#35--In a Heartbeat by Loretta Ellsworth

Yet another book that I purchased several years ago to preview for my library has finally made it to my "READ" shelf!  (yes, that does say years)

In a Heartbeat is told in alternating voices: that of Eagan, an energetic and enthusiastic young figure skater who has died in a tragic on-ice accident and is stuck in the in-between and that of Amelia, a contemplative young artist awaiting a heart transplant.  Once Amelia receives her new heart, she begins to have new thoughts and experiences and desires that she never had before....she wants a purple lollipop (Amelia hates purple, but it was Eagan's favorite color).  Eagan's chapters are spent looking back on her life and thinking about things that were said and what was left unsaid.  Amelia's chapters are spent thinking about who her donor could have been and how she (Amelia) is different now with her new heart.  Will Amelia get to thank her donor's parents?  Will Eagan's parents be willing to meet Amelia?  Will Amelia's body accept the donor heart?

There is closure for both characters, but there are also strings left open to interpretation, which I really liked in this story. 

There are very few books written on organ donation for teens (at least, not many I could find in my quick search on Amazon), so this definitely fills a niche in YA lit, and it is worth the read.

Happy Reading!!

#34--Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

I am a part of the book club at my school, but am rarely able to attend the meetings, which means that I often don't read the books until months later.  Such is the case with Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, which was one of our books last year, but I only just read it yesterday.  The thing that intrigued me the most was the creepy pictures in this book, like the cover below where the girl is levitating off the ground by a few inches.

The author has incorporated quite a few of these pictures throughout the story with explanations for them....

Growing up, Jacob Portman's grandfather (Abe) told him fantastical stories about growing up on a magical island off the coast of Wales where all the other children had magical abilities.  A brother and sister were the strongest people Abe knew and could lift large boulders with very little effort.  Another boy was invisible, and liked to sneak up on people while not wearing clothes---if he had clothing on, his shape could be seen. And yet another girl who floated away if not tethered to the earth.  All these stories seemed like fairy tales to Jacob, until he stopped believing in them.  Right before Jacob's 16th birthday, his grandfather has started to let paranoia take over his thinking, claiming the monsters are back and out to get him.  One day the paranoia has reached a boiling point and Jacob goes to Abe's house to try to calm him down.  Instead, Jacob finds his grandfather in the woods, almost dead, in what appears to have been a wild animal attack.  In his last words, Abe tells Jacob, "Find the bird.  In the loop.  On the other side of the old man's grave.  September 3, 1940.  Emerson--the letter.  Tell them what happened."  In the minutes after his grandfather's last words, Jacob shines his flashlight into the woods and sees "a face that seemed to have been transplanted directly from the nightmares of my childhood.  It stared back with eyes that swam in dark liquid, furrowed trenches of carbon-black flesh loose on its hunched frame, its mouth hinges open grotesquely so that a mass of long eel-like tongues could wriggle out."  No one else saw this creature. 

Abe's final words, and the hideous creature, begin to haunt Jacob's dreams, until he finally (with the help of his shrink) convinces his parents to let him go to Wales to try to find out about his grandfather's past, hoping that if he is able to find anything, that he will be able to finally understand and get a peaceful night's sleep.

What he doesn't expect to find is the house that his grandfather lived in when he was in Wales was bombed out on September 3, 1940, and all the inhabitants were believed to be dead.  Yet, Abe received a letter from his former headmistress there, Miss Peregrine, only 15 years prior.  There was definitely something else going on, and Jacob is determined to find out what. 

Along the way, Jacob does some time traveling, meets the children of his grandfather's stories, battles horrible monsters, and finds out a thing or two about himself as well.

This story was so much more than just the pictures that drew me to it and I found myself unable to put it down.  There is reportedly a sequel due to come out in June of 2013.  I look forward to finding out how Jacob and the children fare in their new world!

Happy Reading!!

