Tag Archive for: book review

Monday Book Review: The Perfect Blindside by Leslea Wahl

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Leslea Wahl is one of my fellow Catholic Writers Guild members, and I was thrilled when I won a copy of her award-winning YA novel The Perfect Blindside in a recent giveaway. Since the grad school spring semester has now winded down, I was able to delve into this book–and once I did, I was hooked. Leslea’s got a very engaging story here!

The Perfect BlindsideTitle: The Perfect Blindside

Author: Leslea Wahl

Genre: contemporary fiction

Age group: YA

Synopsis: Jake Taylor surprises everyone when he wins a silver medal in snowboarding at the Winter Olympics, but his parents aren’t thrilled at the sudden rush of attention their son is getting. Seeking a more normal high school experience for their son, Jake’s parents whisk him off to a small town in the mountains of Colorado–not too far from snowboarding training ground, but far enough away from the paparazzi.  Most of the people in town are thrilled to have an Olympic silver medalist move in, but not honors student Sophie Metcalf. She’s got a theory about cute guys like Jake: they can’t be trusted because their good looks make it too easy for them to get what they want. But when trouble starts brewing in their small town in the form of slashed tires, rumored ghosts in old coal mines, and false accusations, the egotistical snowboarder and the judgmental honors student may just need to team up to uncover what’s really going on in this not-so-sleepy little town.

Leslea Wahl does an amazing job of making her characters realistic while still infusing faith into her story. I love the way she has Sophie pray throughout the book. Her prayers aren’t overly pious long epistles; they are quick, in-the-moment, down-to-earth (“Seriously, Jesus, help me shut my trap”) kind of prayers. Basically, the way I pray! 🙂

The pitfall in a lot of Christian fiction is to make the characters either holier-than-thou saints or really, really terrible sinners who suddenly do a 180. I enjoyed how Leslea gives her characters realistic flaws (you’d expect a boy who’d just won an Olympic silver medal to be a bit egotistical) and then let’s them have some character development without swinging the pendulum between sinner and saint too far or too fast.

Not only are the characters enjoyable, but the story line is very engaging as well. I’ll admit I kind of guessed what was going on fairly early in the story, but I think teens and their parents will still find this story to be a fun, fast read.

You can find The Perfect Blindside for purchase here.

You can learn more about Leslea Wahl and her writing in the following places:

Website: http://lesleawahl.com/

Blog: http://lesleawahl.com/blog/

Facebook AuthorPage: https://www.facebook.com/LesleaWahlbooks/

Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/author/show/14178590.Leslea_Wahl

Twitter: https://twitter.com/LesleaWahl

Instagram: Leslea_Wahl

Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/lesleawahl/

I’m linking this post up with the Open Book linky hosted by author Carolyn Astfalk and CatholicMom.com. Click on either link to see what others are reading this month!

Monday Book Review: Cinder by Marissa Meyer

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Cinder has been on my TBR pile for a couple of years, at least. Yes, that’s how long my to-be-read list is! I had started reading it last summer, but then my mom fell ill and grad school started up, and the book had to be returned to the library. Thank goodness for spring break and the chance to read something other than grad school work! I’m glad I found the time to read this book that a number of my coworkers have been talking about for a while. As I explained to some friends Saturday night, I feel like I’ve fallen down the rabbit hole. So immersed did I become in the world Marissa Meyer created that, that I can’t wait to read the rest of the Lunar Chronicles series.

Monday Book Review: Cinder by Marissa MeyerTitle: Cinder

Author: Marissa Meyer

Genre: dystopian/sci-fi/fairy tale retelling

Age group: YA

Synopsis: In this retelling of the classic Cinderella fairy tale, we meet Cinder. After a tragic accident at age eleven, Cinder is given a second chance at life by scientists who rebuild her. She’s now part human, part machine, but completed despised by anyone who knows she’s a cyborg. Shortly after her surgery, she’s adopted by a new family, but her adoptive father dies, leaving her with a stepmother and stepsisters who don’t have much use for a despicable cyborg. Cinder is left to do the only “chore” she understands–repairing machines.

While running her repair booth at the market in New Beijing, Cinder is surprised by an unlikely guest. The handsome Prince Kai has come to her booth undercover. He needs help repairing an old android . . . and maybe a maiden to marry. However, the Queen of the Lunars (not-quite-humans who live on the moon) wants to make a marriage alliance with the young prince–and that’s just the start of her plans.

