The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

This is a very easy read.  I would recommend this book for younger kids, not necessarily adults or even young adults since it is written very simple.  I will admit the simple writing annoyed me a bit, but I was able to look past it and enjoy the story itself.

The story is not terribly exciting and there is not much action.  You follow a young boy, Nobody Owens, Bod, whose family is killed when he is two.  He escapes by walking out of the house and ending up in a graveyard.  The graveyard, dead people, accept him and allow him to live in the graveyard to be raised by a dead couple who was never able to have kids when they were alive.  There is one special person in the graveyard who is neither alive, nor dead so he is able to get food and clothes for Bod.

The author takes us through pivotal moments in Bod's life until he is 14.  When he turns 14 Bod must finally confront who killed his family.  We follow Bod as he learns about all the different types of dead people and even learns skills of the dead.  He can fade and even haunt people.  It is an enjoyable book and even had one moment that slightly creeped me out.  It is a fun book for those who want a Halloween book but don't like the terribly scary stories.

Rojuun by John H. Carroll

I downloaded this book for free some time ago and forgot about it.  Well, I was talked into upgrading my incredibly low-tech, old cell phone to the iPhone 4 since it was free with our service at  this time.  I had the Kindle app on it and started flipping through it to try out my new phone and features it has and happened to notice this book.  I wasn't really in the mood to read since we have been so busy getting ready for school and building a crazy Beauty and the Beast set for the high school muscial my husband is helping with.  Well, I am glad I started reading this story.  It turned out to be very good and I really want to continue reading the series.  Unfortunately I have to pay for the other two books so I am hesitant to do it since I don't like buying Kindle books.  If I am going to buy a book I want the actual physical book to go in our collection so I don't forget what books I have.  I also want our children to read these books in the future and don't think they will read them if they are on my phone or Kindle reader.

So to the actual review.  It is a fiction book with the normal anti-social hero that saves the day and the thrown into battle after living a simple, niave life herione.  There's magic, dragons, crazy creatures.  Much like many books, however, I found this book refreshing since it does not follow most of the adventure stories I have read.  Tathan left home when he was 15 in search of adventure and has returned home fleeing a dark shadow after acquiring a sword.  His home is attacked a few days later and his family is all killed except his cousin Liselle who he later finds out knows magic and talks to flowers.  The two of them travel and meet up with Sir Danth, a knight who has been alive for over a millenium.  They also meet a purple human-like being named Vevin.  Together the four of them travel to spy on the Rojuun, a four armed human-like race that believes the human race was formed to be their servants so they can devote their time to art and music.  They meet a darker enemy in the depths of the earth and learn to respect the Rojuun.

We are left at the end of the first book with our foursome leaving the Rojuun dwelling after helping to save their race from an enemy.  I am curious to see how their findings are recieved by the people who sent them to spy on the Rojuun since these people hate them.  I would definately refer this book to others who like fantasy books.

*** I have now finished the series and really enjoyed it.  There are other books that go along with the series and follow other characters and some new ones that give you a taste of what other cities are like.  I have read bits and pieces of these but have yet to actually finish any of them so look for those in later posts.  This series ends well and does not necesarily have the happily ever after for everyone that you often find.  There are a lot of unanswered questions and things that need to be resolved, but that is part of the fun.  It lets you use your imagination to think of ways each person's life goes on.  It also leaves a lot of future stories open for the author.  We find out that Viven is a dragon and that our Knight is fighting some ghosts of his own.  Our rogue falls in love with a princess, but she still has to marry a prince to keep peace between their countries.  Continue reading the series and enjoy it!

The Kane Chronicles by Rick Riordan

So did you like Percy Jackson?  I did.  Even better, this series is only 3 books.  What happened to just having a good three books in a series.  For some reason authors seem to need to have at least seven and then they keep adding onto their series with other similar series.  Riordan left this series open for another series to take off on it and I won't be surprised to see another set coming in the future.