#33--Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys

On one of the first teacher days back at school, my friend Kelly (also one of my LA teachers) came to me raving about the best book she read this summer....Between Shades of Gray (not that shades of gray!).  As it so happened, I had checked this title out over the summer and had not yet had a chance to read it.  So, on her recommendation, I pulled it out of the pile today and enjoyed some rays while reading.

On the night of June 14, 1941, 15-year-old Lina Vilkas, her mother Elena, and her younger brother Jonas are removed from their home in Lithuania by the Soviet secret police (NKVD) and deported to Siberia, for reasons Lina and Jonas don't know or understand.  As difficult as it is, she tries to mask her hatred for the Soviets.  The conditions are horrific, but Lina is determined to live, no matter what.  Lina must also hide the drawings she has made, depicting their ordeals and the people in the camps, both Lithuanians and the Soviet guards, as she could be executed if they are found.  Her art is how Lina hopes to communicate with others the truth of what happened to them in Siberia.  But will her hope keep them alive long enough?

There have been very few books written about this time period, so it is not a part of history that I was overly familiar with.  However, that makes me want to find out more about it, and more about the people who survived these horrors.  The author, Ruta Sepetys, is the daughter of a Lithuanian refugee who was fortunate enough to escape through Germany and into refugee camps.  She wrote this story as a memorial to all those who perished, and for those who survived Stalin's Reign of Terror.  This is a story that I would definitely recommend to anyone who is a lover of history!

Happy Reading!!

#32--Geek Charming by Robin Palmer

This afternoon I was looking for a light and easy read to sit outside on my swing with and enjoy the beautiful day.  And I also have a stack of books that I checked out over the summer staring at me, waiting to be read.  So I picked up today's read for both of those reasons. 

Dylan is the "it-girl" at her private high school.  Josh is a film geek who happens to be in the right place at the wrong time.....Dylan has accidentally tossed her very expensive designer handbag into the fountain at the shopping mall her dad owns, and she convinces Josh to go in after it for her, in return for being in his documentary for film school.  Dylan attempts to renege on this deal, but her dad makes her follow through on it.  Josh, of the F-list in Dylan's mind, will get to follow her around and film her for one month, in her A-list world. 

At first Josh considers scrapping the whole project because Dylan is driving him insane with her demands, but eventually, he realizes that she is human and decides he wants to show her whole story in the documentary instead of just the life of the populars, as he originally intended.  When Dylan's emotionally distant boyfriend of almost two years dumps her right before the Fall Fling--the social event of the semester--and her popularity tanks, it is up to Josh to try to save the day.

Will Dylan kiss the frog to get the prince or will she discover that a prince is not always necessary?

This was a cute story and it reminded me of the movies Can't Buy Me Love and Clueless.  Parts of it were predictable, but it fit the bill for what I was looking for today and I would read Palmer's other books based on fairy tales:  Wicked Jealous: A Love Story, Cindy Ella, and Little Miss Red.

Happy Reading!!

#31--Eat the City: A Tale of the Fishers, Foragers, Butchers, Farmers, Poultry Minders, Sugar Refiners, Cane Cutters, Beekeepers, Winemakers, and Brewers Who Built New York--by Robin Shulman

This summer my sister and I spent several days in New York City as a nice treat.  We are, admittedly, food snobs to a point and love us some good food.  Our goal for the trip was to eat our way through the city and see a few shows.  Not only did we do this, but we also were able to spend some time biking in Central Park and doing some touristy stuff--like a walking food tour of Hell's Kitchen from Alex at Manhattan Walking Tour where we had some absolutely fantastic food!!

About a week before leaving for our trip, I started reading Eat the City.  I figured it would be a good way to find out about the history of food in the Big Apple.  Each chapter covers a different kind of food: fish, vegetables, meat (butcher shops), sugar, honey, beer, and wine.  Through each chapter you are introduced to individuals who are currently practicing the trade as well as given insight into the history of each food within New York City.  I found the information fascinating to read about.  The author is able to make you feel like you are right there in the butcher shop/wine cellar/rooftop with honey bees/garden and the people you meet come alive. 

