Lydia's Favorite Fictional Character --- Anne Shirley

One of the most pleasant aspects of the book blogging world is the sense of community and how quickly another blogger can feel like an old friend.  You may never talk about the latest love of your life or how much you just paid for that new pair of jeans, but you share something more than that, a love of books and everything that entails.  Lydia of The Lost Entwife is one of the bloggers for me.  She is one of those reviewers to whom I look to before I buy a new book.  If I see a book at the store I'm not familiar with, I go to her blog to see if she has read it.  If she has, and did not like it, I will probably not buy it.  I trust her taste and her ability to put her reaction down in words, in such a way as to make me understand what my own reaction to it would be.  She is a gifted blogger, writer, and she is someone I hope to have around for many years to come.  Bloggers like Lydia, make the all the work worth it.  So go on by her blog, say hi, and I know you will be sticking around for a long, long time.

Hi folks!  My name is Lydia, and I blog over at The Lost Entwife, and about a year ago I discovered Ryan and his fantastic feature of Favorite Fictional Character and have loved reading each and every one of them.  So I was honored when Ryan asked me to contribute a guest post - and then the next day freaked out as I tried to pick one, JUST one, character I could talk about.  I mean - my latest favorite has definitively been Tyrion Lannister of Game of Thrones fame, but everyone loves that little dude, so I went to my bookshelves and looked and looked.  But then I realized there really is just one answer.

One of the first books I remember getting from my Aunt for Christmas is Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery.  I've read the book, and all its sequels, and watched the movies so many times that for every event, small or big, that happens in my life, I can give an Anne quote to bolster my spirits or get me settled back on solid ground.  This is the book I give my nieces to read, it's the book that comforts me when it's raining outside and I feel as if the world is a dark and dismal place.  Gilbert was my first crush and when I was younger, raspberry cordial sounded like it would be the thing to drink.

Anne taught me what it was to be patient, to be kind.  She is a character who struggles with her temper and with saying the wrong thing, but she also is able to swallow her pride and seek forgiveness for her brash actions.  She struggles with her red hair (and boy could I relate to having things about me I didn't like), but ultimately comes to accept that hair and how much it sets her apart and makes her Anne-with-an-E.

Through Anne I experienced loss the first time when Walter Cuthbert passes away.  I cried into my tissues, and still do to this day.  I learned what it means to be a "bosom friend" to someone, how to love Tennyson and the spoken word in the form of poetry, and how important imagination is.

I'm going to finish this post with a few of my favorite quotes from the various Anne books, and I hope that if you haven't experienced the story of Anne's life that you seek it out and introduce yourself.  Trust me, she's been a good friend to me all these years and I'm sure she will be the same to you.

“We should regret our mistakes and learn from them, but never carry them forward into the future with us.”

“Perhaps, after all, romance did not come into one’s life with pomp and blare, like a gay knight riding down; perhaps it crept to one’s side like an old friend through quiet ways; perhaps it revealed itself in seeming prose, until some sudden shaft of illumination flung athwart its pages betrayed the rhythm and the music; perhaps . . . perhaps . . . love unfolded naturally out of a beautiful friendship, as a golden-hearted rose slipping from its green sheath.”

“I believe the nicest and sweetest days are not those on which anything very splendid or wonderful or exciting happens, but just those that bring simple little pleasures, following one another softly, like pearls slipping off a string.”

“Dear old world', she murmured, 'you are very lovely, and I am glad to be alive in you.”

Listen to Anne's Theme here.

The Secret Garden by Frances H. Burnett

When Mary Lennox is left an orphan, stranded in India, she is shipped off to a distant uncle who lives amongst the moors in Yorkshire.  For a girl who was used to getting her way in everything, servants to dress her and obey her every command, the lonely house is a great change.  She is a bratty child, though that's the result of neglect more than anything else.

When she learns of a secret garden, shut up since the death of her uncle's late wife, she seizes on the idea to discover it for herself.  With the help of an ancient gardener, the younger brother of a house maid, and her long hidden cousin, Mary brings the garden back to life and as a result discovers a new life for herself and her cousin.

Back in July of 2010 I bought a few classic books from Barnes & Noble for $1.79 per book.  I bought five of them, have read two of them, and the rest have been languishing on my shelves ever since.  One of those books, waiting to be read, was The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett.  I'm going to admit, right up front, that even though I bought it and planned on reading it someday, I was never in a hurry to do so.  If it hadn't been less than two dollars for a hardcover, I probably would not have purchased it that day.  I guess I could make some sort of unbiased excuse, but the real reason I didn't feel a fire to read it, I always thought of it as girl's book.  Now what that actually means in reality, I have no frickin clue.  I know that's not a valid reason to not read a book that many consider a classic, but it's the only one I got.  So when Sheila at Book Journey suggested a read-a-long when some of us mentioned on one of her posts hat we haven't read it, I figured I might as well get it over with.

I will even have to admit to finding my line of thinking validated about a third of the way through the book.  I even remember telling a friend of mine who loves this book that I felt like such a "girl" while I was reading it.  I will even have to go as far as saying, part of me was a little embarrassed to tell anyone I was reading it.  Then something a little strange happened.  I started to relax and allow myself to put all my preconceived notions behind me.  I wish I could tell you what triggered that change in my thinking, but I can't.  All I can say is that once I allowed myself to really take in what I was reading, I started to fall in love with Mary and her quest to discover the hidden garden.

I found myself utterly fascinated with the change in temperament and behavior that Mary was undergoing as she started to realize the life may actually be interesting if she gets out and does something about it.  With nobody around who was willing to coddle her and tolerate her bad behavior, Mary started to grow in ways that only her changed environment would ever allow.  Now granted, the book over simplifies the changes show goes through, giving a lot of the credit to physical exercise in the outdoors.  Don't get me wrong, I love being outside. As a kid, I was truly happy camping in the great outdoors, swimming in the lakes of Northern Minnesota, and climbing trees.  I understand the benefits of being outside, I just think Mary's behavioral changes are a little bit much for the catalyst that kicked started it.

The other aspect I truly loved was the discovery and transformation of her cousin.  Much like Mary, Colin starts off as a whiny brat.  His mother died during childbirth and ever since then, he has been coddled and babied in such a way that has left the household in terror of him.  He blames himself, but most importantly, thinks everyone else for the death of his mother.  He thinks he is going to to die young and has a bag that is deformed.  While everyone in the community knows about him, nobody really talks about it.  He is hidden in a separate wing of the house, a wing Mary is told to never visit.  Because of some mysterious crying, Mary discovers her cousin and sees in him, her past behavior.  Because of the friendship that develops between the two of them, they both awaken into the children they should have been given different circumstances.