The Kane Chronicles reminded me of the Percy Jackson series mixed with the 39 Clues series.  Percy Jackson teaches you a lot about Greek and Roman mythology while The Kane Chronicles teaches you about Egyptian gods.  Gods and godlings/magicians must work with the gods in order to save the world.  You have two young children whose parents die and they are faced with finding out that their parents are not who they thought they were and now they must travel the world discovering their identities and finding out about a secret world that normal mortals have not clue about.  Yeah, a typical scenario of a lot of books.  It is funny how the more you read the more you realize most books follow a typical pattern with little deviations here and there.  There's an AP book Blake teaches out of that talks all about that.  Maybe some day I will glance at it.

So back to the series.  We have Carter and Sadie whose mother died years before and the two siblings are separated.  Sadie lives in London with her grandparents and Carter stays with his dad they travel the world since their father deals with Egyptian artifacts.  One night Carter and Sadie find themselves in a museum with their father who releases a bunch of gods and get possessed by the god Osiris and is captured in a coffin.  All of a sudden Carter and Sadie find out they belong to a powerful line of magicians that are perfect for housing gods, which Carter and Sadie find out they are doing.  Carter is possessed by Horus and Sadie is possessed by Isis.  In the series Carter and Sadie have to control their powers and work with their respective hosts channeling their power in order to save their father and then save the world from Apophis.  Unfortunately for Carter and Sadie, it is against magician law to use the power of the gods so they are hunted by magicians for breaking the law and then have very little support to fight Apophis in the end.  Somehow they must unite the magicians and gods to work together in order to save the world.

A fun series that I enjoyed reading and would recommend it to others.

Half The Sky by Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn

Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide.  This book was given to Blake last year by his student teacher.  It was not until recenty that the student teacher asked if Blake had read it yet, which he has not, and so I felt like I needed to give it a try.  Looking at the cover I just assummed it was a very feminist book about women being repressed in America.  I have mixed feelings about that but that is another subject.  Instead, this book focuses mostly on third world countries in Africa and covers a bit in China, India, and other Asian countries.

The book is sort of divided into different sections.  It starts out by talking about sex trafficking, then leads into rape as a weapon, honor killings, AIDS, and then medical shortages/discrimination towards mostly lower class women with no money.  Of course it ends with a few chapters of what you can do to make a change.  I will admit that is was not a book I particulary enjoyed reading since the subject is very touchy and you get a lot of personal stories of women going through trials in their life and hearing about their injustices.  I also did not like how it was written since it was written by journalists it has the newspaper feel to it.  A lot of extra descriptions that are not really needed but take up space to try to make you feel more sympathetic to the cause.

Aside from that, it was a decent book and teaches you a lot about what women go through in other parts of the world.  I knew most of the things they talked about, but I was surprised how little of it Blake had heard about such as genital cuttings.  It is not a book to be taken lightly and let younger children read unless you are prepared to discuss these sensitive subjects with them.  Otherwise I think it is good for everyone at some point to be educated about those around the world and if anything to appreciate the life they have and realize not everyone has a decent life or even the ability to leave their own home without worrying about getting raped or killed.  They are able to get an education while others who wish to have one never get the opportunity.

The Beyonders: Chasing the Prophecy by Brandon Mull

Chasing the Prophecy is the final installment in The Beyonders trilogy.  I thoroughly enjoyed reading this trilogy and would refer it to others who enjoyed books such as Fablehaven and The Iron Elves.  It is rare that I am mostly happy with how a book ends, but I think Brandon Mull did a great job.

Jason and Rachel were told in the previous book by the oracle that they each had to separate and do different jobs.  Jason finds himself fighting impossible enemies that have killed anyone that has ever gone up against them.  Of course, Jason and his crew defy all odds and complete their tasks.  What I enjoyed seeing Brandon Mull do is kill most of the people involved.  Very few make it alive which makes the story almost more realistic.