This is a book that I would recommend to any foodies...especially my dad...who may be getting a copy for Christmas.  :)

I was provided a free electronic galley copy of this book by the publisher through Net Galley.  All opinions are my own.  The book is currently available for purchase in both hard cover and kindle format.

                                                          picture from Amazon.com
Warning: There are a few instances when situation/language may not make this appropriate for readers under 16.  Use your own discretion.

Happy Reading!!

#30--Radical Integrity: The Story of Dietrich Bonhoeffer by Michael Van Dyke

Ever year when I attend New Wilmington Mission Conference, I purchase several books at the book store....and I rarely read them before I go back the next year.  Until this year.  This year I purchased a few books, and I've already finished one of them....today's post.  As I have said before, I'm fascinated by the time period of World War II, and events leading up to it.  I've had a vague inkling of who Dietrich Bonhoeffer was for years, but never really gave him much thought until I picked up Radical Integrity.  I knew he was a German theologian who was killed by the Nazis and is widely quoted and studied at seminaries.  Beyond that, I didn't know much about him.

Radical Integrity begins with Dietrich's arrest by the Gestapo for his part in the plots to assassinate Adolf Hitler.  But then we learn about his early years and his family.  The book follows Dietrich through university, pastoring a German church in Spain, and through the rest of his life, including his struggle with joining the resistance against Hitler and the Nazis.  Bonhoeffer was just 39 when the Nazis hanged him for his part in the resistance.  Yet, his legacy lives on in his writings.

I found myself going back and re-reading passages, sometimes for better comprehension and other times because what was said was so compelling.  I even found myself making slight marks with a pencil in my copy of the book--something I rarely do. 

Van Dyke does an excellent job of intertwining passages from Bonhoeffer's own writings with the narrative.  I will definitely be keeping this on my shelf, and will hopefully refer back to it when I have struggles of faith of my own to deal with. 

Happy Reading!

#29--They Almost Always Come Home by Cynthia Ruchti

During the summer I always have great aspirations to getting lots of reading done....as is evidenced by the piles of books I pack anytime I go anywhere.  However, life, and this year, the Olympics, gets in the way. 

I finished They Almost Always Come Home several months ago, but never posted it....so, here goes....

The story opens with Libby fretting over whether dead people wear shoes....it seems like a waste since no one will see them, but "no outfit is complete without shoes".  Every time her husband goes away on one of his Canadian wilderness trips, Libby tends to over-dramatize if he is even the tiniest bit late....but Greg has never been this late before, and he has never been in the wilderness alone...

When he doesn't return home within a few days of the anticipated time, Libby files a missing persons report....and waits, and waits, and waits.  Her father-in-law, Frank, and her best friend, Jenika (Jen), are there by her side.  During her agonizing wait for Greg, Libby waffles between wishing she had left Greg before his trip, to wishing he were home again and by her side.  Part of her indecision lies in the fact that their daughter died a few years ago, and then everything changed. 

Jen is convinced that God wants Libby and Jen to find Greg....Libby's not so sure about that.  She is convinced that Greg is either dead or he has found a convenient way to leave her.  The fourth day after filing the missing persons report, Frank announces that he wants to go up to Canada to take a look around...hoping to see something the authorities missed, or to find "his boy".  Much to his chagrin, Libby and Jen insist on tagging along--two inexperienced and anti-outdoors women--to the wilderness of Canada.  And they only have one week to find him.

Along the way, Jen, Libby and Frank come across clues that indicate they are on the right trail....empty sunflower seeds, Greg's paddle that he made in high school wood shop.  And Libby also has one of Greg's journals that she reads at night while questioning God the whole time.

Two-thirds of the way into the book, the perspective switches to Greg's side of the story.  I don't want to give anything away....but I loved his side of the story just as much as Libby's and the ending was fantastic as well. 

Christian fiction can sometimes come across as preachy or trite, but this one doesn't.  Will definitely be checking out her future works.

Happy Reading!!