Now while I really enjoyed and could even say I loved this story, I'm not going to be very good at getting across the way it made me feel.  This was a affirmation for me of the magic of childhood and what it means to be accepted by those around you and how important "home" is to your identity.  It's a celebration of nature and the benefits of being in sync with your environment.  I will also have to admit that had I read this as a kid, I would have loved it, and never admitted to reading it.  Now as an adult, I will proudly proclaim that not only have I read The Secret Garden, but I fell in love with it.

The copy I own is filled with wonderful full color illustrations by Tasha Tudor.  I wish I was able to share all of them with you, but I hope the ones I picked gave a good overall impression of the magical world she was able to capture.

I would like to thank Sheila for the excuse to read the book and share my experience with others who were reading it around the same time.  Please join us for the discussion.  So join us for the garden party over at Sheilas.

Favorite Fictional Character --- Frank & Joe Hardy

When I first decided that I was going to pick The Hardy Boys for this weeks feature, I wasn't sure what direction I was going to go in.  At first I thought I would be all intellectual about it.  I was going to delve into the hidden meanings and racial controversies that have sprung up over the years.  I was going to examine, in minute detail, the cultural significance they have come to symbolize.  Then I realized I have no frickin clue about any of that, most of which I think is dreamed up by people who have nothing better to do with their time.  So instead I'm just going to explain why I liked, and still do, them so much.

I don't quite remember in what grade I first discovered The Hardy Boys series.  I'm going to assume, for the sake of argument, that it was around the same time I first came across Nancy Drew.  And while I loved the Nancy Drew books, I fell in love with Frank and Joe Hardy.  You could probably say that as a little kid, I had my first literary crush on them.

Here were these two young men who not only had a great family life, but got to live out these amazing adventures that most of us could (and still do) dream about. They have a world famous detective for a father.  A father that encourages them in their capers, and always seems to need their help.  Because of that the boys kinda get the best of both worlds.  They get to show their father up a bit and earn his approval at the same time.  Their mother is that paragon of virtue, the content housewife and mother.  She stays home and makes sure that all three of the men in her life are taken care of and supported in whatever fashion they need.  She has no problem packing a picnic lunch for her boys to take out on a case and will even throw in extra food for their friends.  It would be impossible to not love a mother like that.

But it's those adventures, some of which take them far from home, that makes Frank and Joe Hardy childhood icons.  They get to do things that and visit places that I could only experience through their eyes.  Now of course, as I've gotten older, I've come to understand a few things about those adventures.  For starters, the boys never seemed to be in school, despite attending Bayport High School.  So I'm not sure if their principal was that understanding or that they were such excellent students, that they always made their work up.  The other aspect I've come to understand is that I can't imagine the money it would have taken for these two young men to do what they do.  So the only assumption you can come away with is that Fenton Hardy was such a world class detective, that he made killer money.  It's either that or they just got everything for free.

The major realization, the one I actually understood to an extent at the time, was that no matter what their adventures, the two boys were going to come out of it just find.  No matter how scary or unpredictable the situations they found themselves in, no real danger was going to land on their doorsteps.  They were never going to be shot through the end by the thief they were trying to expose.  They were never going to have their dead bodies dropped into the river because they got to close to solving a case.  It's that almost sterile sense of "danger" that made the books so hospitable to my young mind.  I don't think I would have enjoyed them as much if these adventures were really that dangerous.  Even in the world of fantasy, my young mind needed massive safety nets.

As an adult, I still value the cleanness of it all.  There are time, as a mystery lover, that I don't want to read something dark and somber.  I need that little bit of lightness to bring me out of that funk that a truly dark book can put you into.  As a father, I rejoice in the idea that there are still fun books out there for younger readers that don't explore the seedier sides of life.  I love the fact that I can turn these books over to my son and know that he will get just as much enjoyment out of them that I did, without his psyche being traumatized.

Odd And The Frost Giants by Neil Gaiman

Synopsis From Back Cover:

In a village in ancient Norway lives a boy named Odd, and he's had some very bad luck:  His father perished in a Viking expedition; a tree fell on him and shattered his leg; the endless freezing winter is making villagers dangerously grumpy.

Out in the forest Odd encounters a bear, a fox, and an eagle -  three creatures with a strange story to tell.

Now Odd is forced on a stranger journey than he imagined - a journey to save Asgard, city of the gods, from the Frost Giants who have invaded it.

It's going to take a very special kind of twelve-year-old boy to outwit the Frost Giants, restore peace to the city of the gods, and end the long winter.

Someone cheerful and infuriating and clever...

Someone just like Odd....

When I first sat down to write this review, all I was going to say was "I loved it."  Then I was going to finish the post with "Everyone should read it."  That's all folks.  Though I doubt that would really excite you, or would it?  Well either way, I'll never know.  There is no way I could leave a review at two lines, though I'm sure some of you would prefer that over my longer, rambling ones.

Ever since I was a little kid, I have loved mythology.  It doesn't even matter what pantheon of gods we are talking about.  Greek, Roman, Norse, Celtic, Babylonian, Egyptian, even American Indian; they were all fair game to a young boy that could never get enough of those stories.  So when I saw this book reviewed last year (maybe the year before) by a blogger I know I trust, Tasha of Truth, Beauty, Freedom, and Books, I knew this one would be for me.  I'm so glad that I listened to myself.

For such a short book, one that I ready pretty quickly, it packed one of the biggest escapism punches of the year for me.  For that brief amount of time, I was lost in another world.  A world that was ruled by gods who weren't really as powerful as they thought they were.  A world where a tricky Frost Giant can trick the trickster god himself into doing something really stupid.  A world where three of the most powerful gods to ever walk the Earth, can be turned into animals.  It's a world where those same animals get into trouble and have to have a crippled, twelve-year-old boy get them out of it.  It's a world that I really want to know for myself.