Cinder is the kind of book where I fear saying too much for fear of ruining the delightful ways author Marissa Meyer puts a spin on this classic tale. If you’re a fan of dystopian novels, sci-fi, fairy tale retellings, or all three, you’ll enjoy this book! Good, clean fun that you won’t want to put down!

Monday Book Review: A Single Bead by Stephanie Engelman

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I met author Stephanie Engelman online through the Catholic Writers Guild and discovered that she writes YA just like I do! So, of course, I jumped at the chance to review her book, A Single Bead, when it released earlier this month.

A Single BeadTitle: A Single Bead

Author: Stephanie Engelman

Genre: contemporary realistic fiction

Age category: YA (but okay for middle grade, too)

Summary: (from Amazon) On the anniversary of the plane crash that took the life of her beloved grandmother and threw her own mother into deep depression, 16-year-old Katelyn Marie Roberts discovers a single bead from her grandmother’s rosary—a rosary lost in the crash. A chance encounter with a stranger, who tells Katelyn that a similar bead saved her friend’s life, launches Katelyn and her family on a quest to find the other missing beads. Their journey, filled with glimmers of hope, mystical events and unexplained grace helps Katelyn understand that faith, family and the help of others can restore what was lost.

A Single Bead by Stephanie Engelman and my mom's St. Therese of Lisieux rosary

A Single Bead by Stephanie Engelman and my mom’s St. Therese of Lisieux rosary

I found a lot I could relate to in this book. As many of you know, I lost my mother back in August, and the grandmother in this story reminded me a lot of my mom. And let’s just say I’m really thankful that I didn’t react to my mother’s death the way Katelyn’s mom reacts to her mother’s death.I think young teens who struggle with believing in prayer and maybe even believing in God’s ability to work in their lives will enjoy this book. Katelyn seems to be a pretty typical teen who has some faith but hasn’t gotten to the point of really making it a part of her everyday existence yet. Stephanie does a nice job of balancing out faith-filled characters with those who struggle with their faith.

This could make a great Confirmation present for a teen girl if you’re looking for something a little different to give.

You can follow Stephanie on her blog A Few Beads Short. (Don’t you just love that blog title? Personally, I think I’m more than a few beads short, but that’s another story. 😉 )

Monday Book Review: NEED by Joelle Charbonneau

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I squeezed in another YA book over winter break! My doctorate program at Loyola doesn’t restart for another couple weeks, so I’m hoping to squeeze in at least one more book review before the month is out. For right now, here’s another book from Joelle Charbonneau, whom I met at an ACFW meeting last March and who is the author of the New York Times bestselling dystopian trilogy The Testing.

Monday Book Review: NEED by Joelle Charbonneau. Check out this latest thriller from the author fo the New York Times bestselling dystopian trilogy The Testing.Title: NEED

Author: Joelle Charbonneau

Genre: Thriller

Age group: YA

Synopsis: Sixteen-year-old Kaylee Dunham knows what she needs–a kidney for her sick younger brother. However, the person who might best be a match is her dad, and he’s run off. Meanwhile, a new social networking site has appeared, and it’s quickly gathering popularity at Kaylee’s high school. All you have to do is tell it what you need, and then it gives you a simple set of instructions to follow in order to have your need request fulfilled. The instructions seem harmless at first, but the consequences quickly turn deadly. For example, one boy is told to leave a package on the front steps of the house of a girl he likes. He doesn’t know that inside the package are cookies made with ground peanuts, and the girl he likes has a severe peanut allergy. When Kaylee figures out the dangerous game the NEED system is playing with them, she needs to put an end to hit before someone she loves gets hurt. Or worse.

This is definitely a YA book, not a middle grade. I would say that if parents are okay with their children reading The Hunger Games or Divergent, then they’ll be fine with this one, too. What I really like about it is that it could become a good discussion starter for the dangers of social media. Charbonneau raises some interesting questions about how far someone may be willing to go to get what they think they need and how “anonymity” online can make people behave in ways they wouldn’t otherwise.