Rachel and Galoron take a different route and put together an army to fight Maldor at his castle.  THey find themselves at the castle going off of a belief that the oracle told them the truth.  Rachel has many doubts about the reliability of the oracle, but must find the ability to trust what is said.  She ends up taking Maldor's offer to become his apprentice in order to hopefully kill him.  She fails at first, but in the end is able to defeat him.  For once the fight against the badguy is ok.  Most books, including Eragon, had a pretty wimpy fight at the end.  Now there is not an incredible fight, but it ends pretty well.

Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton

I have hit a literature kick again and have been enjoying reading again.  I have to admit 4 kids really limits my reading time right now and even when I do read I seem to have a couple kids on my lap watching a movie so I have a moment to myself.

Ethan Frome is another book that my husband is reading with his 10th grade students at the moment.  I enjoyed this book even though once again it ends sadly.  I can't understand why so many literature books are sad.  What is wrong with writing a good book that ends happily.  Anyway, this book is about Ethan Frome and how he ended up as a quiet cripple with a poor life.  His parents died and he was left with a failing farm/mill and he married a sickly lady named Zeena.  She is constantly seeing new doctor's and trying new remedies that never seem to help.

In order to help Zeena they take in her cousin Mattie.  Mattie's parents died and she was left with nothing and no other relations would take her in.  Mattie brings life back to Ethan's life and the two of them get along great.  A year after staying, Ethan realizes how strong his feelings are for Mattie and it seems that Zeena has also noticed the attraction as well.  Zeena finally takes a trip to see a new doctor and Ethan and Mattie are left alone for a night.  Nothing happens, but the two of them are happy and relaxed with one another.  When Zeena returns she informs Ethan that she has a hired a maid and Mattie must leave that next day.

Ethan is not happy and tries to prevent this from happening.  He even tries to find a way to leave his life and run off with Mattie but can not get the money to do so.  As he takes Mattie to the train station the two of them finally admit to eachother their love for one another.  To help with the pain they decide to sled down a dangerous hill right into a tree.  Unfortunately for them neither dies but are left disabled.  Zeena is forced to care for Mattie and Ethan the rest of their lives.  They live together in a run down house that is barely warm enough to live in and can barely get enough to ea and live off of.  It is a sad life that they live with broken futures and a wasted life.

The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka

This was such a strange book.  If I remember correctly it is listed as a Common Core book.  Blake had it sitting on his desk so I grabbed it since I knew I was going to be at the hospital for a while waiting for my youngest son.  I had no idea what this book would be about so I was not prepared at all when it starts out with our main character, Gregor, waking up and realizing he had turned into a beatle.  Yep, a beatle.  At first I thought of Rhinoceros in a way this book follows the same reasoning for why people turned into rhinoceros's.

Gregor was worn out from working so hard for so many years to pay off his father's debt and to provide for his family.  His parents and sister did not work and lived a pretty lavish and comfortable lifestyle.  Of course this all changed once Gregor became a beatle and could no longer provide for them let alone even communicate with them.  Gregor stays in his room and his family is forced to find jobs in order to provide for themselves.  His 17 year old sister at first takes care of Gregor by giving him food everyday and even cleaning his room.  She eventually convinces her mom to help take out the furniture so that Gregor has room to crawl in the walls and ceiling.

It was frustrating to see how his family complained about having to work so hard and take jobs below their level and serving others.  His father is the worst.  He comes home every night and falls asleep in his chair.  He wife and daughter must spend the evening trying to convince him to move to the bed and change out of his work cloths.  He complains about being so tired.  His sister even stops taking care of Gregor and the maid is the only one that interacts a little with him, but even then she calls him an ugly dung beatle.  No one believes he understands them.

At the end of the book, Gregor's sister finally loses control and breaks down.  She cries and yells at her parents that they must get rid of the monster living in their house before it kills them all since they work too hard at their jobs and come home unable to relax.  Gregor hears all of this.  He had become depressed beforehand with the lack of help and sympathy from his family that he has refused to eat.  This night he finally gives up and dies.  I was disappointed with the reaction from his family.  They are all content and quite their jobs and move to a smaller apartment.  They become happy and start to talk about finding a husband for their daughter.  They no longer remember their son/brother and go on without him.