Odd, the young hero of the tale, is one of those boys that is way too clever for his own good, and he knows it.  He knows how smart he is.  From what I can tell, he has know problems letting everyone else know it too.  But he isn't that smarty pants kid that you couldn't stand in 5th grade.  You know the kid I'm talking about, we all had one in class.  Instead, Odd is the kid that you wanted to have as your best friend.  He is the resourceful one, the kid you can count on to get you out of trouble.  I figure if Odd can get Odin, Thor and Loki out of trouble, he should be able to do the same thing for the rest of us.

I really want Odd to make another appearance someday.  I would love to find out how he got along with the other Gods or how he settles into the lands of his mother.  He is one of those characters that deserved to have more than one book written about him.

Staci's Favorite Fictional Character --- Charles "Pa" Ingalls

What can I say about Staci of Life In The Thumb.... Well I can start with the fact that she is obsessed with Mr. Darcy, though I still can't quite figure out why.  The vlog she did, calling me out on the subject, gave me a little inkling but it wasn't enough.  Maybe I need a little more, I dont' know, but I have to respect anyone who likes a character as much as she does him.  I can also say she is a fabulous blogger, writer, and all around class act.  She has made me feel welcome from day one, and I can never tell her how much I have appreciated it.  She has been encouraging, even when she didn't realize.  She is a truly special person and I'm glad I've gotten to know her, even if just a little bit.  She has also added to my wish list on more than one (WAY more occasions, so hers is a blog I go back to on an almost daily basis.  If any of you don't know her please stop on by and say hi.  I'm sure you will be made to feel at home.

When Ryan asked me to write up a post for his Favorite Fictional Character Wednesdays I immediately thought of Mr. Darcy! One, because Ryan just can't get enough of my love for Darcy and two, because I seriously do love Darcy. But then I really sat down and thought about a fictional character that made an impact on my life and came up with Pa Ingalls from Little House on the Prairie. 

When I was in first grade, Mrs. Wilson read Little House in the Big Woods to our class. It was then and there that I fell in love with Pa and Little House on the Prairie. I loved that Pa would get out his fiddle and play music to entertain the family at night. I was also drawn into how safe he made his family feel. 

Then when Little House on the Prairie came to television my little heart swelled to ten times it size! Here was Pa, bigger than life, and with such an infectious laugh. I adored Michael Landon as Pa and felt that he belonged to me. Every week my family gathered together to see what would happen next in the Ingall's little house. Without fail, Pa always treated his children with love, patience and tenderness. I felt safe and secure when I was lost in their world. It was nice to see that my Pa was so much like Laura's Pa. Boy, did I feel special. 

I remember when Michael Landon passed away ...I felt as if a piece of my childhood had died and I wept. I honestly don't believe any fictional character has had such an impact on my childhood as Pa Ingalls. 

Note: I do understand that Mr. Ingalls was a real person, but there is a part of fiction wrapped up in those books and TV shows!!

Cecelia's Favorite Fictional Character --- Suzy Turquoise Blue

Cecelia of Adventures of Cecelia Bedelia has a great taste in books.  She is one of those bloggers that always seems to be reviewing a book that I have never heard of before.  After reading her reviews though, I tend to find myself really, really wanting to read them.  I don't think I have picked up a book she recommended without liking it.  That and I can never get enough of her baking posts.  I'm not much of a baker myself, so seeing her handiwork makes my salivary glands go into overdrive.  It doesn't help that I would never be able to replicate her accomplishments.  If you don't believe me, go over and see for yourself.  I can guarantee that after saying hi, you will stay for a while reading all about the great books and food.

If Suzy Turquoise Blue’s name is familiar to you, we just became instant friends.  No, you don’t have any say in the matter (aren’t I charmingly forceful?  ha!)  Any fan of author Garth Nix is automatically a friend of mine.  And if Suzy Turquoise Blue sounds like the grownup child of hippies somewhere in New Mexico (and you really have no idea who she is) – then goodness, you’ve got a whole wonderful world to discover, and I envy you the fun you’ll have!

Suzy Turquoise Blue is an ink-filler, sixth class, when the reader meets her in Garth Nix’s middle grade fantasy Mister Monday, the first of seven Keys to the Kingdom books. And her first words are “Hey! Idiot! Up here!”  Anyone with that tone is liable to make me laugh uproariously, and Suzy DOES.  She can’t help it – she’s irrepressible and direct and curious and altogether too much fun.

Suzy helps the hero of the Keys books, Arthur, to get out of a scrape, and that’s just the first of many adventures that she and Arthur land in.  Suzy leaps over rooftops, flies with a pair of wings, jimmies anything locked, closed, or generally meant to be NOT open, open.  She’s also loyal to the point of death, a wonderful friend, and the first person to pick to guard your back.

I was reading along innocently, quietly enjoying Mister Monday, and then BOOM!  I was hijacked by the force that is Suzy.  She is the reason I loved these books – truly.  I don’t know that I’ve ever met a character with such verve.  Or if I have, it’s very likely that I forgot them because they didn’t have something that every great character needs – an unforgettable name.  And you have to admit, Suzy Turquoise Blue as a name is a mouthful, descriptive, AND straight-up awesome. 

Oh, and I should mention something else – Suzy speaks in vernacular when she’s not paying attention.  As far as I can tell, it’s Cockney/Aussie/something-or-other, but I could be wrong.  It’s not hard to figure out, but it makes her bits of dialogue utterly delightful when read aloud.

And now that I’ve completely fangirled about Ms. Blue, might I interest you in Garth Nix’s Keys to the Kingdom series?  That’s where you’ll find out more about Suzy and all of her (and Arthur’s) adventures in this and other assorted worlds.  Thanks for having me, Ryan!

Simcha's Favorite Fictional Character --- Tom Sawyer

I'm going to sound like a schmuck now, but today's Favorite Fictional Character is not one I've ever met for myself.  I know who he is of course, who doesn't, but I've never taken the time to read about him.  I'm sad to say that it's taken Simcha of SFF Chat to remind me of that oversight.  Simcha, who I think is an absolutely fabulous, is based in Israel.  Her blog is one that I visit on a daily basis and I can always count on her to let me know about the new fantasy/scifi releases and reviews.  So go on over and tell her hi, stay for a while, and I know you will never leave.

I first encountered Tom Sawyer when I was thirteen years old and I was immediately captivated by this mischievous boy with the wild imagination.  I was in awe of his clever tricks and easy ability to beguile others (the fence whitewashing trick was classic!)  and I loved to imagine myself by his side, participating in each of his adventures.