NEED and meThe book was definitely chilling in the way it built up the creepiness factor as the story progressed. After a while, it’s pretty hard to put down. That’s why on my Instagram account, I posted the photo to the right with the caption: “If you NEED me, I’ll be reading this book by @joellejcharbonneau.” The book is 334 pages, but I polished it off in just a few days during my winter break.

Monday Book Review: The Dance: A Story of Love, Faith, and Survival by Joan Aubele

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Long-time readers of my blog know I usually review middle grade and young adult books on Monday, but every once in a while, I review something for adults, too. Today is one of those days! 🙂

I’ll be very upfront and tell you I may be a bit biased about this book as it’s written by my cousin and godmother Joan Aubele. 🙂 But even without the family connections, I think anyone who has endured a devastating cancer diagnosis in their family will be able to relate to Joan’s experiences and find comfort and inspiration in her story.

IMG_5876Title: The Dance: A Story of Love, Faith, and Survival

Author: Joan Aubele

Genre: Memoir

Synopsis: At the age of twenty-nine, Joan Aubele is diagnosed with acute lymphocytic leukemia (a.k.a. “childhood leukemia”). She is told to say good-bye to her husband and three young girls and to prepare for her funeral, but she and her husband Carl decide to fight the cancer anyway. It’s not an easy fight. Time and time again, Joan and her family are warned that death may be near, but their faith in God keeps them moving forward, and somehow miracles (one even worked through a prayer intention brought to the Blessed Mother at Medjugorje) seem to save her from the brink of death.

My mom is Joan’s godmother, and one of the most striking parts of this book for me is how similar their stories are. Both my mom and Joan were diagnosed with cancer when they were married and had small children at home. Both worried that they wouldn’t live to see their kids grow up. Both have endured “mini strokes” (TIAs), but both have now lived at least 25 years since their first cancer diagnosis (my mom has had numerous kinds of cancer), and both have lived to see their children and their grandchildren. Most importantly, both have a very strong faith in God. I truly believe it is their Catholic faith that has seen them through these harrowing experiences.

At a little over 100 pages, The Dance is a quick read, but in that short time, it will leave a lasting impression on your heart. These are unforgettable people enduring extremely trying hardships. If you or someone you know is facing a cancer diagnosis, this lovely memoir will help them remember that they are not alone.



Monday Book Review: Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library by Chris Grabenstein

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One of my favorite things to read is a middle grade mystery with puzzles that the reader can play along with, and Chris Grabenstein delivers just such a treat in his Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library. (And seeing how I’ve just returned from a trip to Italy where I partook of a bit of limoncello, this book seemed like the perfect choice for my next Monday book review. 😉 )

LemoncelloTitle: Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library

Author: Chris Grabenstein

Genre: mystery

Age group: middle grade

Synopsis: Kyle Keeley loves playing all sorts of games, especially board games designed by his hero Luigi Lemoncello. After Mr. Lemoncello designs the new town library, Kyle wins one of the 12 coveted spots to participate in a special “library lock-in” to celebrate its opening. However, Mr. Lemoncello has created a special game for this lock-in. The kids have to solve a series of riddles and puzzles in order to get out of the library. Whoever gets out first will star in a commercial for Mr. Lemoncello’s next board game!

I really enjoyed how much the reader can play along with the puzzles in this book. To me, a mystery isn’t fun if you can’t play detective along with the main character. Author Chris Grabenstein does a nice job of making many of these games “playable” with Kyle. I also enjoyed how he integrated many popular children’s book titles into the games and into Mr. Lemoncello’s speech. Grabenstein made use of classic titles like Anne of Green Gables (you know I’d like that!) and newer books I love like When You Reach Me.

The one little thing I wish were different about the book is that I wish there were more at stake than starring in a commercial. As an author myself, I’ve read many times that you have to decide what “terrible thing” will happen to your character if he does not succeed in his goal. Otherwise, why do we care? For that reason, the beginning of the book felt a little slow to me. I didn’t know why I should care if Kyle won this game or not. When I found out that the only thing at stake was starring in a commercial, it seemed a little shallow. Perhaps, if there’d been a financial prize, and Kyle’s family needed the money to keep their house or something, then I might’ve felt a bit more invested.

Fortunately, the riddles the kids have to solve were fun enough to keep a book lover like me entertained. Also, the library that Lemoncello (or really Grabenstein) dreams up is very cool, and I’d love to visit a library like that someday.

