Review: Lily and Dunkin

Lily and Dunkin by Donna Gephart
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

4.25 stars. I haven't been enjoying middle grade books as much lately for some reason, but this was fantastic. I got some serious Wonder flashbacks when I read it, but that was a very good thing. Like Wonder, the characters face adversity that often comes in middle school (bullying, fitting in, friendships, etc.), but readers are able to hear representation from those that don't always get to tell their stories. I've never read a story about someone who is transgender, although I've been intending to for a long time. I'm not sure if I've read from the perspective of someone who is bipolar either, but both were compelling and important story arcs. Although it was not an Own Voices novel, the author's son is bipolar and she discusses in the author's note a bit about her own experience with it as well as her research process. She also writes about the research she did to work toward a fair portrayal of a transgender person.

I thought it was a thoughtful, important, and well-written book. It is another of the Battle of the Book picks for my students, but this is one that I am truly glad that I read.

View all my reviews

Review: Leaving Time

Leaving Time by Jodi Picoult
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

3.5 stars. I read this to prepare my students for Battle of the Books. I've enjoyed the Jodi Picoult books I've read (I've probably read 3 or 4 others) and this was pretty decent too. I generally like her writing style and character development, and that was true for this book as well. I liked learning so much more about elephants. Some I already knew, but a lot of it was pretty fascinating.

I will say that (view spoiler)[ the ending REALLY threw me. I had a hard time changing the whole way that I thought about the characters and I didn't really enjoy that. (hide spoiler)] For that reason, I lowered my rating. However, although I don't know that it will stay with me long-term, it was a good book and I'm pretty sure that my students will appreciate it.

View all my reviews

Review: Audacity

Audacity by Melanie Crowder
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

3.5 stars. First, I think this is a good, important book. Clara Lemlich was an inspiring historical figure that I hadn't heard about before I read this book. I'm so glad to have learned about this fascinating time period and the strikes that Clara led. She was impressive in the story and must have been even more so in real life.

I liked the subject matter of this book and the fact that it was such a quick read. However, I did find it to be somewhat lacking for some reason. The writing in verse was fine, but I don't know if it added much to the story. I guess it was good because it made it a faster read, but I felt like her character wasn't as well-developed as I would have liked. There were some lines that were poignant, but not enough and not as I would have expected for a novel written in verse. It told her story, but I think it left too much out. I would have loved to see more of her. It left me wondering if there were any other books (fiction or nonfiction) written about her life and I will probably look that up after finishing this review. Overall I felt that it was a decent book, but a little underdeveloped. It just left me wanting more!

View all my reviews

Review: Interview with the Vampire

Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

3.75 stars. In the beginning, I was surprised by how much I was enjoying this. Around halfway through, I wasn't enjoying it as much, but then it had a pretty strong finish. I've never read anything by Anne Rice, and I definitely liked her writing style. I liked Louis's character a lot, but I don't think I liked any other character. He still seemed connected to his humanity, but none of the other characters did even a little bit. His relationship with Claudia creeped me out a bit and I couldn't often tell if he loved her as a father or as something more. It was just weird.

However, I'm glad I read it and I think there is a good chance that I will pick up the next one in the series at some point. I also have the movie version next in my Netflix queue, so I'm looking forward to seeing the movie. I didn't love it, but I did enjoy it and I look forward to reading more by Anne Rice.

View all my reviews

Review: The Mysterious Benedict Society

The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This reminded me a little of Roald Dahl. It was cute and creative, but I am not enjoying middle grade writing as much as I used to for some reason. I listened to the first 3/4ths on audiobook and then had to finish with a physical copy because my audiobook automatically returned itself to the library. It was fun, but not that memorable for me. I doubt that I'll read more in the series.

View all my reviews

Review: The Book of Love: Poems of Ecstasy and Longing

The Book of Love: Poems of Ecstasy and Longing by Jalaluddin Rumi
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I read Rumi first in my Middle Eastern Literature class at Mercyhurst. I really loved his poetry and bought this then to read. It took a few (like 7) years, but I finally got around to it.

I liked it! I didn't love it as much as I remember loving his poetry (although I read a different collection so maybe I liked that one better), but it was still good. There were a few gems.

Here are a few of my favorites:

"People want you to be happy.
Don't keep serving them your pain!
If you could untie your wings
and free your soul of jealousy,
you and everyone around you
would fly up like doves."

"If you love love,
look for yourself."

"You left the ground and sky weeping,
mind and soul full of grief.

No one can take your place in existence
or in absence . . ." (This poem about grief really got to me. It was longer than I wanted to post, but this was the beginning of it).

And finally:

"The minute I heard my first love story
I started looking for you, not knowing
how blind that was.

Lovers don't finally meet somewhere.
They're in each other all along."

Much of Rumi is so good. However, I kept reading it in small doses because I wasn't really in the mood for it. Still, it was a great collection and I hope to read more by him in the future!

View all my reviews

Review: The Hate U Give

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

4.5 stars. This was an important and timely book. I wanted to read it since it came out, but I finally got around to it. The recent events in Charlottesville and Trump's comments about them really pushed me to read it, and I'm so glad I did! I couldn't put it down. Starr's voice felt authentic and relatable. I loved her family relationships, friendships, and relationship with her boyfriend. I loved all of the Harry Potter references (of course!). I especially loved how it got me to walk a mile in someone else's shoes and think more about these important issues. I wish I could get everyone to read it!

View all my reviews