After finishing Mark Twain's The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, I got a hold of several other books featuring Tom and I read through them all again and again.  he became the best-friend that I always wanted and all my real-life friends pale in comparison.  I longed to transport myself into his stories so that we could run around together barefoot, getting into trouble by concocting new adventures.  though now and than I think about it, I probably had more in common with Tom Sawyer than I realized at the time (a particular recollection just floated into my head of the time I convinced my friend to put all her belongings into a shopping cart and sell them to passersby along a busy Boston street.)  Together we would have been a real terror.

It's been a while since I last visited Tom Sawyer, but he still remains one of my favorite book characters.  Thinking about him now reminds me of my own childhood and of the delight of being young, carefree and rich in imagination.

The Tower Treasure by Franklin W. Dixon

When Frank and Joe Hardy are almost ran off the road by a speeding car, little do they know that it's just the beginning.  Being the sons of a famous private eye, mysteries are nothing new to the two boys.  They have just never tried to solve one on their own.  When the father of a friend is accused of stealing thousands in jewels, the boys are determined to find out the truth.  When it becomes clear that the speed demon who almost killed them is involved, everything comes full circle.

Unlike the Nancy Drew books, which I devoured as a kid, I never read all that many Hardy Boys mysteries.  I don't remember if it was because I didn't like them or if it had to do with the fact the library I used didn't have as many.  I'm thinking it's the former, because I don't see how I didn't like these as a kid.  Especially when I loved this book so much as an adult.

I had this one sitting around for a few weeks now, sitting unread.  I had already read the Nancy Drew book that I bought at the same time, but since I wasn't feeling the same sense of nostalgia, I wasn't in a hurry to read it.  The other night though, Father's Day actually, I was missing Aidan and none of the other books were keeping my attention.  I know him spending time with his great-grandparents for the summer is a great thing, but it takes me a while to get used to not having him around.  Anyway, I picked it up on the off chance it would do more for me, and it did.

It grabbed and held my attention from the start when the boys are forced off their motorcycles when a speeding car almost takes them out.  That is followed quickly by a stolen car, a holdup, stolen jewels and a crazy hobo.  What made it even better though was I knew two different things.  First, this book was aimed at young people so I knew that despite whatever action was taking place, nobody was in any actual danger.  Secondly, there are 58 books in the original series.  That means I have a lot of fun ahead of me.  I'll be waiting for Aidan to come home so I can sucker him into reading these with me.

Challenges: M&S, VM

The Secret of the Old Clock by Carolyn Keene

What started off as a routine favor for her father, ended up with Nancy Drew having her first case.  A chance encounter with a moving van and the little girl it almost hits, sets Nancy on an adventure she won't forget anytime soon.  Missing wills, greedy relatives, and furniture thieves are just some of the dangers facing Nancy as she sets out to find a missing clock that holds the key to everything.


Can I say how excited I was to read my first Nancy Drew book since about the 5th grade.  I devoured these book throughout the school year and I really think Nancy gets some of the credit for my lifelong love affair with mysteries.

Underneath that excitement was just a small amount of fear.  I haven't read this book in 25 years so I was scared that it wouldn't live up to the memory.  It wouldn't be the first time that I reread a book I loved when I was younger only to find out that I really didn't care for it as an adult.  What if that were to happen now?  Would I suddenly find myself ditching mysteries and take up historical romance?  I shuddered at the thought then and now, it's just not pretty to think about.

On the other hand I knew it wouldn't be the same, and it wasn't.  Compared to the mysteries I read now, this was pretty tame and simple.  It was a fast and easy read.  It wasn't bogged down in complicated plots involving more characters than you can count.  Nobody was killed and despite a few scares nobody was really ever in danger.  I loved it almost as much as I did in the 5th grade.  It was for different reasons though.  As a kid I was caught up in the mystery.  I had to know where the will was hidden and that the bad guys would be punished.  I wanted to know that the good relatives would get their inheritance so they could live happily eve rafter.

As an adult, this book served as a palate cleanser.  It was just the thing I needed to reset my brain and get me out my more serious frame of mind.  It was pure escapism.  I was able to read simply for the pleasure of it.  I didn't have to think about or analyze what I was reading.  I didn't have to deal with emotionally complex characters that left me drained at the end.  I got to read a story that was simple and fun, a story that left me happy at the end.  I can't wait to do it again.

Challenges:  A-Z, M&S, VM

Rotters by Daniel Kraus

Synopsis From Dust Jacket:

Grave robbing. What kind of monster would do such a thing? It’s true that Leonardo da Vinci did it, Shakespeare wrote about it, and the resurrection men of nineteenth-century Scotland practically made it an art. But none of this matters to Joey Crouch, a sixteen-year-old straight-A student living in Chicago with his single mom. For the most part, Joey’s life is about playing the trumpet and avoiding the daily humiliations of high school.

Everything changes when Joey’s mother dies in a tragic accident and he is sent to rural Iowa to live with the father he has never known, a strange, solitary man with unimaginable secrets. At first, Joey’s father wants nothing to do with him, but once father and son come to terms with each other, Joey’s life takes a turn both macabre and exhilarating.

Since I started book blogging back in 2009, I don't think I've ever been happier to not be a paid reviewer.  If I were, I think I would be racking my brain for days for something to say about this book that would be worthy of being paid for it.  I'm not sure I'm capable of ever expressing how much I loved this macabre blend of my childhood fears of being buried in the ground along with all the adolescent pain and longing for home that so many of us experience.

When Joey's mother dies in a freak accident, he is cast aside by the state and forced to go live with a father he never knew he had, let alone wanted.  He is set adrift in a new town, without his best friend, and forced to deal with a father that seems to be not only cold but just so happens to be the town pariah.  Unfortunately for Joey, this is one case where the sins of the father comes crashing down on the son.  When the kids in his new school find out who his father is, he is never allowed to know a day of peace ever again.  Relentlessly bullied, he is forced to withdraw further and further into himself in order to not feel the pain the building isolation is forcing upon him.  When he does take that all too painful step of reaching out, even in the smallest way, those who reached back are punished by his tormentors.  This causes Joey, like so many others, to continue to pull within himself in order to deal with the pain.  He is a young man who has lost his home and his identity which is enough explanation for what comes next.