If you (or a kid you know) loves to read and solve puzzles, I’d definitely recommend this book. There’s even a fun puzzle-within-the-puzzle for the reader to solve at the end of the story.

Monday Book Review: The Thorn Bearer by Pepper Basham

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I’m going to take another brief break from my usual middle grade and YA book reviews to bring you a beautiful inspirational historical fiction book by one of my “publishing sisters” (as I like to call her) Pepper Basham. Pepper is also a member of ACFW (American Christian Fiction Writers), and our books both recently released in Kindle from Vinspire Publishing. In fact, it just so happened that my Angelhood released in Kindle and paperback on Amazon on the same day that Pepper’s The Thorn Bearer released on Kindle. The paperback version of The Thorn Bearer will release on May 7, the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Lusitania (’cause her book has to do with the sinking of the Lusitania!).

thethornbearer-500x750-1Title: The Thorn Bearer

Author: Pepper Basham

Genre: Inspirational historical fiction

Synopsis: Ashleigh Dougall has endured more than is one woman’s share. First, horrendous sexual abuse at the hands of her own father. Then, being jilted by her fiance when he learns she is a “tainted woman.” Not too mention, there’s a long-standing coolness between her and her sister. Seeking a fresh start, she decides to take her nursing skills overseas to England where she will start an orphanage after caring for the wounded soldiers of World War I. Unfortunately, the problems with her plan are multiple. First, Ashleigh’s ex-fiance is on the same boat. Second, also on the boat is her sister’s ex-fiance for whom Ashleigh is developing feelings. Third, the boat they’re all on is the ill-fated Lusitania.

It’s pretty rare I pull my head out of middle grade and young adult fiction to read something intended for actual adults, but how could I resist this story from my “publishing sister”? And I’m glad I didn’t. Pepper’s characters are vivid and fun! Definitely people worth caring for! During the sinking of the Lusitania, she’ll have your heart pumping. I never like to give too much away, but if you enjoyed the movie Titanic and enjoyed the World War I episodes of Downton Abbey (when they were caring for the injured soldiers right at the house), you’ll enjoy The Thorn Bearer.

You can find Pepper on her website here and find The Thorn Bearer on Amazon and Barnes & Noble. It’s currently only $2.99 for the Kindle and Nook versions. (Rumor has it the price will be going up, so buy now!)

Monday Book Review: The Tomb by Stephanie Landsem

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Normally, I review middle grade and young adult books, but today I am super excited to bring you The Tomb by Stephanie Landsem. This is the the third book in Landsem’s The Living Water series. I enjoyed the first book The Well, I adored the second book The Thief, and I’m absolutely in love with the third book The Tomb! Somehow Landsem’s books just keep getting better and better!

IMG_3483Title: The Tomb

Author: Stephanie Landsem

Genre: biblical fiction

Synopsis: Martha is the good girl. She follows all the laws, as is proper for the daughter of a respected Pharisee. However, it’s her sister Mary who gets to marry the man of her dreams, a poor man who makes her happy even though he has little to offer her. Martha is also in love with a poor man, but he’s a pagan, and there’s no way her father would ever consent to her marrying anyone other than a proper Jew. Even the righteous Simon can’t seem to convince Martha’s father to let him marry his eldest daughter. Martha is such a good cook and law-abiding woman, no man seems good enough to marry her. However, Martha is hiding a secret, a sin that could get her stoned in her hometown of Bethany. And to make matters worse, her brother Lazarus wants to run off and follow their cousin Jesus, whom many (but definitely not all) are claiming is the Messiah!

The back cover of the book gives away far more than I am in my synopsis, but I’d actually recommend not reading the back cover before you read the book. I didn’t, and I’m glad I skipped it. I enjoyed the many twists this story took along the way.

If you follow me on Facebook, you may already know that this story brought me to tears–several times, in fact. Landsem has a way of making Jesus so real. Any Christian is familiar with the story of Jesus coming to Martha and Mary’s house for dinner, and how Martha complains that her sister won’t help her with the food preparations. But what Landsem does is flesh out this scene for us, so that we get a clearer picture of what it might actually have been like. In doing so, she illuminates Jesus’s human nature. I think we tend to focus mostly on his divine nature, but it’s wonderful to spend some time thinking of Jesus as the guy who comes over for dinner and the children run to him and throw their arms around his legs.