This was a short book and very easy to read and understand.  I can see why it is on the Common Core since there is so much discussion that arises with this book.  How should his family reacted?  Do you agree with their treatment of Gregor?  Do you agree with Gregor's views?  Was it fair for the family to expect Gregor to provide for them while they do nothing?  Was it good for Gregor to die and let his family live a 'normal' life?

Devil in the White City by Erik Larson

I must admit that it took me a moment to realize this was not a fantasy book, but actually based on historical events that took place in Chicago.  I was very impressed with this book and really enjoyed reading it.  I am interested in reading more of Erik Larson's books since they are educational, but not a bore to read.

Devil in the White City takes place in the early 1890's in Chicago and is about the Chicago World Columbian Exposition that was put together.  We follow two main men, Daniel Burnham and Dr. H. H. Holmes.  Burnham was the main architect and director that put together the impossible task of arranging and building the World Exposition in 21 months.  With his story we see the difficult decisions  he had to make in order to get the Exposition ready and all the trials during a time of economic depression and union strikes.

Dr. Henry Holmes (his main alias) is one of the first real psychopath killers that set up his hotel/practice next to the Exposition.  During this time many young women were leaving their small hometowns in search of a more lucritive life.  They were alone and naive, an excellent target for criminals and who Homes targeted as well.  There are only nine definate kills that have been proven, but Holmes admitted to at least 27 deaths and there are others who estimate that the number was closer to 200.  No one will ever know since he was a very charming man who set up his own reality.  Iin his building he built gas chambers and a kiln.  He would get his victims to become completely dependent on him and then would suffocate them in these gas chambers with either gas or acid chemicals.  He would them either burn the bodies in the kiln he had designed or send them off to become skeletons.  During this time the medical profession was in desperate need of skeletons and were known to be grave diggers and buy bodies from people.

The Exposition was a first for many things and set a trend for the future.  There was many novelties like light bulbs, wheaties, the Ferris Wheel, and other things that were introduced and become a main part of life.  The White City become a model of what an ideal city should look like and many places used this example to design their city.  Clean sewage systems and imported water from natural springs was introduced as well.  It also set a trend for labor unions and eight hour work days, paid overtime, health coverage, ect.  This was a time when insurance companies were beginning to discover and prosecute for insurance fraud and creditors came into contact with people who would not pay they credit back.  Holmes funded his projects using credit and insurance fraud.  He was able to get away with it for many years since many people did not know how to handle that kind of situation.  So many people disappeared during this time that it took many years for people to realize what Holmes had been doing. I think this book is definately worth reading.

The Iron Elves Book 2-3 by Chris Evans

I finally got around to reading the last two books of the Iron Elves series, The Light of Burning Shadows and Ashes of a Black Frost.  I really enjoyed this series and would recommend it to others.  It is not your typical elves, witches, and dwarves book which I really enjoyed.  For those that like military books and mythological aspects this would be a good series.  It gives a good feel of military life and comradeship.  I liked how there were different species all working together, but not one was necessarily stronger or better than the other.

In the second book, The Light of Burning Shadows, we follow the Iron Elves to the desert in search of the second start that is to fall and also to find a lost library for the prince.  Another powerful force has shown up that burns shadows and kills the person, but the body is taken to become part of a living dead army.  The unit gets split up into multiple groups and has to fight their own battles.  Visyna and her group come in contact with the original Iron Elves which are being led by Kritton.  However, these elves seek revenge and do not follow Konowa anymore.  Private Renwar struggles with his connection with the dead and makes a deal with the Dark Monarch while also restoring the Red Star to the desert area.