Part of Joey's problem is the way he smells.  For weeks, he has been living in what can be called a shack, if you want to be generous about it.  He can't wash his clothes or from what I could tell bathe all that often either, there is such a cloying stench of decay in the house, that it seeps into his pores and never really leaves.  The stench and stigma that comes with it though are fitting, it's almost like the outward symptom of what is happening inside of him.  Between the horrific changes that ripped him away from the only home he knew and the constant pressure squeezing him at all times of the day, the slow decay of his soul and spirit match up with the sweetish, pungent odor of death.

Is it any wonder that when Joey discovers his father's secret, he grasps at that world with all the strength he has left.  Maybe in the world of rotting corpses, long nights, and constant death; Joey will be able to find a place to call his own once again.  His father, reluctant at first, takes Joey under his wing and starts teaching him about the world of grave robbing.  His father, like many before him, view the life in an almost noble, romantic way.  By the time he is done with him, Joey feels the same way.  They are serving a higher purpose by what they do, even it it's misunderstood by the general populace. 

Now if this book was just about grave robbing, as seductively written as it was, I'm not sure I would have loved it as much as I did.  The world of grave robbing though served a bigger purpose.  It served as a comparison for what happens, all to often, when life rips away someone's identity and sense of self worth.  This was a book about a young man who loses everything and through some rather unconventional ways discovers more about himself and his family than he ever wanted to know.  By the end of it, and there is some great action I never even hinted about in the middle, he has picked up the pieces and has maybe found that balance within himself once again.

Now if 6 months ago you would have told me that I was going to read a YA book about grave robbing, written by an author I never heard of before, I would have told you to go away.  It wasn't that I would be turned off by the idea, instead I wasn't sure a YA author could pull it off.  It sounds more like something Poppy Z. Brite would do, and better than anyone else.  Now that I've read Rotters though, I can happily say that Daniel Kraus holds his own against Brite, who was really the first author I read that could make this type of topic both seductive and mesmerizing to the point I would not be able to stop myself.  I don't think she could have told this story any better. 

Rotters is a story of the desire we all have to be somewhere we feel "at home."  It just happened to be told in such a way to keep me up at night with nightmares of a digger in the future bringing up my body and mutilating my corpse for the treasure buried with me.  I've always wanted to be cremated, this book cemented that decision in stone.  This was a world of pain, yearning, and rotting flesh that I would never hesitate to visit again.

Bandits by LM Preston

Synopsis From Back Cover:

Daniel’s father has gotten himself killed. A thief and a mercenary, Daniel is now determined to find the treasure his father snatched. Being a Zukar is all he knows and wants for his future. Up until his father’s murder, his father’s faltering loyalties to the Zukar hung heavy as a rift between them. But now, with his father's blood on his hands, his time is running out to find his father’s killer, the missing treasure… and to save his world.

He wants to go alone to retrieve his father’s stolen treasure, but he is accompanied by his flight school dropout cousin Faulk, his best friend’s stubborn little sister Jade, and his own younger brother Nickel. Jade is off limits since her brother is his best friend, but unfortunately, Jade’s set on changing his mind. Daniel just can’t decide if she’s worth the beating he’ll get from his friend in order to have her.

They’re on the run from the king’s officials and an unknown killer. The king desires to kill any Zukar child who is unprotected and will stop at nothing to get them. Who’s more dangerous, Daniel doesn’t know. All he knows is someone is bent on killing him and taking the treasure he thinks his father died foolishly to protect.

Through the islands of Merwin to an unknown planet, they seek to find the treasure that changed his father’s life – all for a price that is too high. To claim the treasure, Daniel will have to test everything he knows and everything he is or will ever be in order to earn the right to save their lives and the home of those he loves.

This is the third LM Preston book I've reviewed and I must say that I'm really happy with the results.  She is an author that I've come to appreciate and am really enjoying her growth as a writer.  When I read her first book, Explorer X-Alpha, while I enjoyed it, I wanted it fleshed out a bit more.  I felt there was so much in it, that I wanted it explained and detailed more.  When I read her second book, The Pack, I was still wishing the book was set in a fantasy series, though I understood the reasoning of what that would not work.  Now I know that the author wasn't paying all that attention to one reviewers opinions but I must say that Bandits seemed to fulfill both of my issues with the first two books.

Don't get me wrong, this is still a sci fi book set on a alien world, but it almost had a fantasy feel for me.  I think creating the Zukar as an almost futuristic version of pirates, just a little more deadly, is what did it for me.  I have always associated pirates (in literature anyway) as an almost fantasy like element in the same way I would do with dragons.  I know that make absolutely no sense, but what does anymore.  As a kid I was a sucker for pirates and to explore that world again, with a slightly different twist was a lot of fun. 

The other aspect that made this more like a fantasy book compared to something that was strictly sci fi (not that I have a lot of experience with that genre) was the quest aspect of the book.  After Daniel and Nickel's father is killed they set off on a fast paced journey to discover the secret of their father's treasure and why someone would be willing to kill for it.  In typical fantasy tradition they are joined on the quest by their cousin Faulk, a flight school drop out who wants nothing more than to break away from his parent's control and live his own life, and Jade, the younger sister of Daniel's best friend and a possible future love interest.  Their journey takes them off their world of Merwin and into uncharted space to find the origins of the treasure, a treasure that could destroy the planet and all those trapped on it.  Once they arrived on the planet that the treasure came from they are all tested to see if they are worthy to control the secret and save Merwin from destruction.  The fact that this story happens in outer space, far into the future, and involves space craft and aliens; didn't make it any less of a fantasy novel for me.

The other aspect I felt the author did better in this novel was in how she was able to make the characters and plot three dimensional enough to appeal to an adult audience, without writing above the heads of her target audience.  I had some difficulty in relating to the first two books for that reason.  While they were fun and engaging to read, I couldn't connect to characters as much as I would have liked, because they seemed to be more like stock characters instead of fully realised individuals.  That was not the case in this one, though not perfectly written, they were well rounded characters that anyone should be able to get behind and be engaged by their story.  

The same is true for the storyline itself.  This book takes the action, which the author has never been bad at, and blends it within the plot in such a way that I didn't feel as if I was reading two different stories.  The author blended the two in a better fashion than what took place in the first two books.  The story itself wasn't predictable and it kept me on my toes wanting to know what happens next.

I've really enjoyed reading LM Preston's writing grow and mature through each subsequent book.  I'm really excited to read what she comes up with next.