I could go on and on about how much I liked this book, but I don’t want to spoil any of it for you. I highly recommend all of The Living Water series. You can read them in any order, but at the end of The Tomb, there is an epilogue where Landsem brings together characters from all three of her stories.

You can find the book on Amazon here and at Barnes & Noble here. You can also follow Stephanie on Facebook and Twitter or visit her website.

 

Monday Book Review: Saving Kabul Corner by N.H. Senzai

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Here’s the second in my reviews of juvenile mysteries for these year’s Edgar nominees!

IMG_3252Title: Saving Kabul Corner

Author: N.H. Senzai

Genre: mystery

Age group: middle grade

Synopsis: Twelve-year-old Ariana is a bit perturbed that her perfect cousin Laila, who just moved from Afghanistan to California, has honed in not only on her bedroom, but also on her best friend Mariam! Ariana dreams of the day when Laila’s father will return from his job in Afghanistan and she and her family can move into their new home where she’ll finally have her own room. But things never go as planned, and both Ariana’s and Laila’s worlds get turned upside down when a rival Afghan grocery store opens up in the same shopping plaza as Ariana’s family store. This reignites an old family feud that was long thought to be buried back in Afghanistan. When the family store, Kabul Corner, is vandalized, Ariana and her friends decide to find out who’s trying to destroy their business. Is it really the Afghan family who runs the rival store, or is somebody else out to get them?

If you’ve been around the blog for a while, you might remember that I also reviewed Shooting Kabul, N.H. Senzai’s first book (sort of a prequel to this one) two years ago. While I enjoyed that one, I think I enjoyed this second book even more–probably because it seemed, at least to me, to follow a more traditional mystery plot. There are clear suspects, clear clues, and a good old-fashioned wrap-up of whodunit at the end.

Another thing I really enjoy about N.H. Senzai’s books is that she gives us such a lovely glimpse into the true Muslim culture. I teach at a very ethnically diverse school, and it’s fun for me to see characters with names like that of some of my students: Fadi, Zayd, Naj, Nasreen. Some of my students’ families have fled Afghanistan for the same reasons as the characters in this book, so it helps me to understand what their life might be like at home as they worry about family members who may still be there or may even be helping U.S. forces in the area.

Kudos to N.H. Senzai for a fun mystery! I think I may be adding this as an option for summer reading for next year’s group of incoming sixth graders.

Monday Book Review: Fake ID by Lamar Giles

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It’s time to review another Edgar nominee, this time for best young adult mystery.

Title: Fake ID

Author: Lamar Giles

Genre: mystery

Age group: young adult

Synopsis: Teenager Nick Pearson has been living in the Witness Protection Program for years. His father, a former mob ally, is a key witness in a case against a big-time mobster–or at least, will be a key witness once the police capture the mobster. Unfortunately, Nick’s dad has problems playing by the rules; thus, Nick’s family is forced to change names and locations several times. When Nick lands in the small town of Stepton, things go wrong quickly. A student at school commits suicide, but Nick isn’t convinced it wasn’t murder. Worse yet, he fears his dad is messed up in the whole deal.

Giles provides several nice plot twists to a story that keeps getting more complicated as Nick investigates, so I can see why it’s been nominated for an Edgar. After years of reading so many mysteries, it’s a little hard to surprise me so I’ll admit that there was one plot twist that got me.

Parents may want to be forewarned that there is foul language in the book, but it didn’t seem gratuitous to me. I’m sure high school students hear similar or worse language on a daily basis. There are also brief mentions of sex and one short make-out scene. Nick certainly isn’t the perfect hero of a romance novel, but he’s a kid trying to do the right thing despite his father’s mistakes, so we root for him to succeed, and there are definitely some humorous lines in here.

One other thing I feel compelled to mention is that after the questionable suicide, one character mentions that another character says there won’t be a Catholic funeral because it was a suicide. I don’t know if Giles purposely included this erroneous idea or if he’s unaware himself. However, as a Catholic with a book about teen suicide due out in just a couple months, I thought I should clear the air. Someone who has committed suicide can have a Catholic funeral Mass. If you’d like an explanation, feel free to see this article.

 

 

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