In the third book, Ashes of a Black Frost, each group travels and ends up at the abadoned Iron Elves fort where they fight against a huge army of Rackes, both alive and their shadows, led by the previous Emissary that was supposedly killed by Private Renwar who now is the dead's Emissary.  The fighting and struggles in this book were good, however, it made for a disappointing ending.  You have so much fighting and battles that when Konowa and his group finally make it to Her mountain to destroy the Dark Monarch, it is anti-climatic.  You expect a great battle and struggles, but are greatly disappointed when it ends so quickly with little conflict.  Other than the poor ending, the series was great.

A Doll's House by Henrik Ibsen

This was the other play I read.  It was slow at first and honestly not a lot happens.  It all takes place within three days.  It is an incredibly simple read and easy to understand.  I enjoyed the last couple pages the most when our main character, Nora, realizes what her life really is like and that she does not know who she is.

Nora starts out in this play as a very flighty, happy person that is very superficial.  She does not seem to know what life is really like and her husband treats her like a 'doll.'  He talks to her like she is a young little girl and expects her to be a trophy wife and act/dress in certain ways.  He works at a bank and has just been made the manager.  In order to keep up his appearance of having a strong, moral character, he dismisses his friend who has a reputation for doing questionable business.  Unfortunately, this man did business with Nora in the past and Nora is still paying off her debt.  She took out a loan in order to save her husband's life.  This man threatens Nora and writes a blackmail letter to her husband in order to get his job back and to get his reputation cleared.  Nora tries her hardest to prevent the letter from getting into her husband's hands, but in the end resigns herself to her husband finding out.  She believes he will rescue her.  Unfortunately her husband does not accept what she has done and says she will never be allowes out of the house and will never be able to raise their three children.

After saying all of these hurtful things he reads another letter from the same man that decided to return Nora's bill and releasing her from all responsibility.  Nora's husband is relieved and decides they will go on with life like nothing happened and tries to take back everything he said.  Unfortunately for him, Nora realizes that she does not know herself or her husband and must leave to find out who she is.  Her husband tries to convince her to stay, but she leaves.

While it is a sad ending that does not necessarily end happily-ever-after, it has a very good lesson.  Nora had spent her whole life living and doing what others expected her to do.  She never found out who she was.  It is a great short play that has great insight at the end about life.

Rhinoceros by Eugene Ionesco

My posts have definately spaced out a bit with our hectic life.  Blake asked me to help him read a few plays the last couple of days to make sure the content/language was acceptable for his English class.  I have not had much experience reading plays and honestly was not in the mood to read them.  My brain has been fried with pregnancy and I have not wanted to really concentrate or read lately.  I am glad that I was able to enjoy both the plays I read and even more grateful that they were short plays and easy to read.

Rhinoceros is definately on a higher literary level than the other play I read, " A Doll's House."  I must admit the first act was a little hard to get through and really keep up with all the conversations because there are so many people talking at once that it is chaotic.  The rest of the book is fairly easy to read and even the language usage is much more simple.  Pretty much you follow this one guy that is borderline a drunk.  He is trying to find meaning in his life and starts out by arguing with his friend pretty much about whether the rhinoceros that they had seen twice run through town was the same one or different.  People, including his friend, start turning into Rhinoceros'  and I thought it was funny that the only person upset and freaking out about this phenomenon was the main character.  Everyone else just goes with the flow and follows the crowd.  Eventually everyone turns in a Rhinoceros except our main character.  He struggles at the end being the only one left and at first fights against it, and then in turn wants to become a Rhinoceros as well but cannot.  He then accepts that he is the last human and is determined to fight against the majority.

I found it interesting that there is a lot of logic and what is real discussed throughout the book.  So many people start by fighting against everyone, but in the end follow what everyone else does even if it does not necessarily make sense.  Really, how many people want to turn into a Rhinoceros.  Many are mad about it, but then decide that everyone else is having more fun and enjoying life better.  They are escaping from their hectic life and having fun and relaxing.  It is interesting to see how in such a short period an entire society can change their opinions and focus in life.