Secrets of a Christmas Box by Steven Hornby

Synopsis From Dust Jacket:

Enter the magical festive world of the Christmas 'Tree-Dwellers', as Larry, a Christmas snowman, wakes up after a long sleep in the Christmas box, to find his brother missing.

Desperate to find him before Christmas, Larry, along with his girlfriend Debbie, a newcomer Splint, and Larry's companion Tinsel, break the laws of the 'Tree-Elders' and escape down the tree and away into the house, to look for clues.

Away from the safety of the tree and in an unfamiliar world, the Dwellers stumble upon a dark and sinister secret that threatens their entire world.  Can Larry and the group make it back to the tree in time to warn the others, and finally uncover the truth behind the 'Secrets of a Christmas Box'?

I'm going to be up front with you and tell you in no uncertain terms that their is no way for me to get across how much I loved this book.  I haven't raved about a book in a while and I'm so glad I get to know.  As a life long Christmas lover who has always had a rather overactive imagination to find a book that lets me revel in one of my oldest Christmas fantasies is a treat.  As a kid I would sit by the Christmas tree making up stories and names to go along with the ornaments that hung upon it's branches.  I always imagined them coming to life and talking amongst themselves when nobody was around.  To be able to read a wonderfully written book that explores that, sent me back to my childhood.

When Larry and his friends set out upon their journey, little did they know they had a fourth companion.  I was right there, with them the whole time.  I got lost in this story and I could feel the pain and the fright as circumstances seemed to be getting out of their control and they were faced with making decisions that may not allow them to get back home.  What made the journey special for me was how "real" all of these characters seemed.  The author did a wonderful job of "humanizing" them, making them seem like they could be any of us.  It made them more likable to me and I wanted them to succeed in their quest.

I'm not going to get into a lot of the plot points because I don't want to ruin anything for you.  What I will tell you is this, if you are in the mood for a good Christmas mystery inhabited by an unusual cast of characters, this book is for you.  I was expecting a lighter story but instead I was treated to a thrilling mystery that made me wish more than anything that my Christmas ornaments would come to life.

By the way I am looking at my own ornaments a little bit more carefully.  If I notice anything odd, I'll let you know.

I Am Number Four by Pittacus Lore (James Fry)

Synopsis:

Six children and their guardians escape from Earth as their home planet is being destroyed by a viscous race of alien invaders. Once on Earth they scatter into separate hiding places, hoping against hope, that their enemies won't find them.  However, one by one, they have been found and killed.  The first three are already gone, they are after number four now.  Now that number four is coming into his legacy, he may save himself and the others with his new found powers.

This is going to be my confession portion of this review.  I actually read this one months ago and it's been sitting on my shelf of books waiting to be reviewed.  I'm not sure why I've taken so long to get this done, but I'm going to chalk it up to my ambivalent feelings on it.

The book itself is entertaining, while I was actually reading it.  The plot line was well thought out and nothing that happened in the book felt out of character or unnecessary to the story telling. It was full of action from start to end and I really liked the characters.

There was nothing about it though that compelled me to pick it up and keep reading once I set it down.  It was more of an issue where once I started it, since I wasn't hating it, I had to finish it.  The problem for me was that nothing felt original.  I felt like I was reading a mash up up different SciFi works that I've seen before.  It has elements of Superman, The Thundercats (long with too many other cartoons to count), but what I was really reminded of the entire time I was reading the book was the TV show, The Powers of Matthew Star.
 
I will probably continue with the series, only because I want to make sure John (number four) comes out of this mess alive.  I just hope the next book is more original and less predictable.

The Dead Boys by Royce Buckingham

Synopsis From Back Cover:

When Teddy Mathews moves to Richland, his main concern is making new friends.  But something is not right about this quiet desert town:  All the boys he meets seem to vanish before hie eyes, while the imposing shadows of the giant tree outside his home appear to be hiding more than darkness.

With the branches of the massive sycamore scratching at his window, Teddy's life becomes a waking nightmare that no one else believes.  Can Teddy escape the tree's terrifying grasp and solve the mystery of the missing boys before he becomes the next boy to disappear?

I've been debating whether or not I wanted to stop reviewing YA until my son is a little older to read them.  It seems that for the most part I either really like them or can do without.  I think I'm going to have to keep reading them if they are anything like The Dead Boys.

This book is only 201 pages, but where it lacks in length it more than makes it up in storytelling.  It's not every boy that can move to a new town and deal with a tree that is trying to eat him.  Teddy is a strong young man who rather than hiding and being scared by the events surrounding him, decides to get to the bottom of it.  From his first encounter with one of the missing boys, Teddy is determined to figure out why his new "friends" keep disappearing and why things don't quite add up.

Part of the reason why I wanted to read this book was because I've always been rather fascinated by "vampire" stories that don't quite fit into the typical mold.  Two of my favorite short stories are about trees, "The Man-Eating Tree" by Phil Robinson and "The Sumach" by Ulric Daubeny both feature trees that feed off non traditional sources.  The Dead Boys smoothly fits into that tradition and I'm looking forward to the day Aidan reads this all by himself.

This book is going to qualify for 2 different challenge; R.I.P V Challenge hosted by Stainless Steel Dropping and the Thriller & Suspense Reading Challenge 2010 hosted by Book Chick City.

Zan-Gah: A Prehistoric Adventure by Allan Richard Shickman

Part Of The Synopsis From The Back Cover:

Pressed by love for his brother and a bad conscience, the hero undertakes a quest which leads to captivity, conflict, and triumph.  In three years, Zan-Gah passes from an uncertain boyhood to a tried and proven manhood and a role of leadership among his people.

This is going to be a quick review, mainly because it was a quick book.  Even though this book is only 148 pages it is chalk full of action and while I was reading this one with my son, neither one of us was ever bored.  Now he obviously enjoyed it more than I did, but since his age group is who this is aimed at, that's to be expected.

The basic story is that Zan, who is named Zan-Gah after he takes down a man-eating lioness all by himself, is a young teenage boy living in a time when men still lived in caves and belonged to warring clans united by family relationships and knew peace for very long.  It was a hard life that was ruled by the need to survive and little else.

When Zan's twin brother went missing a year before it had left a hole in his heart and he never knew what to do about it.  After his heroics allow him to see himself in a new light, he decides to undertake a life changing journey to find out what happened to his brother.  It's a journey of self discovery that will mature and change his life forever.

