as I can tell, only novel. She is an excellent writer. I hope to see more from her.

This book would be great for anyone (probably over the age of twelve) who has experienced loss or just wants to try to understand loss.

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Reckless by Cornelia Funke

Reckless by Cornelia Funke

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I really should have reviewed this book back when I read it. Some of the details are fuzzy now. It is a good book. Cornelia Funke doesn't disappoint. But it isn't my favorite book she has written.

A fantasy as usual for Funke, Reckless is a story of family, love, and magic. The father disappears leaving a depressed mother and two sons. Early in the novel the reader learns that the father followed by the older brother have disappeared into a magical mirror land where fairy tales are true but much grimmer than those we heard as children. The story really begins when the younger brother discovers this strange land.

I enjoyed the struggle and love between the brothers as well as Funke's interpretation of the fairy tales everyone knows. The characters were easy to care about. For readers who are more interested in plot, this story is a little slow and confusing at the very beginning. But it picks up quickly and stays strong through the end. There is plenty of violence tempered with trickery, but also love and kindness.

Overall, I liked this book and would recommend it to fantasy lovers.


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Mocking Jay by Suzanne Collins

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Worth the wait.

Suzanne Collins did it again. Seldom do you find a sequel as good as the first, but this trilogy ends as strongly as it began. The characters are still growing, and the plot is still strong. The plot shifts and surprises were enthralling.

Katniss must lead a revolution whether she chooses to or not. The Districts will no longer lie down and take what the Capital is dishing out, but the price for freedom is never small. Both sides will take huge losses and as a reader, we feel many of them deeply.

Personally, I found some of the choices the characters make disturbing, but this story is written as a reflection on true human character, not what we wish we were like. When reading a book like this, we are forced to stand back and take a look at the way we as human beings treat each other.

The ending is bittersweet, but it wasn't written as a fairy tale. Collins is an extraordinary writer. I hope to read many more books by her.

I would strongly recommend this book for high schoolers and adults. I would not recommend it for a child under twelve.

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A New Beginning

   Well, my divorce is final. Really it has been for almost three months now, but it is just sinking in. I am ready now to start picking up the pieces and moving forward. I have new goals and hope to be blogging much more frequently now.


Goals:
1. Write every day for at least half an hour.
2. Blog twice a week.
3. Read three books a week.
4. Reorganize the house.
5. Create a schedule and stick to it.

   I have a new hobby too. I am decorating eggs. I want to learn all of the different methods used around the world to decorate eggs and master the craft. So far, I have been working on Japanese style washi paper wrapped eggs and Ukrainian style dyed and etched eggs. My camera needs batteries, so I can't post pictures, but I will later this week.

  Good luck to everyone out there who is having to start over for whatever reason.

Frozen in Time

I prefer to avoid discussing private matters, especially on a blog, but I need to explain my long absence. On March first, 2011, I will be divorced. My supportive, loving husband and I have been separated for close to two years now. At first, it didn't seem real. I knew he would come back home and we could work through our problems. It took close to a year for me to accept the fact that we were getting divorced. I know our marriage wasn't perfect. Looking back, we were terrible for each other. But, we took vows to stay together for a lifetime. I think we both really meant it. The divorce rate is so high these days. I wonder if young couples have the tools to make a marriage work. We just don't seem to know the things our parents and grandparents knew. It is really very sad.
Now that 2010 is over and my marriage will be soon, it is time to get back on the horse and put the pieces of my life back together. I am reading again. I will be writing again. I have three necklaces that have been on bead boards for at least six months. I have promised myself since life must go on, I will too. So, my hiatus is over. I will be working again, blogging again, and before long, telling you about a story I will be having published.