What I really loved about the book was the time period it was set in.  I have never really read anything that humanized early man the way this book did and I'm thankful I got the opportunity to read it.  I will be reading the second book in the series, Zan-Gah And The Beautiful Country, pretty soon and both Aidan and I are really looking forward to it.

Boneshaker by Cherie Priest

Synopsis From Back Cover:

In the early days of the Civil War, rumors of gold in the frozen Klondike brought hordes of newcomers to the Pacific Northwest. Anxious to compete, Russian prospectors commissioned inventor Leviticus Blue to create a great machine that could mine through Alaska’s ice. Thus was Dr. Blue’s Incredible Bone-Shaking Drill Engine born.

But on its first test run the Boneshaker went terribly awry, destroying several blocks of downtown Seattle and unearthing a subterranean vein of blight gas that turned anyone who breathed it into the living dead.

Now it is sixteen years later, and a wall has been built to enclose the devastated and toxic city. Just beyond it lives Blue’s widow, Briar Wilkes. Life is hard with a ruined reputation and a teenage boy to support, but she and Ezekiel are managing. Until Ezekiel undertakes a secret crusade to rewrite history.

His quest will take him under the wall and into a city teeming with ravenous undead, air pirates, criminal overlords, and heavily armed refugees. And only Briar can bring him out alive.
 
Fantastic.  Amazing.  Brilliant.  Spectacular.  Thrilling.  I could go on and on but I think too many adjectives gets annoying after a while.  This was only my third foray into steam punk and I loved it even more than my first time.  It's rather like sex that way, it's gets better as you gain experience.
 
Boneshaker is a brilliantly told story of what happens when family secrets start to eat away to the point they have to come out.  The fact that these secrets will shake Briar and her son to the core and force them to deal with zombies, mad scientists, and air pirates while juggling the truth just made it that much better. 
 
The action is intense and once it gets started it never really slows down.  I can't recall one moment in the book that I found to be boring or dragging.  Thankfully though the action never got in the way of the storytelling.  The author did an amazing job of meshing the action with the journey itself and by the end, both Briar and her son were able to reach a point in their lives where they were able to deal with the past and make a new life for themselves in the future.
 
I'm slowly getting sucked into the steam punk world and I can't wait for the next experience.

Noah's Castle by John Rowe Townsend

Synopsis From Back Cover:

The coming winter was going to be a bad one - and not because of the weather.

Sixteen-year-old Barry Mortimer's life turns upside down when his father suddenly moves the family from their comfortable modern home in the city to a decaying old mansion on the outskirts of town.  Strange and mysterious events follow.

Why isn't anyone allowed to visit their new home?  What is Father doing in the basement and why is he keeping it a secret?

As rumors of skyrocketing prices and food shortages become a full-fledged economic meltdown, Barry's world begins to crumble.  Can his family hold together as a nation collapses around them?

Alright if you have any intention of reading this book, at anytime, please don't continue to read the review.  There is no way I can fully get my feelings about this book across without "spoiling" the plot line for you.  So with that being said, on with the show.

I don't know how else to put this than to say, I hate this book.  Hate it.  There is nothing, and I mean nothing about it I enjoyed.  I actually found myself getting angry while I was reading it.  I was angry at the author for writing such nonsense, angry at the characters for being so unlikeable that I hoped that they would all starve to death, and angry at myself for even agreeing to review this book.  There were a few times I actually wanted to throw the book across the room or in the garbage (which I have never wanted to do in my life) but I restrained myself and forced myself to finish reading the book.  I'm actually getting angry all over again while I'm typing up the review.

Okay, deep breath.  Now that I got that out of my system I will attempt to explain why I feel so strongly about a YA book that is only 211 pages long.  I was expecting a book about a family doing everything they could to survive during a time where food was scarce, and what food was available was rationed out in small portions or was so expensive nobody could afford it.  I was wanting a family that came together to survive the times, a family who loved and trusted each other to put the needs of the family first.  I wanted a story that as a father I could relate too.  Needless to say that's not what this book is about nor is it even close to what I got out of it. 

This book is about a domineering, sexist, jackass of a father who doesn't know how to show love to his family in anyway that most children would recognize.  He treats his wife as a upper level servant who isn't intelligent enough to be brought into his confidence.  He's not all that warm to his children and has no problem emotionally brushing them aside in order to do what he thinks is right.  So when he starts to hoard food and supplies for his family to live off of during the crisis, I agreed with him and knew he was doing the right thing for his family, but I still didn't like him.  When laws are passed by the government making it illegal to hoard food, I'm still backing his decision but part of me wanted him to get caught just to get him off the page.

No matter what I thought of the father though I wasn't prepared for how I would feel about the rest of the family.  The most likable was the wife/mother, but even there I found her to be weak and boring.  She didn't make that much of an impression on me and in the end I didn't care either way.  What really got my goat were the children.  There are 4 of them and while I didn't like any of them, I'm going to focus on Barry and the oldest sister, Nessie.  Nessie thinks everything her father is doing is wrong, she finds is abhorrent that her father thought ahead and hoarded food for his family when other people are doing without.  She would rather sparse out her families supplies to everyone else in the country instead of making sure her family was taken care of.  She even moves out of the house because she is so disgusted by her father's actions.

Barry, the star of this story, is a little more conflicted.  At first, while bothered by his father's actions, he goes along with it because while he thinks its wrong, he's not sure why though.  He just feels that his father making sure his family is taken care of when the country is going to hell is somehow wrong.  The book is his journey to the conclusion that the only way he can feel right about life is for his family to be in the same circumstances as everyone else.  The world can not be right until his family is starving the way everyone else is.  He concludes his journey of  "self growth" by turning his father in.  He tells a "charity" about the hoarded food in the basement, which by the way was the whole reason they moved into the house, and even helps the same "charity" raid and take everything they can.

By the end of the book, the father is in a fugue state feeling sorry for himself because he couldn't take care of his family.  The rest of the family are all happy and chipper because now they get to starve as well.  What a wonderful end to a ridiculous story.

My problem with this book wasn't the writing, which I found to be engaging despite the horrendous story itself.  My problem was the viewpoint of the author that a father who tries to take care of his family is somehow evil and that sacrificing yourself and your family for the greater good is somehow noble.  The noble thing to do is take care of your family first, to make sure that the children you brought into this world are provided for.  Then if you are able to, take care of your neighbors after that.  The idea that hurting yourself permanently to help others temporarily is for me, morally repugnant.  As a father the idea of letting my son go hungry for months to come in order to feed someone else for a day is stupid and not something I would ever consider.

Now I'm not sure if the fact that this book was written in 1975 has anything to do with the socioeconomic tone in this book, but I'm sure it does.  The entire time I was reading this book, I kept thinking that the entire point of it was to get the author's personal political/economic views across to the masses.  I'm not sure if that's the case but It's the way the way it came across to me.  What I do know is that I don't like this book, wish I had never read this book, and would strongly encourage everyone I know not to read this book.

This book will qualify for the Typically British Reading Challenge 2010 hosted by Carolyn of Book Chick City.

Eye of the Crow by Shane Peacock

Synopsis From Back Cover:

Sherlock Holmes, just thirteen, is a misfit. His highborn mother is the daughter of an aristocratic family, his father a poor Jew. Their marriage flouts tradition and makes them social pariahs in the London of the 1860s; and their son, Sherlock, bears the burden of their rebellion. Friendless, bullied at school, he belongs nowhere and has only his wits to help him make his way.

But what wits they are! His keen powers of observation are already apparent, though he is still a boy. He loves to amuse himself by constructing histories from the smallest detail for everyone he meets. Partly for fun, he focuses his attention on a sensational murder to see if he can solve it. But his game turns deadly serious when he finds himself the accused — and in London, they hang boys of thirteen.

I've had this one sitting around since late last year and I'm now wishing I had picked it up sooner.  This was a fascinating look into the childhood of one of literature's favorite characters.  Now granted, this may not be the childhood Sir Arthur Conan Doyle envisioned for Sherlock Holmes, but it worked for me.

This was the story of a lonely, introverted young man who would rather be in a town square observing others than in the school he didn't feel comfortable in.  He is highly intelligent but doesn't seem to care about much other than his parents who are outcasts from society for their unconventional marriage.  That all changes when the murder of a young woman grabs his attention from the pages of a newspaper specializing in sensational stories.  He is of the mind that maybe he can put his skills to the test and solve the murder on his own, but when his actions inadvertently cause him to become a suspect in the case, he must use those same skills to save himself.

When he is befriended by a young woman, who becomes his first friend, he realized that their is more at stake than his own life or the life of the young man who is in jail waiting trial for the killing.  He is forced to utilize every resource at his disposal which puts them all in danger.  His new friend, the gang of youths who help supply him with information, and even his own mother are now in danger and only Sherlock can figure a way out of it.

I'm in awe of this story and of the way that Sherlock solves the case, as wild of the ride Sherlock takes to discover the truth, not once does it come across as unbelievable.  Even when crows are used as eye witnesses, this story never enters the realm of over the top.  I don't want to get into too much detail since I don't want to ruin the story for you.  I will say that I was engaged from start to finish and I can't wait to get my hands on the next book in the series. 

This will qualify for the Thriller & Suspense Reading Challenge 2010 hosted by Carolyn of Book Chick City.

The Pack by LM Preston, Plus A Giveaway At The End!

Synopsis From Back Cover:

Shamira is considered an outcast by most, but little does anyone know that she is on a mission.  Kids on Mars are disappearing, but Shamira decides to use the criminals' most unlikely weapons against them-the very kids they have captured.

In order to succeed, she is forced to trust another person, something she is afraid to do.  However, Valens, her connection to the underworld of her enemy, proves to be a useful ally.  Time is slipping, and so is her control on the power that resides within her.  Yet in order to save her brother's life, she is willing to risk everything.

Shamira is a interesting character to read about.  She starts of blind, which was caused by a childhood incident, and at first you think this will hold her back.  She is walking home from school, but she is baiting the bad guys, she wants them to make a grab for her so she can kick their butts.  When her wish comes true and one of them makes an attempt, it's interrupted by Valens who assumes that since she is blind, she can't take care of herself.  Little does he know that Shamira is more than capable of kicking a little butt.

Her vigilantism is quickly discovered by her parents, who are members of the elite defense force that rules and patrols the Martian populace.  When things start to get a little too dangerous her father brings her back to Earth to get her eyes fixed, along with a few other enhancements.  After the surgery, they find out that her little brother, who is her only friend, has been kidnapped by the drug dealers who are trying to take over the planet.

Once they get back home, and while her parents are busy trying to keep the planet from plunging into chaos, Shamira takes it upon herself to find her brother.  With the help of Valens and other kids who have freed themselves from the bad guys, Shamira sets off to do just that.  At first, she doesn't trust these kids, but as time goes on she not only starts to trust them but to like them as well.  For the first time Shamira is allowing herself to be liked by others and to form relationships with others outside her family.  The growth she experiences in both her physical capabilities and her emotional state of being are truly something worth reading and what I think makes her a dynamic character that kids can look up to.

Now back when I reviewed the author's previous book, Explorer X-Alpha, I stated that if the setting was high fantasy I would have enjoyed it more than I did reading something set in outer space.  I still feel that way after reading this one, but I'm starting to understand the appeal of science taken to the next level and of stories that take place on other planets.  This was a fast paced book where the characters were constantly having to react to the events around them, I'm not sure that would have worked within a fantasy setting.

Aidan and I read this one together and I think that's the other reason I enjoyed this one a bit more.  While reading Explorer X-Alpha I kept getting annoyed by the writing and would have to remind myself this was aimed at readers quite a bit younger than I am, well a lot younger than I am.  This time around by watching and hearing Aidan react to the story, I found myself getting into quite a bit more and the writing style seemed to be at just the right level.  Obviously, while I was reading this to Aidan, I did leave out some parts that I don't think a 7 year old should hear, but don't let that stop you from giving this to your older children, which this book is aimed at.  I'm really looking forward to sharing more of LM Preston's work with my son.

Time For The Giveaway

One lucky commenter on this post will win a copy of the book, a poster, and a magnet.  Plus every one who wins during this blog tour will automatically receive a copy of Bandits, LM Preston's upcoming book, which will be released in Spring of 2011.

To win, all you have to do is leave a comment about what intrigues you about this book or even the genre.  All entrants must be a follower of this blog, either through Google Friend Connect or some other avenue.  Please let me know in the comment how you follow my blog.  I will assume this giveaway is open to US residents only, but if I find out different I will let you know.  The giveaway will run till 11:59 pm CST on 6/22/10.